Snapdeal.com: Online shopping disaster

Many people are wary of purchasing items from an online store and at times their reasons are quite invalid. Coming from a strong digital background, I personally motivate a lot of people around me to try out online shopping and that it isn't all that bad. However, when a first-time shopper has a bad experience you suddenly get reminded as to why people are wary of purchasing items online.

Problem:

An office colleague of mine was looking at purchasing new shoes and was browsing through the selection online. She asked me if these transactions are safe and I assured her that they were. After searching through various websites, we narrowed down to a pair of Slazenger shoes from Snapdeal.com. A good bargain and the comfort that an established organisation such as Snapdeal would not mess up, the transaction proceeded with no fear. The package arrived, on the date promised but what was inside the package was the most surprising. Most of the times the goods are damaged, used or not packed properly. Let the following image speak for itself.

 

In case you havent been able to fathom what they are, what you see there is not a pair of Slazenger shoes but two old coconuts. Yes, coconuts. The stuff that grows on trees by the beach that you crack open and relish the water, coconuts. It is probably the most outlandish and the last thing on the planet that you would expect to arrive in your package, but it did arrive in this case.

Obviously, my friend was extremely upset with this and the first reaction to this is to call the Snapdeal helpline and register a complaint. Snapdeal responded by requesting for 24 - 48 hours to rectify this issue, which to my mind is too much for a severe issue. Being a part of an advertising agency and with my knowledge of social media, we decided to take this war on their Twitter and Facebook accounts and collected a lot of people to rally against the brand and re-tweet our messages. 2 days of aggressive social media campaigning fell to deaf ears, to the extent that Snapdeal banned my friend from their Facebook page and even deleted her post. Not listening to a customer complaint on social media and ignoring them can have catastrophic results and as a social media evangelist, I have seen that happen.

Finally, almost 3 days later, Snapdeal has decided to act on Facebook and have made a return call to my friend, asking for some further details. A decision is awaited.

Issue Summary:

1. Coconuts coming in the package instead of shoes

2. Snapdeal takes 3 days to respond

3. Ignores all messages on Facebook, to the extent of deleting posts and banning people

Verdict:

E-Commerce in India is still at a nascent stage and it is these very issues that are turning customers away from shopping online. It appears that the courier company has had serious lapses with an employee stealing the shoes and replacing them with coconuts. Snapdeal needs to be sure of the courier companies they partner with and take all responsibility of delivering the right products to the customer. Not responding on social media at the first instance and having to take all the pain and efforts to get this resolved has ensured that Snapdeal has lost a customer along with the hundreds who have read of this instance. It has cemented the fact that e-commerce in India still has a long way to go and if these issues do not get resolved on the first instance, customer confidence will fail.

Update: 26/08/2013

4 days after this issue first came to light, Snapdeal finally got in touch with my friend and agreed to resend a replacement pair of shoes. This was promised to be dispatched instantly and would reach her day after. A courier tracking number was also promised to her.

On the day when the shoes were supposed to arrive, my friend had neither received a tracking number nor any further communication from Snapdeal. Upon calling them they learnt that they have still not sent the shoes out since the company was shut due to a holiday. Snapdeal agreed to send out the shoes immediately along with a tracking number. As on 26th August, 2013, the shoes are still awaited and it has been 10 days now since this issue was first reported.

It is extremely shameful that inspite of all the efforts and the complaints that have been going to Snapdeal, they have been extremely lethargic in resolving them. From giving commitments that they don't stick to and taking days to investigate and come up with solutions is not what a premiere brand such as them should be doing. Our efforts to petition to Snapdeal via social media would continue until my friend receives her shoes, in the exact manner in which she placed her order and I would request all readers to continue spreading this message until a resolution is reached.

Update: 07/09/2013

Finally, after all the petitioning and the back and forth that took place, Snapdeal agreed to refund my friend her money and also give the shoes to her for free. The free shoes were dispatched soon after and reached her on the 30th of August with a hand-written apology letter. The money remitting took quite some time to take place and finally arrived in her bank account on the 6th of September.

Overall, Snapdeal seems to have handled the issue quite badly and has made a big mess of things. From second shipment not arriving, social media disaster and delays in fulfilling commitments, Snapdeal needs to tighten it;s belt and improve on its service quality and offerings if it wishes to retain customers. It took Snapdeal close to 3 weeks to put this problem to rest, something which could have been done much better and faster. Comparing this to Jabong, another friend of mine too had ordered shoes from them and their courier service seems to be far more organised and sorted over Snapdeal. In order to avoid courier companies from fumbling with orders, they have their own people taking care of deliveries and waits till the customer inspects the goods and OK's it. 

These issues need to stop surfacing if E-Commerce in India needs to take off. Every Tom, Dick and Harry thinks they can sell online but actually, cracking the E-Commerce wall in India is far bigger a task than most people think it is.

Matrix Cellular: Unauthorised contract extension

Problem:

Matrix cellular became popular for its international sim card services where travellers from India could purchase sim cards with an international number from India itself and thus promising to ease the cellphone dilemma whenever one travels abroad.

I recently undertook a year long stay in the UK and decided to avail the services of Matrix. The sales representative promptly arrived, led me through the formalities and I had a working sim card in my hands withing a few hours' time. I had signed a one year contract that was slated to end on Sept, 2011 which I assumed that Matrix would self-terminate upon the completion of the contractual date.

I received a pleasant surprise when Matrix generated a bill for the entire month of September and October and expected me to pay it. A call to their call centre revealed that until and unless I ask for a termination of contract, the bills would continue to be generated and in order to terminate the same, I must send an email to the concerned department requesting for it. Although a bit flustered at their cheek in extending the contract without intimation, I sent an email as told to me and included the clause that I would be unwilling to pay any amounts due after the official completion of the contract date and a fresh bill with these amendments be sent to me at the earliest. A confirmation of the same was received by Matrix and I assumed the chapter to be closed.

To my horror, a subsequent bill for the month of November was raised. At this point I decided to ignore any communication from Matrix. I had done my part in informing them for termination which they have sadly failed to execute. Constant telephone calls were received by my father from Matrix, demanding he pay the outstanding bill amount. After explaining to every possible person who made the calls, the bills continue to float in, till this day.

The comments section would prove that Matrix attempted to get in touch with me to resolve the issue. They claim that the contract contains a clause where the connection 'rolls over' to a monthly basis after the contract term expires, which I found hugely absurd. After agreeing to pay off their outstanding, Matrix amazingly screwed once more by generating an incorrect amount and attempted to claim payment for bills already paid. The issue is finally resolved with Matrix waving off any outstanding amount.

Issue Summary:

1. Non-termination of services after expiry of contract

2. Non-termination of services after requesting for the same

3. Continued harassment for bill payments

Verdict:

To begin with, Matrix isn't very cheap unlike the way they advertise themselves. Their charges are ridiculously expensive and far cheaper services in UK like Lebara, Lyca, Vonage etc. sell for 1/20th price that Matrix charges. Their back-end services are ridiculous and it is above me on how the company could continue to raise bills even after the expiry of the contract date. I would strongly advise all travellers to refrain using Matrix services and rather purchase sim cards from their destination country itself.

It is disheartening to see such large organisations blunder in such a manner, not once but multiple times. Issues such as bill payments are sensitive to the consumer especially if the commodity is expensive. Although Matrix did waive off the outstanding as an act of good faith, the scar still remains.

If you have any similar concerns about Matrix or any telecom operator, feel free to mention it in the comments section below.

Easy Cabs: Cancellation without notice

This is a slightly old issue which has already been resolved.

Problem:

I never had the need to book a radio taxi in Mumbai with either my own vehicle or the regular kalli-pilli (black and yellow) taxi's/rickshaws being available. On two occasions friends from outside of Mumbai asked me to book a cab on their behalf and its only then that I realised that one 'should not rely on them'.

After spending a year in the UK, I got used to the very convenient, prompt and relatively cheap radio taxi service and was a bit shocked with the service in Mumbai. Meru, Easy Cabs and Mega Cabs are companies that are the most popular in this arena. I was a little taken aback at the difficulty of getting through to their call centres, the honey-voiced lady asking me to press numbers on my keypad and the atrocious music one has to tolerate before you finally get through to an attendant. I was more used to the bored Indian/Pakistani picking up the phone in 2 rings and telling me '10 minutes' before hanging up. What also surprised me is that all three companies turned down my request citing unavailability of cabs.

With this incident behind me, I had to once more book a taxi for a another friend. Meru once again turned me down saying they are full (do they seriously get so much business?) but Easy Cabs took up the job and confirmed the booking. My friend had instructed me to give them a call half an hour before the scheduled time of arrival to double check on their status. With my UK experience still fresh, I doubted that it would be necessary and was confident that the cab would arrive on time. I yet put the call through, reminding myself 'this is India' and was utterly disgusted to know that the company had conveniently cancelled my booking, 15 minutes before the scheduled arrival. The executive also mentioned that a communication for the same had been given, which I have not seemed to receive. When I argued the executive maintained fort that communication was sent and nothing could be done.

The good old kalli-piili's once more came to my rescue but this incident pinched me. I decided to blast them over over Twitter but was not expecting any kind of outcome. Surprisingly, @EasyCabsIn replied back asking me for my booking identification number which was provided for. A lady later called me back and spoke 5 lines faster than a Rajdhani on adrenaline. The only words I captured was 'sorry' ' communicated' 'you' 'wont happen'. Although I cant be very sure, I suspect that the lady was holding ground that the communication was sent but she is still sorry.

Issue summary:

1. Long waiting to get through call centres

2. Always 'full'

3. Cancellation without notice

Verdict:

Although the cancellation was uncalled for, Easy Cabs managed the crisis well, took the efforts to acknowledge the mistake and apologised. In future if I do ever need a radio taxi again, Easy Cabs would still be my first choice as against Meru who never seem to be available.

Share any of your Radio Taxi experiences, good or bad, in the comments section below.

Kingfisher Airlines: Partner Airline Redemption.. NO RESPONSE!

Problem:

So I decided to go for my convocation ceremony to the UK. A short trip in the month of December where I can get on stage, flash my teeth, where some fancy robes and get a degree rolled up in red ribbon. Unfortunately my dreams were shattered looking at the price of airline tickets. Being season time in Inida, all the firangs make a mad dash to Goa and hence the exorbitant ticket price. With no decent airline below Rs. 60,000 (I refuse to fly Air Arabia and Turkish Airlines) I decide to call the trip off.

Days later the newspapers splat the front pages of Kingfisher Airlines going bust with flights getting cancelled. My uncle having a KingClub Gold account with more than 1.5 lac frequent flyer miles racked up, is scared that is precious miles might go waste if the airline would shut shop and hence suggests I use them to book a free ticket to London and back. Since there is the imminent threat that Kingfisher flights may not fly at all, i decide to book the tickets on a partner airline.

The website seems to be unaware on how I am supposed to do this and hence a call to their customer service is made. After listening to 'flying high you and meeeeeeee......' for far too long (and yes, getting through to their phone number itself is a task) I am told that I have to download and fill a form and to email to their KingClub department. A bit shocked at the bureaucratic process, I do the needful and wait for a reply. After waiting two days, another call to their customer service department informs me that the revert back comes only within 72 hours at the least. Another patient two days later another call to the customer care department shockingly reveals that they never received my email to begin with else 'they would never have made the mistake of not informing the customer on time'. I am also told that I cannot book for a journey where Kingfisher itself operates, fair enough, and hence I re plan my trip via Amsterdam or Paris and resend a fresh form and itinerary.

An impatient 5 days later after not receiving any response (quote: we never make the mistake of not informing the customer on time) I am told, to my delight, that the email has come through! I am also told, to my disappointment, that due to 'technical difficulties' they need 2-3 more days. The tipping point had crossed once more and being well-versed in social media and the power of Social Media Monitoring I decided to take matters in my own hand and sent a tweet to @flykingfisher on Twitter informing them about my levels of happiness with my recent experience of their customer service. I am a Gold member I tell you, where are those flamboyant privileges you promised me?

Exactly like how I had predicted, Kingfisher tweeted back asking for my membership number and contact number, both which were provided for. A charming lady contacted me a few hours later asking me what the exact issue was. I ran the entire story through her and she picked out a cunning flaw. The second email was sent through the work email address and not the personal email address registered on their system and hence the redemption could not take place. Please email us asap again from your registered email address and I will get back to you within a few hours. The email was sent, albeit a little later than what I had promised her I would but her response never came. @flykingfisher had tweeted out to me asking if he called and I concurred. A few days later, with no response I tweeted once more telling them I still await a revert back and once again, no response.

At the time of typing this post, it had been more than 20 days since I had sent out the very first email and I have roughly a week to go before I am scheduled to fly out. I had given up all hope but was still a little frustrated with their disregard for customer service. I said to myself, one last call. Ever heard the phrase 'salt to the wound' well that is pretty much what happened. As always it is virtually impossible to get through 080-66117600, the Kingfisher customer service number with the MTNL lady shrieking 'The customer you are calling is currently biji (busy), please try later...' and when I did getting through to a human voice is a mammoth task. Tasks I completed while on hold for 25-minutes:

>> Checked email

>> Played a round of NinJump on my phone

>> Skyped with a friend for 15 minutes

But no, I am not the one who gives up very easily! Disconnected the call and tried once more, not that it made any difference. I was still on hold for 20 minutes, the time in which I created this blog, typed the first post and started writing this one until a gentleman finally came on the call. After explaining the entire epic story, the representative told me how extremely sorry he was and that I was to give him half an hour in which he would fast-track the issue and get back to me. Its been an hour, 30 minutes above his stipulated time and I still await the call back.... NO RESPONSE!

Issue summary:

1. Extremely difficult to get the line to even connect

2. Very long waiting time

3. No revert back on multiple occasions

4. Bureaucratic redemption process

P.S Watch the comments section for a reply from Kingfisher's social media monitoring, I still have that faith in them they will. :D

UPDATE - 06/12/2011

Kingfisher finally did revert back, 4 hours later than the promised time. I did finally get my ticket, although not for the date I wanted.

Verdict:

It was highly disappointing that in spite of all the turmoils the company faces, it has failed to take necessary action in keeping back those few customers who still chose to fly Kingfisher. The fact that Gold members are harassed, left without response and have dedicate their own personal time and money in following up with the company on a regular basis is shameful. The end result was satisfactory, but had this come a long time ago without all the unnecessary drama, this blog may not have even started. Is that good or bad?

Share any of your Kingfisher experience, good or bad, in the comments section below.