Lenovo, Toshiba say Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon India not authorised sellers

Lenovo and Toshiba have issued a warning to customers who want to buy their products from online stores, stating that web sites such as Snapdeal, Flipkart and Amazon India are not authorised resellers of their products.

The Lenovo web site warning specifically targets Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon India. Lenovo has asked customers to check their warranty entitlements when buying from these online retailers.

''E-commerce web sites like Snapdeal, Flipkart and Amazon.in are not authorized Lenovo resellers. We encourage you to check your warranty entitlements when you buy from these web sites,'' says the Lenovo web site.

''Walk into any of our 1400+ Lenovo exclusive stores, SMS Lenovo (pincode) to 54242 to find a store…to buy online, visit www.thedostore.com,'' it adds.

Toshiba has put up a notice saying that it does not have any direct agreements or arrangements with these online retailers and they are not authorised by the company.

Flipkart and Snapdeal have responded stating that they take care to list sellers who have the necessary authorisation to sell the products mentioned.

''We can assure our customers buying Lenovo products on Flipkart.com that they are genuine. Customers will continue to enjoy the warranty and services extended to all original Lenovo products as always,'' a Flipkart spokesperson said.

A Snapdeal spokesperson explained that the company is a marketplace where authorised sellers list their products on the platform and that all Lenovo and Toshiba products on Snapdeal are genuine.

The warning comes at a time when even major retail stores are facing the heat from smaller online stores as they vie for India's $500-billion retail market.

Online sales currently account for $3.1 billion of the total retail business in India.