Sep
4
Unless I am jinxed, I have a mountain of problems with companies whose products and services I have bought. And there seems to be no end in sight.
In this day and age, with so much competitive pressure, one would think companies would want to provide the best of services to their customers. No Sir, it looks they have decided to drive them nuts knowing fully well few will bother about chasing them in consumer courts and just resign themselves to their fate.
Here is a partial list of my current problems:
- Tata Indicom: Applied for a broadband connection five months back and paid four months advance rental. They never installed it. And are now chasing me to pay bills for services never used. Sent a written complaint for a refund. Status: No response.
- UTI Bank (now Axis Bank): They changed their name recently, and claimed nothing else has. Yes, that’s right – they are still shoddy. Had applied for a credit card merchant account for my business months back and paid Rs. 10,000 for it. They got me to open a premier bank account with them too. Did not get machine to process credit card payments till date. No transactions meant no money to deposit in the account. Which means I am not maintaining minimum average balance, and thus getting charged every month. Sent a letter to close account and requested refund of application money as well as reversal of charges. Status: No response.
- Costa Coffee: A premium coffee chain, I am addicted to their coffee. Been complaining about air-conditioning not effective in their outlets for many months. No one seems to care. Status: Busy acquiring taste for competition’s inferior coffee.
- Refund of air tickets: Made the mistake of buying international air tickets on Oman Air worth Rs. 36,000 from a new agent referred by a friend in December 2006. Had to cancel because visas dod not come through. Still chasing for a refund. Status: Slowly trickling in; got 20 percent recently. Trying not to go to court and get the money somehow.
- Mahindra & Mahindra: Bought a Scorpio in November 2006 and paid for a premium number plate. Status: No news of it yet.
What do these companies think – customers have nothing better to do?
Got your experiences to share? Write to me at ajay@ajayjain.com or text at +919910044476.
Comments
9 Responses to ““I promise to drive my customer nuts”: Do companies care?”
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Couldn’t agree more. Congratulations on raising the issue. (Have no illusions that raising it will change anything, but that’s a separate issue.)
My take on why it happens:
- We’re still a supply constrained economy to some extent. Demand is growing quickly, and supply struggling to keep up.
- It’s not enough of a priority for companies. If customers leave because of bad service - so what? Companies will grow by 9% instead of 10%. (And where will customers go? As you noted, service is uniformly bad.)
- Front-line staff don’t share the same service expectations that upper-income, urban consumers do. Training them takes extraordinary effort (much more than it would in the developed world). And the best ones will be recruited away anyway.
Eventually, some desperate but smart number-4 or number-5 company, losing share, will realize that service is a legitimate differentiator. But that probably won’t happen until growth slows. And we don’t want that, do we?
Ajay,
One way you can mitigate your banking woes is by switching to a lesser known bank like Federal Bank.
I did that and am much relieved now that I have moved my account from HDFC.(getting to do that is another story)
Smaller banks are less crowded, so less waiting, the staff is more responsive as less work pressure.
Your write up reminds me of my recent related experience. I have never had any major issues with my credit card, however recently they forgot to credit my payment check and sent me a bill for two month worth of payment, plus refused to deliver my credit card because i stay alone and no one is at home during weekdays - how is it possible that i work weekdays and service industry also work weekdays - when am i suppose to receive my couriers…plus when the courier guy finally came to my office he refused to give me the card since i was not carrying any relevant ID!!! I actually wrote to the VP of the concerned department (whose name i found from the credit card correspondence and email i used a few permutations and combinations) and asked him if the bank was having a “harass ruchi” month - if so then i will just stay put for a month and wait for things to get back to normal! Ironical as it may sound now - i was LIVID!
Ajay, regards your problems, i think the problem seems to lie with you as you have a problem in all your transactions. As a consumer, possibly you dont care to be responsible and find out about products and services, you are possibly the kind who does not resolve problems in life but is happy being a part of the problem. Please grow up, realise you are working with real people, and be a more realistic rather than always complaining.
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Hi Jain,
i hv an bad experience to share. i have an International Debit Card of IDBI Bank. The Card expired on Dec.2007. So, in Jan. 2008 when i m axesing my ATM, it showed that the new card is issued and this card is expired. So, now I m not able to axes my account with this old expired card. Ok, I approached the bank. They said it might have gone to the old address. And I hv to go fr address change request. So, I did it. And they told me that it will get affected within 10 days and I can get the card in that branch itself. After 10 days, I went to the bank but they said it is not yet processed. I don’t know what do they mean by saying that. God damn, since two months I m not able to axes my account. Is it not ridiculous… While creating account they say they are the best, but where is the service. Well, finally the conclusion is that IDBI is not gvng gud srvic. I enable Internet banking. They say its NEFT enabled. But when I declare myself as beneficiary in SBI Online Banking, it displays that the IDBI bank is RTGS enabled and the minimum amount that is allowed to transfer is 1 Lakh. So, I am not able to transfer 5,000 or 10,000/-. Its again a ridiculous situation. I am having Internet account but not able to do transactions. When I again asked in bank, they say its NEFT. Its BULLSHIT! Conclusion: I am going to close account in IDBI..
Gernarally when a company comes to a certain level of reputation and fame the Customer relationship decreases which has an impounding impressions but do not affect such companies much as they have already such a large reputation.
Hi Pavan,
Thanks for your comment: I agree with you. They have such a high volume of business going that a few dissatisfied customers hardly matter to them. But such short-sighted thinking is what eventually brings the downfall of companies, allowing the more caring ones to gain an advantage.
Cheers… Ajay