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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

the consumer --know thy rights


You should never write a customer feedback on a sunday afternoon . Because not only your siesta will be disturbed but others too . Let me explain ...

Having checked into a star hotel I was surprised that the hot water tap was giving cold water , the room service was quite unfriendly ,unclean laundry . Having been used to better service in most hotels this time I decided to give a feedback in the hotel website . After all being the new age indian consumer I have a right to inform the management that I was not happy .

I had expected a reply mail maybe after a couple of days or that my feedback would be ignored . The " sorry we regret ...." formal reply to the formal feedback . But to my shock within half hour on that sunday afternoon there was knock on my door . Three hefty people walked in and introduced themselves . They told and indeed did their best to rectify the grievances . All were senior managers who were relaxing at their homes . I don't know who was more sorry me or them . Because in that particular hotel the feedback directly goes to the CEO . And he had personally seen to it that the consumer grievance was rectified within half an hour .

Another place .. Another time 1000 kms away . The same consumer was admiring a brand new sportsbike . After the usual five minute enquiry the consumer was asking a few more questions about the new bike . And the saleswoman took the consumer to the manager . For a moment the manager looked up from the paper he was writing . He didn't like the disturbance . After all a consumer who has come to buy a bike should buy it and go . And he was visibly annoyed when a testride was asked . Probably he was thinking "Dude , you buy it and do testride " .

Anyway thanks to countless outings with ladies ( :) relatives ,friends etc ) to textile shops the art of saying No and going to the next shop was reluctantly done . This time being an idiot the consumer asked the same silly questions . The saleswoman took him to the manager . But instead of annoyance he patiently answered all the silly questions as well as arranged a test ride . He personally came for the testride as the mechanic was gone out with another customer . And the deal was signed within a few minutes

These two instances which happened to me in the last one year is just to say that as a consumer give your feedback as often as possible positive or negative and also never hesitate to walk away to the next shop when you are not happy with the service . And thanks to all the ladies (again implying relatives and friends etc ) who taught me the art of walking away after seeing the dresses in many many shops . (have seen few men do it as the last time my uncle and me went to shop for a gift it was done in 6 minutes in a cloth shop filled with thousands of dresses .. I timed it :) )

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