'No video, no refund policy' is illegal, DTI says

The Department of Trade and Industry on Saturday warned online sellers against imposing the “no video, no refund policy.''

Online retailers utilize the "no video, no refund" policy so that customers will record themselves when they accept and open their orders. If the item turns out to be defective, only those with videos will be considered for a replacement or refund.

According to DTI Assistant Secretary Amanda Nograles, the no return, no refund, or exchange policy falls under deceptive, unfair, and unconscionable sales acts or practices, which is a violation of Republic Act 7394, also known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

"Sa katotohanan, 'yung 'no return, no exchange' isa rin yan na ipinagbabawal ng DTI kasi karapatan ng consumer na pwede niyang ibalik 'yung item na nabili niya kapag ito ay depektibo. Kapag 'yung item ay depektibo, bukod sa ibalik yung item, may option din siya na humingi ng replacement o pwede rin siyang humingi ng full refund ng item na binili niya, pwede rin niyang ipa-repair," she said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

("No return, no exchange" is prohibited by the DTI because it is the consumer's right to return the item he or she bought if it is defective. When the item is defective, apart from returning it, the customer also has the option to ask for a replacement, or he or she can also ask for a full refund or have the item repaired.)

Nograles, who is also the supervising head of the DTI Consumer Protection Group, said that deceptive sales acts can happen before, during, and after the sale.

"Isang halimbawa 'yan ng deceptive sales act yung nagpapa-video ka bago tanggapin yung item," she added.

(An example of a deceptive sales act is when a seller asks the customer to take a video before accepting the item.)  — Sherylin Untalan/VBL, GMA Integrated News