The refund

If that’s all

That’s important to you

You may get it

——————

But you can do better

—————

You can try

Very hard

That this glitch

In the system

This corruption

May not happen

To another

—————

It’s easy to fight

For yourself

Its also

Selfish

————-

It could be a wrong

Needing correction

Or a suggestion

That could benefit

Implementation …

—————-

How to fight a big organisation

1. You have to believe you are on the right side otherwise don’t even think of it.

2. Call the call center

Get a complaint number. If not satisfied ask for an email ID to write in to.

3. Check the website for numbers or email-IDs

4. Emails or WhatsApp work best as they are written proof.

5. If things don’t proceed try and reach the senior management, preferably by email.

6. Sometimes you have to be a little ingenuous .

For example most Organizations follow a pattern for their official email IDs…. for example firstname.surname@companyname.com

Eg: Global Paints sunny.leone@globalpaints.com

Their MD is Akshay Kumar. So. akshay.kumar@globalpaints.com

7. Be polite. There is no need to be rude just because you are right and they are wrong.

8. If the response is not positive or there is no action, ask for an escalation.

9. If things don’t get better you have every right to be blunt and provocative but refrain from expletives.

10. Other online options that might work for organisations concerned about their image:

mouthshut.com

consumercomplaints.in

It’s a public forum and can be effective.

—————

You have to have time and energy yes….. but if things are important to you, you have to persevere. Tenacity, transparency and sincerity of purpose count.

I will try and honestly recount some of my successes in dealing with deficiency of service by large organisations

Endocrine Laboratories:

Quickest response so far:

Among other things they do blood allergy testing.

I had saved two numbers. The first one I called was a doctor who charged me Rs..11000 for a test. Suspicious, I called the other number and they said they charge 6500 for exactly the same test from the same lab.

Just one phone call and I was put on to-the senior management of Endocrine Lab who refunded my 11000.

So far so good.

I guess it saved the insurance company that group insures my husband’s medical expenses a bit of money….

But the larger systemic issue remains. Subsidiary labs and even major names charge different rates.

For medicines.. you can check online for generic prices.

Nothing much is available online to compare pathological/ Radiology charges by different Labs

There’s 1mg and pharmeasy.in

and their app where you can compare and book lab tests

Hope they do well

A challenge…for me and for you

I’m trying to do what I can.

But sometimes there’s another person with resources who thinks like you do… coincidence or maybe a higher power.

Asian paints

That’s too big a story but with a satisfactory ending. I’ll keep it brief.

We were conned into giving the contract to a dealer instead of the company. We were told the service is exactly the same except there would be no GST.

That was false. Their website says the company is not liable in dealer contracts.

But there is absolutely no paperwork involved. No contract to be signed…with anybody… to their detriment as well.

A series of things went wrong… the painting started without proper packing of furniture despite instructions, unskilled labourers without ID’s and so on.

We called the call center. The first call wasn’t even recorded. Got hold of email ID.

Got a standard reply full of empathy and understanding but no action.

Found the MD’s email and of other powerful people.

That did it.. Supervisors visited. Mid management visited

We showed them our house.

We showed them the murky way of operating.

The lack of paperwork and transparency

They did promise to change the way they operated. They said they would have brochures and documents to be signed.

Did they do it? Well we don’t know bu that’s what the light on my children’s bedroom wall says…

As for our house they left it… half done, half paid for …. we had lost trust…we said no to rectification and resolution..,and the paint ….left for a new contractor to finish

Enamor

We bought bras on sale. They bled badly and my daughter’s shirt was ruined. Luckily she had a jacket.

I found their email ID and wrote in. She was understanding. You need to know how handle customers now.

She offered to replace . But I had managed to stop the bleeding by using strong chemicals. I told her so.

I didn’t need a refund or replacement. It was about a big organisation palming off defective products on sale.

I think she got the point. She said she will first collect and then replace.

That’s mistrust. And I wasn’t looking for a replacement.

We kept our bras. We never bought from them anymore.

We’re not sure they got the point.

Phillips Healthcare

Didn’t get past the voice on the phone. Got into Whatsapp with her.

Keeping records is always good.

I was looking for a chest physiotherapist for my son.

To learn tapping to loosen his mucus.

They had one. I asked if she could send her over. She said you need a doctor’s prescription.

I asked her what do you expect in the prescription.

I cannot tell you she wrote.

Can you ask your superiors I replied.

No she wrote.

Found another physiotherapist who taught me how to. She didn’t even ask for a prescription .

I wrote back saying problem is redolved

Bu with your unhelpfulness your company has lost business and given an impression of bureaucracy that will last in my mind.

I won’t turn to Phillips when my parents need care.

This will go to mouthshut.com I wrote.

Just a threat…. I don’t believing in maligning organisations because I’ve been snubbed.

It wasn’t about her. It was about their system.

Then came the dozens of calls. I didn’t pick up.

I think my job was done. Or was it? Perhaps I should have persevered.

LG

This was more than ten years ago. It was a side by side refrigerator .We had extended warranty from Chroma.

Chroma is owned by the Tatas.

When we don’t buy online we buy from them. They are trustworthy is our perception.

On the last day of the warranty I called to say my fridge was malfunctioning.

The mechanic came again and again. No resolution.

Finally the truth after persistent follow up.

The product had been discontinued because of a design defect.

The defect is not our fault. That tiny part you should have kept in spares.

For your customers.

Finally LG paid a huge amount and gave us a replacement….an equivalent …A Samsung

This story is not about getting replacements or your money back

If that happens it benefits you

If the system is changed it benefits many