Wow!

After my rant of the last time, I do need to recount a +ive experience I had this morning.  Canon india has an online order form for consumables.  

And guess what, it worked!!

Within two hours, I had my new printer cartridges at home!!

This is truly wow!

Happy to help?!

Happy to help

If ever I've read anything fanciful and incredible, it is this article!  I wonder if the authors of this article live in an alternative world from mine, in another dimension maybe?  Have they looked around them, spoken to their neighbours and colleagues in the office, for a reality check?  I would dearly love to meet "Delhi-based K-Singh", who had his ref fixed overnight.  Wow, he belongs in a museum, to commemorate a special event.

Service in India is so ridiculously bad, there is no words for me to describe it.  And now of course I have to put up with a call centre, Vijay, Asha, Johnny or Mustafa (You have to admit they are undiscriminating), telling me how they are so pleased to help me, and not knowing anything about my dashed complaint, beyond the complaint number.

OK, OK, so I'm dealing in generalities.  You want specifics?  

A neighbour of mine had a Samsung fridge that conked, and there was no service in sight, until an NRI relation threatened to sue.  then a replacement unit quickly arrived.

A dear friend in Bangalore had a  Whirlpool ref and had to finally call up the Gurgaon head office before the thing was fixed.  Time taken?  More than a month.

My in-laws' Whirlpool microwave packed up.  They are on an AMC, and guess what, a month has passed, and it has not been fixed.  The call centre promises everyday that today is the day the mechanic arrives, I promise, I promise.  but of course the day passes with no such luck.  The company website has a complaint email id to which we have sent n number of emails, and HAVE GOT NO RESPONSE.  Of course, there are no branch office numbers in the website.  And of course we haven't received any stand by unit.

Rajiv Kapur of Whirlpool makes another point. The customer, he says, is not only demanding, but also does not do anything on his own, “not even change the plug socket, unlike in the West”. And probably he expects it to be done free. “So, for a company, after-sales service has become a very important touch point with the consumer. We actually give world-class service,” he insists.

What a laugh!

Jet Airways has provided great customer service, (and we are no special Gold, Platinum category), in the three or four times we've need something out of the unusual, and our Standard Chartered helpline is competent.

But God forbid you need to deal with Airtel....I could write reams about them.

I invite you to have you consumer catharsis...write in with your rants or praises.  I'm already feeling better after writing this.