Flash Group supports moves to curb bogus online sellers

The logistics firm with Thai roots, Flash Express, on Thursday, expressed willingness to collaborate with government regulators in curbing bogus sellers that have been victimizing online buyers in the country.

During a press conference on Thursday, AR Polinar, marketing deputy director of the Flash Group said collaborations with online selling platforms, namely Lazada, Shopee, TikTok Shop, and Shein are now in place to protect online buyers from bogus sellers.

“We have partnerships with e-commerce platforms, it is a campaign that educates our consumers. There are many fly-by-night or bogus sellers online. We partner with them (e-commerce platforms) to ensure that buyers know the rights and things to consider when dealing with these sellers,” said Polinar.

If the Departments of Trade and Industry and Information Communications Technology will impose regulations, particularly the “open first before paying” policy, then the Flash Group will be willing to participate and accede to that direction, said Polinar.

“We are also the first logistics company in the country to have a dialogue with the Philippine National Police to discuss the various crimes or scams that are happening online. Also, buyers should make sure that they are transacting with legitimate companies, not with one person or merchant. It’s the responsibility of that company to deal with the merchant,” Polinar said.

He said that Flash Express makes sure that sellers provide details that they are selling, called a declaration so that Flash Express will be liable if something bad happens to a parcel.

“If a parcel was damaged, accompanied by a valid complaint of the customer, then we are willing to compensate the amount of the damaged parcel,” Polinar said.

E-commerce platform Shopee earlier launched its “cash on delivery unbox,” in which eligible buyers can open their packages to check if they are complete and in good condition.

If not, the buyer may return the package to the courier, which will then be tagged as Failed Delivery and will be returned to the seller.

Based on its guidelines, the rider must secure COD payment before proceeding, allowing the buyer to co-check and inspect the parcel.

“The buyers should note the following when inspecting goods received through COD Unbox: buyer is allowed to open the parcel but not the manufacturer’s packaging, visual inspection only, and no product testing or trying allowed,” the guidelines stated.

Last year, the DTI said e-commerce platforms would be held equally liable as the vendors they host who are found guilty of selling deceptive and defective products.

Once proven guilty of the crime of deception, the DTI’s Fair Trade and Enforcement Bureau would penalize both platforms and sellers with fines of up to P300,000.

2024 expansion

Meanwhile, Flash Express Country People Head Alvin Chew said Flash Express plans to expand its operations in the Philippines this year, which includes establishing more facilities and hiring more workers.

He revealed that they expect to increase their current workforce by 50 percent and hire more riders and warehouse personnel in 2024.

“As of now, we have about 22,000 full-time employees, of which 18,000 are operations staff. Site-wise, we are looking to grow it by 30 percent,” Chew said.

For this year, Flash Express is also targeting to accommodate 1 million parcels per day, and 300 million parcels by year-end, according to Chew.

To date, the Flash Group is composed of business networks, namely Flash Express, Flash Pay, Flash Money, Flash Fulfillment, Flash Home, and F-Commerce.