58,720 complaints pile up as e-commerce claims reach Tk3,869cr

Consumers and sellers have filed 58,720 complaints with the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection over fraud and financial irregularities involving e-commerce businesses, with the claims amounting to around Tk3,869 crore, Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir told Parliament today (30 August).

Responding to a question from Sherpur-1 MP Mohammad Rashedul Islam Rashed under Rule 71 of the Rules of Procedure, the minister said the government was taking steps to restore discipline in the sector and recover money owed to affected customers.

The complaints involve several widely discussed e-commerce companies, including Evaly, E-Orange, Qcoom, Dhamaka Shopping and Alesha Mart, which have faced allegations of withholding or misappropriating large sums owed to customers and merchants.

Government steps up recovery efforts

Muktadir said the government has introduced the National Digital Commerce Policy, Digital Commerce Operation Guidelines and Digital Business Identification (DBID) registration guidelines to strengthen oversight and transparency in the sector.

He said DBID registration ensures that legal information on legitimate e-commerce businesses is maintained by the government, helping prevent fraudulent entities from operating.

In response to a supplementary question, Rashed asked what direct steps the government planned to accelerate compensation or recovery of money stuck with companies such as Evaly and Alesha Mart.

Muktadir said the financial losses caused by past irregularities were being treated seriously, adding that legal and administrative oversight was continuing to prioritise the disposal of more than 58,000 complaints and recovery of affected customers' money.

Oversight failures raise fresh concerns

Rashed's notice questioned how customers' money became vulnerable despite e-commerce companies being registered with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC), using Bangladesh Bank-approved payment channels and operating under relevant government agencies.

The notice said government investigations had found that four companies – E-Orange, Evaly, Dhamaka Shopping and SPC World – had liabilities of around Tk3,121 crore to customers and merchants. It also said the government had identified 49 digital commerce companies as risky in 2021.

The notice raised four key questions: the number of affected customers and total losses, whether registration and approval agencies had failed institutionally, how much money had been recovered, and whether the government plans mandatory escrow arrangements, security deposits, a consumer protection fund or a separate regulator.

It also warned that similar financial problems are now emerging in online travel and ticketing. Flight Expert and several other companies have faced allegations of failing to refund customers, suspending services and committing financial irregularities.

The notice said repeated scandals were seriously undermining public confidence in digital commerce and online transactions.