Ok. So I am the latest victim of a big brand and its pathetic after-sales service. I have had two very bad experiences with two very well known brands. Sounds familiar?! Huh, read on.
Story 1
You see, I consider myself an intelligent buyer and hence feel all the more cheated! I DO NOT buy anything without thoroughly researching it! Especially if that something would cost me a bomb! So when, I got myself a defected piece of beauty worth 18k, it really broke my heart. More so because I had spent months researching about just the perfect NEXT PHONE for me, once which would suit all my needs (or most anyways) and wouldn't make a whole in my pocket (it did!).
I have been a devout user of Nokia all my life. More so, because I just started working 2 years back and the phones I had earlier were either passed on by my sister or bought by parents - typical kahani in lotsa Indian households, or was some years back atleast! So whenever I got an opportunity to buy a phone, I got myself a Nokia, knowing it would last me. I am someone who'll keep the phone on her lap while driving and drop it when I disembarked from the car. I am someone who knows the moment I'm away from my phone it would ring, even though it can stay sleeping almost all the rest of the time. So I rather keep my phone on me all times than be told later on I didn't pick someone else's call :P So Nokia fit the bill - mobile internet wasn't that much in demand back then and the college kids like me needed a phone to just "Stay Connected".
The experience was fine. As is with most Nokia phones. You know it won't just conk off like that. You can keep on dropping it n number of times and NOTHING would happen to it (trust me, this comes from experience). So even though I could not experience then all the cool things that you can at a cost of 5k today, I was pretty content with what I had.
Then came the "Working Girl" phase. I was independent - financially! I don't know how many people truly connect with this term, but I am someone who's been born and brought up with the sense that one should be financially independent if nothing else! You shouldn't be dependent on ANYONE. And so even though what I was earning was meagre, it felt as if I was earning a million bucks!
One job led to another and a lil growth, monetarily as well! Now, it was time to end the life-long relationship I had shared with Nokia. With hesitation, I took the BIG STEP. I researched and researched, not even going into "Can I buy an iPhone" phase bcoz well... An iphone is an iphone! I kept dangling between the obvious choices of Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson.
I talked to friends, I went to shop after shop, I read articles, checked out reviews, post-mortemed THE PHONE from every angle and FINALLY decided to go for the kill! OOOOHHHHH - What a thrill!! My phone has till now been one among my top 3 BIG PURCHASES (Yes, I consider 18k to be BIG!).
My romance with Android began and the honeymoon was simply mind-boggling! Sadly, it lasted 10 days! Now not having been married in real-life ever, I do not know if the actual romantic honeymoon also lasts this long only, to give way to a sour after-marriage experience!
Okay okay. FOCUS!
So, off goes my phone one day. BLANK. Empty! I tried every trick in the book to revive it. Nothing happened!! My heart goes thuduk thuduk.
So off I go again to Google baba, find out the the nearest suthorized Samsung service ceentre and put it in my To Do list.
But wait a minute! There's another villian in the story I haven't introduced as yet!
The Mobile Store!!! The name sounds familiar,eh? The Red signboard with those ddumb creatures sitting inside. I knew I was making a mistake sumhow, trusting an authorized The Mobile Store retail shop over some unknown private mobile shop. So what happens? They guarantee me this and that and all that jazz. Promising to be at my service any time, so if ever there's a need to get ANYTHING repaired/serviced in my phone, I DO NOT have to go personally to a samsung service centre. That did it! That just closed the deal. After all, I am a busy working woman now, with no time to spare for family or friends (grrrr...). Howsoever would I find time to go to a service centre.
Coming back to me story and the essential importance of a useless Mobile store is that as soon as my phone concked off, I remembered this ass of a man who had told him to pass the phone 2 them to get repaired. Once I reached that very man at that very SUPER USELESS The Mobile Store, The man refused - point blank! To add insult to the injury, they told me if I dropped my hone in wwater, they still might be able to TRY but this was something they can't help me with. WHAT THE FISH!!
Seriously guys, please shut down your joke of a mobile store and go inside one of the phones as an app killer!!! Bluhdy idiots.
Anyways I go to the nearest samsung service centre and voila! They are equally USELESS!!!
After requesting them profusely, talking to thee brand manager, area manager, even district manager, all theey tell me is "Ma'am we only replace the phone within 1st 4-5 days, uske baad we can only repair it"
Is this a circus that's going on? Anything lasts the first 4-5 days. Reality seeps in only later on!
I still agree, after being assured of a complete "alright" phone in the manager's words.
Again the relieef lasted only 2 DAYS. Yess... that's the maximum time I could seamlessly enjoy my phone. Since then, either it shuts down suddenly, or it deletes my song from the playlist, or shows some stupid black where my camera pictures should be or just doesn't GO BACK!!!
I must say I LOVE MY PHONE but I AM SUPER SICK OF SAMSUNG!!
Such a bad product and such pathetic after-sales service - from both Samsung and mobile store - they should take a reality check and understand - they are losing out on some key customers. I would definitely not let my friends and family buy a Samsung even though it has Androidified the world!
Enough of this BIIIG Brand. Another love affair with another equally useless - but online- brand would soon follow!!!
Story 1
You see, I consider myself an intelligent buyer and hence feel all the more cheated! I DO NOT buy anything without thoroughly researching it! Especially if that something would cost me a bomb! So when, I got myself a defected piece of beauty worth 18k, it really broke my heart. More so because I had spent months researching about just the perfect NEXT PHONE for me, once which would suit all my needs (or most anyways) and wouldn't make a whole in my pocket (it did!).
I have been a devout user of Nokia all my life. More so, because I just started working 2 years back and the phones I had earlier were either passed on by my sister or bought by parents - typical kahani in lotsa Indian households, or was some years back atleast! So whenever I got an opportunity to buy a phone, I got myself a Nokia, knowing it would last me. I am someone who'll keep the phone on her lap while driving and drop it when I disembarked from the car. I am someone who knows the moment I'm away from my phone it would ring, even though it can stay sleeping almost all the rest of the time. So I rather keep my phone on me all times than be told later on I didn't pick someone else's call :P So Nokia fit the bill - mobile internet wasn't that much in demand back then and the college kids like me needed a phone to just "Stay Connected".
The experience was fine. As is with most Nokia phones. You know it won't just conk off like that. You can keep on dropping it n number of times and NOTHING would happen to it (trust me, this comes from experience). So even though I could not experience then all the cool things that you can at a cost of 5k today, I was pretty content with what I had.
Then came the "Working Girl" phase. I was independent - financially! I don't know how many people truly connect with this term, but I am someone who's been born and brought up with the sense that one should be financially independent if nothing else! You shouldn't be dependent on ANYONE. And so even though what I was earning was meagre, it felt as if I was earning a million bucks!
One job led to another and a lil growth, monetarily as well! Now, it was time to end the life-long relationship I had shared with Nokia. With hesitation, I took the BIG STEP. I researched and researched, not even going into "Can I buy an iPhone" phase bcoz well... An iphone is an iphone! I kept dangling between the obvious choices of Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson.
I talked to friends, I went to shop after shop, I read articles, checked out reviews, post-mortemed THE PHONE from every angle and FINALLY decided to go for the kill! OOOOHHHHH - What a thrill!! My phone has till now been one among my top 3 BIG PURCHASES (Yes, I consider 18k to be BIG!).
My romance with Android began and the honeymoon was simply mind-boggling! Sadly, it lasted 10 days! Now not having been married in real-life ever, I do not know if the actual romantic honeymoon also lasts this long only, to give way to a sour after-marriage experience!
Okay okay. FOCUS!
So, off goes my phone one day. BLANK. Empty! I tried every trick in the book to revive it. Nothing happened!! My heart goes thuduk thuduk.
So off I go again to Google baba, find out the the nearest suthorized Samsung service ceentre and put it in my To Do list.
But wait a minute! There's another villian in the story I haven't introduced as yet!
The Mobile Store!!! The name sounds familiar,eh? The Red signboard with those ddumb creatures sitting inside. I knew I was making a mistake sumhow, trusting an authorized The Mobile Store retail shop over some unknown private mobile shop. So what happens? They guarantee me this and that and all that jazz. Promising to be at my service any time, so if ever there's a need to get ANYTHING repaired/serviced in my phone, I DO NOT have to go personally to a samsung service centre. That did it! That just closed the deal. After all, I am a busy working woman now, with no time to spare for family or friends (grrrr...). Howsoever would I find time to go to a service centre.
Coming back to me story and the essential importance of a useless Mobile store is that as soon as my phone concked off, I remembered this ass of a man who had told him to pass the phone 2 them to get repaired. Once I reached that very man at that very SUPER USELESS The Mobile Store, The man refused - point blank! To add insult to the injury, they told me if I dropped my hone in wwater, they still might be able to TRY but this was something they can't help me with. WHAT THE FISH!!
Seriously guys, please shut down your joke of a mobile store and go inside one of the phones as an app killer!!! Bluhdy idiots.
Anyways I go to the nearest samsung service centre and voila! They are equally USELESS!!!
After requesting them profusely, talking to thee brand manager, area manager, even district manager, all theey tell me is "Ma'am we only replace the phone within 1st 4-5 days, uske baad we can only repair it"
Is this a circus that's going on? Anything lasts the first 4-5 days. Reality seeps in only later on!
I still agree, after being assured of a complete "alright" phone in the manager's words.
Again the relieef lasted only 2 DAYS. Yess... that's the maximum time I could seamlessly enjoy my phone. Since then, either it shuts down suddenly, or it deletes my song from the playlist, or shows some stupid black where my camera pictures should be or just doesn't GO BACK!!!
I must say I LOVE MY PHONE but I AM SUPER SICK OF SAMSUNG!!
Such a bad product and such pathetic after-sales service - from both Samsung and mobile store - they should take a reality check and understand - they are losing out on some key customers. I would definitely not let my friends and family buy a Samsung even though it has Androidified the world!
Enough of this BIIIG Brand. Another love affair with another equally useless - but online- brand would soon follow!!!
