On 6th January 2025, we took a significant step forward by moving our website to a new technology platform. This decision was made with one clear intention- to create a better, smoother, and more seamless experience for you.
In the months leading up to this transition, our team worked relentlessly for over three months. We ran multiple rounds of testing, repeated simulations, and detailed reruns to prepare for launch. The migration itself was a monumental effort- one that involved carefully moving over eight years of data across multiple systems. This included more than 2.5 lakh customer accounts, hundreds of thousands of SKUs, pending refunds, store credits, exchange records, and every operational layer required to keep our e-commerce ecosystem running.
Despite all this preparation, when we went live, we encountered a series of unexpected issues. These disruptions caused inconvenience, frustration, and in some cases, genuine anxiety- and for that, I want to say this clearly and without hesitation: we are deeply sorry.
This was not the experience we had envisioned for you, and we fully understand the dissatisfaction many of you felt.
Over the past three weeks, our teams have been working round the clock, often under intense pressure, to identify, fix, and stabilise the issues that surfaced post-migration. While we are not fully where we want to be yet, I want to reassure you that we have made significant progress, and we are steadily moving back toward normalcy.
I would like to transparently share the key challenges many of you faced, along with the progress we have made on each of them.
What Happened & What We’re Doing About It
1. Refund Delays
Some of you experienced delays in receiving refunds, and I understand how unsettling that can be. This was far from ideal and understandably caused concern.
I’m relieved to share that we have now cleared over 95% of the refund backlog. Alongside this, we are reworking our refund processes on the new platform to bring turnaround times back to real-time SLAs in the coming weeks.
2. Store Credit Mismatches
Many customers were unable to view their correct store credit balances, and in some cases, the numbers did not tally. This backlog has now been cleared, and store credit balances should be visible and accurate.
That said, if you still notice any discrepancy, please reach out to our customer service team- we will resolve it on priority.
Additionally, we are building a more robust store credit management tool, which we aim to launch by next week, making this process far more transparent and reliable going forward.
3. Exchange Backlogs
Exchange orders were delayed during the migration phase, causing understandable frustration. I’m happy to share that the majority of these backlogs have now been cleared, and operations are steadily returning to normal.
4. Login Issues
This was perhaps the most widespread challenge you faced. Initially, the new platform only allowed login via mobile number. While we believed a mobile-first approach was the right step, your feedback made it clear that this did not work for many of you.
We’ve since reinstated both mobile number and email login, and you can now access your accounts using either.
If you have multiple accounts, our customer service team can also help assess the possibility of merging them into a single account.
5. Social Media Response Delays
I have personally reviewed the recent social media interactions and I agree- they did not meet the standards we hold ourselves to.
This happened because our teams were overwhelmed by operational backlogs and did not have the bandwidth to give this channel the attention it deserves. We are actively addressing this by adding more team members, so that every customer touchpoint receives timely and thoughtful responses.
6. Payment Deducted, Order Not Reflected
This issue has primarily stemmed from payment partner failures and, unfortunately, is still in the process of being fully resolved. We are working very closely with our existing payment partners and are confident that this will be stabilised within the next 7 working days.
In parallel, we are also integrating an additional payment gateway to further strengthen and safeguard this process. This added layer is intended to significantly reduce such instances going forward.
That said, I want to be completely transparent: in rare cases, payments may still get debited by a bank but fail to reach the merchant due to factors beyond anyone’s direct control. While such situations cannot be entirely eliminated in any online transaction system, please be assured of this- your money will never be lost.
If your amount has been deducted but the order does not reflect, it will be automatically refunded to your original payment source within 7 working days. And if you ever need assistance or reassurance, our team is here to ensure every such case is seen through to closure.
7. COD-Only Payment Page
There was a specific page where only Cash on Delivery was available. This has now been fixed. However, a store credit redemption issue on that page is still being worked on, and we are aiming to resolve this within the next 7 days.
8. Old Orders Not Visible
Some of you may notice that very old orders and purchases are not currently visible on your FG account. As part of the migration, we have moved the last 12 months of order history to the new platform, which is what is visible on the website today.
Please be assured that all older orders are completely safe and securely stored in our systems. If you have any questions, need details from a past order, or require assistance related to an older purchase, our customer experience team will be happy to help retrieve the information for you.
There are a few other ongoing refinements underway as well. Our goal is not just to return things to how they were- but to ensure the experience becomes meaningfully better than before, exactly as we had envisioned when we embarked on this journey.
In hindsight, while all our testing showed positive results and we did not anticipate these challenges, we should have communicated this migration more clearly and proactively. That responsibility is ours, and we acknowledge it fully.
As I reflect on the last ten years, one thing stands above everything else: we have always built this brand with our customers at the centre. We have walked through many phases together. During COVID, so many of you placed orders simply to support our artisans- often without expectations, without pressure. That generosity and trust is something we will never forget.
This is another phase of transition for us. I ask for your cooperation and understanding for just a little while longer. This moment will pass. Our teams are working tirelessly to restore normalcy, and we are committed to emerging stronger on the other side.
We are in this together. Always.
If you have any concerns or unresolved issues, please reach out to our customer service team. And if you feel you haven’t received a timely resolution, you may write directly to Sahil Gupta at sahil@faridagupta.com, our Business Head.
With gratitude and sincerity,
Farida Gupta
