It’s very much true that the purchasing power of India has grown high these days. Most of the people are in one way or the other very much wanting to and are being a part of the shopping mall culture and are turning out to be gadget freaks…so it is very much a fact that the companies are booming in their sales and then many more companies are targeting the Indian markets.
Now comes the question of “ are we really availing our rights and are we questioning the companies of the services they need to provide their customers? “.
The sentence ‘Customer is the King’ is very poetic to hear and woos a customer very much; in fact luring him to buy products that are not really very much needed at that point of time. I blame no one because if I have to comment someone on buying unnecessary things, I should take the blame on myself first. I am an advent fan of shopping and moreover a gadget freak. But then what I commonly observe is the missing attitude in many people. The attitude to question & many a time demand the companies of the services they need to provide.
I understand that in the Europe and in the American nations, the customer is treated as a king not only when he is in the shop but also after he buys a product. They are given an opportunity to exchange or return the product if the customer / consumer is not very happy with it within certain period of time. This concept doesn’t exist in India and I do understand the reason for that. But then, I personally have a few experiences when a customer rises his voice and brings a few things to the notice of the companies, the way the companies responded. The companies responded in a positive manner and this I feel because if the personal experiences I had.
To explain them in detail, a few months ago, one of my shavers has slipped from my hand fell down spoiling the blade. It’s a Panasonic shaver and when I inquired about the availability of the spare parts, I came to know that there is only one dealer for Panasonic spare parts in the whole of Hyderabad. I travelled all the way from Gachibowli to Begumpet to that dealer’s office and when asked him the price of that blade, the price quoted by him surprised me for the price of the blade said by him is almost 3/4 of the entire shaver. I tried talking to him but he was very adamant and said, ‘this is the price I am willing to sell the product. you may buy it if you like or you may not’. I was standing there helpless and with no idea what I need to do. I asked for the price list but then he said there is no price list available. I called up a friend of mine and asked him to check the price of that accessory in Panasonic’s India website but much to my dismay, he checked and said the prices are not displayed in the website. Then as I have nothing to do, I paid the amount and asked him for a bill for which he said the person who gives the bills is out of office and he asked me to come the next day to get the bill. This is outrageous. How can an authorized dealer sell a product without giving the bill. He said he will not be giving the bill that day and so I left his office with the product I brought at an unbelievably high price.
I came home and then wrote a mail to the Panasonic sales head, India explaining all that has happened and then also questioned him why isn’t the price of the product displayed in the company’s website. I then watched a movie and retired to sleep and the very next day I received a call from the dealer from whom I bought the accessory. He apologized and was literally begging me and to send a mail to the company that this all happened because of a misunderstanding. He said he would sort out the issue and would refund the extra amount that he charged me for which I didn’t agree. Just while this conversation is going on, I received a mail from Panasonic – a reply for the mail I have sent the previous day. In the mail, the price of the accessory was mentioned and also I was assured that the required action would be taken to see to avoid such things in the future. I was amazed to see that mail as I scrolled down. The mail I have sent was passed to 4-5 people from different departments and all of them must have taken this very seriously for I have seen a mail to the dealer from one of the heads in a very cautioning manner. I didn’t agree to the dealer’s request and said that as he had an intention to cheat the customers, he has to face the wrath. I still received my refund as it has been initiated by the company itself.
Now coming to the second experience, a few months ago, I bought an electric tooth brush operated by battery (manufactured by P&G). From the day I bought it, I have been trying to get the replaceable heads but no way.. I couldn’t find them in any shopping mall. I have tried to complain about their non availability at the customers desk in the inrobit mall from which I bought this but all the time, I was said that they will be made available very soon. I stopped using the brush as the head needs to be replaced. Months passed by and the other day when I checked if the brush is working, it is not!!! I took the brush to the Inorbit mall and complained regarding this for which I was said to approach P&G for any disputes. I again shooted a mail to P&G and within one day got a reply from them saying that the mentioned brush is no more the company’s interest because of some financial viabilities. For this I reacted in a bit of anger and wrote if they are no more interested in selling and servicing that product, why is it still being sold in the markets and why is it still appearing on the shelves in the shops. I questioned if they are wanting the customers to lose their money and are they in any plans to cheat the customers of their money. I received a call within on day and the representative spoke in a very pleasing manner explaining all the reasons and the possibilities of how this could be sorted.He said my amount would be refunded but then when I said, it’s fine and appreciable that you are refunding my money but what about the other hundreds of customers who are still buying that product due to their ignorance for which he said he would surely be taking that to the concerned department and see that they come up with some solution.
From the above incidents, what I wanted to say is ‘it’s your money you are spending and you have got every right to demand your product be serviced & you be served.’
I know many of my friends find it very funny and many a time, they make fun of me but still, I feel that I have every right to demand the privileges I am eligible for as I am giving the juice for the companies to run. I am paying them and in fact I AM FEEDING THEM.
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