Experiences of an Indian consumer

Voting in Velachery

2011-04-10T02:04:00.000-07:00

Urur Kuppam, Olcott Kuppam, Save Chennai Beaches Campaign Kalakshetra Colony Welfare Association, Radhakrishna Nagar
Residents Association, and Valmiki Nagar Residents Welfare Association invited all MLA candidates to address voters
regarding their proposals for the constituency. The meeting set aside 7 minutes to each candidate to present his/her schemes.

I went for the meeting. There were only three candidates who showed up. The PMK's M Jayaraman, the Makkal Sakthi candidate, Senthil Kumar and independent Sharath Babu.

Senthil Kumar: Was the only candidate whom I felt like voting for...the makkal sakthi party seems to be working for the future...it is part of the national party Lok Satta, and looks like each time they are fielding increasing candidates. menthol Kumar lives in the constituency, seems to understand the way the govt works, and is a strong RTI activist I think.

I am inclined towards him more than Sharat Babu. Babu is milking his humble upbringing and his stellar education as credentials, still. While he has done very well for himself, for me to elect him, I need to see some proof of what he has done in these last few years. Besides mentioning that he has visited educational institutions and inspired students, he did not mention anything else. Also, he is an Independent, and I see that as a weakness in the current scenario.

Given the need to have a change of government, there is no way that I am going to vote for the dmk-combine, so what about the bjp candidate and bsp and aiadmk? Well, the first two did not show up and the last one came when almost everyone had left. I hear he vowed to do whatever his Amma decided!!

I think as a voter I need to encourage better quality of candidates to come forth and stand for elections. Senthil Kumar seems to represent one such...he boldly called himself a politician. He also said that even if he did not win, he would still be available to constituency members in their fight to get good governance. I liked the sound of him, and the profile of the people who are helping his campaign.

Escape Cinemas

2010-11-29T06:02:00.000-08:00

Another pleasant experience.

Online, quick ticket booking at cinema.in
Sunday morning easy traffic
Express Avenue - lot of parking
Blush screen - nice seats!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1...not bad.
Biryani buffet ...Rs 200
Odyssey book store...their best yet in my opinion.

Parted from a fair bit of our money, for a single day.

Happy birthday, son!

Sony Ericcson

2010-10-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

My K750i (I quite like it), but its a pain to charge...gave it for repair...back in a day...problem fixed. Not bad... Happy me.

Wow!

2008-11-20T23:08:00.000-08:00

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?!

2008-11-18T03:08:00.000-08:00

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.

Juices, flavored milk edging out colas in Indian supermarkets :: Food Industry India

2008-02-08T01:49:00.000-08:00

Juices, flavored milk edging out colas in Indian supermarkets :: Food Industry India

Oh hurray!

What are our cows fed?

2008-01-23T20:16:00.000-08:00

I came across this article in SciAm. Dairy farmers in the US are being "allowed to label milk so that customers know if it was produced from cows pumped with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) also known as recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST)."

I wondered what our Indian dairy cows are fed? I'm not talking about the ones that wander on the roads - they probably ahve a diet of edible gum and posters, banana leaves and other such urban city offerings! No, I'm talking about the cows with dairy farmers.

Milk and Honey, er, Hormones: Scientific American

An open letter to Dr Pachauri

2008-01-11T00:05:00.000-08:00

Dr Pachauri

I am a citizen of the modern world, and am concerned about the various environmental issues that we face. I attempt to reduce the use of my car, my airconditioners, I attempt to buy washing machines that save water, refrigerators that dont have CFC, and try to keep my child aware about these issues.

Unfortunately, I am getting rapidly disillusioned with you and your ilk, based on the statements that you are quoted as making and the lifestyle that is reported that you lead.

First, I hear that you (who are writing reams on carbon footpirnts) take four flights up and down from the US, in order to attend a club cricket session and match.

Second, you now object to the Tata Nano on the grounds of its environmental damage? I'm sorry but this enrages me. I have no idea about the quality of the Nano (and for all you know its a lousy car), but to object to an inexpensive car, on the grounds that more Indians can afford it, seems to me completely elitist and selfish.

So, never mind that you can go jetting around the world as you fancy, but oh the masses, let them not have a car. That sounds like a very colonial attitude to have, dont you think? We want the developing world to cut back on greenhouse gases, but oh no, dont ask us to raise the price of oil or anything that will cramp our lifestyle.

So, instead of asking the government why public transport is so poor, or pushing for state transport corporations to make their buses "green", you choose to attack the private sector, which is a sitting duck.

Remember the time when some righteous environmental body showed pesticide in a bottle of Coke (or was it Pepsi?) What a hue and cry. About what? How many Indians drink that stuff, and how often? Did anybody tell us that our milk, water and juice all also had the same level of pesticide also, most probably? Conveniently forgotten.

Maybe I am completely wrong, and have completely misunderstood your opinions. I sincerely hope so, because then the credibility of the so-called "pro-green" lobby in India will be restored in my eyes ( which you might or might not consider important in the first place).