When New Merchandise Raises Questions and Seals Are Missing

There is no clear answer to this question. It's complicated. With ten million different products, many scenarios and possibilities can occur. I discussed this with Artan Preka from Galaxus After Sales and Michael Gautschi from Finance. They explain what can happen and how you, as a customer, should react. Here are five typical scenarios:

1. The seal on your new phone is broken Our staff must check many products to ensure that they come with the appropriate power plug for the market (this is especially relevant for Switzerland). The packaging is carefully opened, inspected, and then resealed, if necessary. Sometimes a required plug is added, or it's determined it wasn't needed. Either way, your phone remains unused and new. If you discover signs of use, take photos and contact customer service as soon as possible (via Galaxus Assistant). Also, try not to create additional signs of use (e.g., applying screen protectors, setting up software).

2. The packaging of your tablet was opened In addition to the scenario described above, Galaxus conducts random quality checks upon arrival of goods. This can happen with new suppliers but also with established ones. We want to ensure we receive the merchandise ordered from the supplier. Sometimes packaging is opened for this purpose. Here too, the product remains new after checking and can be sold as such. If you still have concerns, you naturally have the right to return the product.

3. The product does not match what the packaging shows or what you ordered Errors occur where humans work. Sometimes we may not have paid proper attention to returns or been deceived and didn’t notice it. In the worst-case scenario, this fraudulent merchandise (an iPhone 8 instead of an iPhone 17, or with counterfeit manufacturer's seal, etc.) ends up in your hands. This is unintentional and not in our interest, as we want you to be a satisfied customer. Therefore, please excuse us for the faux pas! Among our five million customers, there are unfortunately criminals as well. In such cases, take photos and report it immediately and engage in dialogue with us (via Galaxus Assistant). We can usually track who had the product and when, and identify the culprits.

4. There are coffee residues in the new coffee machine Not only does Galaxus as your online shop conduct occasional product inspections, but these can also occur in advance with manufacturers and suppliers. Some coffee machine manufacturers test every 50th machine by making coffee with it. The machine is then cleaned and shipped onwards for sale to Galaxus. Sometimes it's challenging to clean such a machine 100 percent (or it may simply have been overlooked), and residues might be visible. Factually and legally, it remains new merchandise. However, you do have the right to return it in this case as well. You should immediately take a photo and avoid creating additional signs of use. "Don’t contaminate the crime scene," as Artan Preka, After Sales Returns International Manager, puts it.

5. The manufacturer's seal is missing If you believe you received a used or counterfeit product due to a missing manufacturer's seal, it could be because the product was shipped without a seal. Whether this is the case can be clarified through our Customer Service or directly with the manufacturer.

How we deal with attempted fraud When a return reaches Galaxus, the employees inspect the product for several characteristics. What does it look like? Is there any shipping damage? Is the manufacturer's seal still intact? "If everything is in order, the return is resold as new," explains Artan Preka. "However, if the product is no longer in its original packaging, it is categorized as used. We check its functionality and, if everything works, sell it again as 'Used and Tested'."

Occasionally, colleagues also discover attempted fraud. In such cases, Artan contacts Michael Gautschi, Loss Prevention Security Officer. Michael has been with Galaxus for nearly 20 years and has seen "everything by now." From fake seals to tampered hardware to a customer replacing an iPhone with a fake Cartier Santos watch. "These cases are reported to the police," says Michael. "Because if we resell something like this, we as the retailer incur the damage. We try to minimize this as much as possible."

But what happens to the perpetrators after the report? "I remember a manager from a major German corporation who repeatedly sent us back manipulated hardware. He was convicted of commercial fraud, lost his residence permit in Switzerland, and had to return to Germany. That was the end of his hobby." However, most often, monetary fines are imposed, according to Michael. But depending on the severity and the amount of damage, imprisonment can be the consequence, as in the case of a professional footballer who tried to defraud Galaxus with a "parcel trick".

Basically, Galaxus trusts its customers, emphasize both Artan and Michael. But if it turns out that the trust has been abused, all legal options must be exercised – also in the interest of the 99.9 percent honest customers.

Media Contact:
Daniel Borchers
Senior Communications Manager
Daniel.Borchers@galaxus.de

Editor's note: Image rights belong to the respective publisher.