Service Experience - Deal maker/ breaker

A couple of days ago, I read a newspaper article about customer service. The article claimed that even in a supremely price sensitive market like India, customer service has become much more important than a number of firms perceive it to be. This is one of the reasons that even public enterprises have changed their services for the better, MTNL being a prime example.


However, even in such times, there are people who think of themselves as some rare breed with a right to think that the customer is foolish and would sway in whatever direction they want him/ her to. This is especially true for the so called "brands" which think they can sell based on the brand name rather than the actual experience/ service a customer demands or deserves. 


One instance of this kind happened with me yesterday which prompted this entry.
I had to buy a ring and I happened to visit a branded showroom, Geetanjali Jewelers, Karol Bagh. Since I had something specific in mind, I didn't go with the available selection that they had. Instead, I selected a band, requested for a specific solitaire and asked for the ring to be made on order. The person in-charge told me that I would get the product within a week and in a specific amount for sure. I paid 50% advance and came back home super excited. So far so good. The issue begins now. A  couple of days later, Geetanjali calls me up to inform me that the diamond that I have ordered would be available only after a week's time as thus the order would get delayed by a week. Hmmmph. Anyhow, since I had placed the order well in advance, I said, "Alright, please call me as soon as it is ready and I shall come to pick it up." However a week passed and I didn't get any information. Fortunately I had to go to the same market for some more shopping the next weekend. Thus, on my next visit I dropped by the showroom to check the status. This time around they said, "Ma'am, the diamond hasn't arrived yet. There would be another week's delay." By this time, I was already frustrated and had decided not to place any order with them till I got this one delivered. Nevertheless, I said AGAIN, "Alright, please call me as soon as it is ready so that I can come pick it up." They promised to deliver it by the coming Saturday for sure. 


Now, I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for Geetanjali to call up with the status of my previous ring but no call ever came through. At last, I called them up on Friday to confirm that I would be coming by tomorrow at which they said, "Sorry ma'am, it is not ready yet." By now, I was super frustrated. I told them that I had to travel the coming Monday and if they can't deliver by Sunday I would be forced to cancel the order. This threat finally had them working. They promised that I could have my order latest by Sunday afternoon. I heaved a sigh of relief and braced myself for the next day encounter with these guys.


BUT, my woes didn't end there. When I reached the Jewelers, at first they kept me waiting for almost 15 minutes. Then, they brought the ring which wasn't as I had ordered.
And to top it all, they charged me extra! The reasoning given was that they had to put in more material then anticipated. I mean, "Hello, don't you have a phone which you can pick up to dial and confirm with the customer before you make such changes all by yourself and that too when we had been communicating on a regular basis?"


After almost a half an hour long discussion to let them understand the mistakes that they had done (being late with the order, not delivering the ring as agreed upon and charging higher than the initial agreed upon price), during which they were extremely inflexible and one of them was quite rude, I discovered that the ring didn't even fit!


Finally, I had them resize the ring and agreed to go with the now increased price because I didn't want to spoil my mood anymore then it already had been. They told me to come by after the resizing which they said they would call me and let me know about and estimated at half an hour to forty five minutes. I used this time to crib about this whole episode and satiate my hunger pangs. But when I didn't receive a call even an hour later I was forced to go to the showroom and inquire! And, they made me wait almost 20 minutes AGAIN. My wait finally ended when the resized ring and the bill came to me. By now, I was super pissed off and thus asked to have the ring weighed. And lo! it was lighter than the weight mentioned in the bill!!!! And the biller wouldn't budge and accept his mistake. Finally one of the sales person got his senses back and accepted that the ring might have been lighter due to resizing (which by the way I can't understand as we asked it to be made larger and not smaller). As if all of it wasn't enough, they wouldn't put the fact that they were charging VAT and other taxes on the bill.


Man!!! I was in a total mood to cancel the order but that would mean having to forego 10% 
of the total amount (I don't know WHY?) 


Finally I paid and came back with the ring which I am not sure how much I would be able to cherish the possession of, all the while thinking NEVER to visit Geetanjali again!


Sorry for the rant, but just wanted to make sure what ways can be used by the "BRANDS" to dupe and irritate people like us. Hope you don't fall prey to any of this!

Which one to believe??

Before any of my friends start getting worried, this is NOT a post about me.
This is just a translation of some emotions in words from someone whose voice is long due to be out. And this post is my way of paying a tribute, to all that the friend has gone through, while respecting her need for privacy. A way for letting those emotions be defined to the best of my ability so that somewhere somebody doesn't fret over the words most apt for description of such feelings - "Pata Nahin" ("I don't know!")
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I dont know whether its just a figment of my imagination or if it is actually happening.

But there is certainly something different, very different, eerie...
I somehow cant describe the way I feel. 
But I have to get it out of me, before it causes any further damage.
It's something like this -
I tremble a lot.
I am always scared. Of whom, I don't know!!!
I tend to be aloof.
I want to have no one around me.
Strangers are OK, but those I know and specially those who care for me, are a strict No.
I am afraid to be with them.
I find it difficult to breathe.
I shudder.
I don't want to be awake.
I don't want to eat, drink, move, or even live.
I first thought it is just another part of my emotional side.
Maybe I am not yet over with all that I have heard, seen, felt in past few months.
But it doesn't cease to exist.
It seems I am living in perpetual fear.
I feel as if everyone out there is mocking me.
As if, no one is on this side of the globe which I am standing upon.
As if, I am plunging deeper and deeper into nothingness.
As if, they are trying to get me.
As if, they want me to have all these thoughts.
As if, they are snatching away my desire to live.
As if, they are consciously trying to remove all traces of happiness from my life.
As if, they are making me feel that I am no good.
As if, they are succeeding.
Its scary.
I read something and I can't come out of the world the author has created.
I watch some movie and am trapped in the scene; mostly at the background, where they are waiting for me, to pounce upon, to just make me anything but myself.
I cant seem to accept the world as it is.
GOD!!! Am I hallucinating????
It feels as if everyone around me is a fake, a non entity, and soon I will be one of them.
Why?
I tell myself, this is just a passing phase.
It will be over.
I am just imagining things.
There is no one to scare me.
There is nothing to be afraid of.
But, my trembling hands, my moist eyes, my clenched fists, my shaking voice... tell me something else.
There are these feelings, and then there is the truth.
I don't know, which one is more terrifying.
I don't know, which way to go.
I don't know, whom to believe.

Abort Retry Ignore

When I die, don’t cry.

Because I will be happy to get rid of all the subjects who have haunted me all my student life. In fact I will be so happy, I will singing and dancing and rapping.

When I die, bury me deep.

Four feet down and fast asleep.

Put my math book on my head,

Tell my teacher that’s why I am dead

Place my Physics in my hand

Tell him nothing did I understand.

And tell all those not to cry,

For they are the one who made me die!

This is going to be the epitaph on my tombstone.

Fellow toastmasters and guests, do you think it is too soon to be talking about epitaphs for my age. No really, how old do I look? I know my beautiful and radiant skin doesn’t give my age away. But I am actually old enough to attend a particular event - silver jubilee celebration for the respected engineers of my alma mater- the place where we spent 4 years studying steam tables, RCC n Steel codes, design of sewers and what not to end up working in the IT / ITES firms, which by the way, have got nothing, mind you nothing, to do with these at all. Ah! That reminds me of the hard work I underwent, studiously taking Xerox of all the pieces of paper I could gather from the souls popularly known as professors, the laborious job of entering the class just in time for attendance and leaving undetected just after it. Proxy wasn’t an option as the female gender of Homo sapiens species is quite a rarity in the abodes known as engineering institutions irrespective of or because of the fact that girls are the top scorers in most of the boards all over the country. Don’t ask me why? Let me save feminism for another speech. So, back to the event; this was – A special Alumni Meet. Being the senti cum mental person I am, I decided to reach the place a couple of hours earlier than the designated time. I wanted to have a look on the amazingly wonderful graffiti we managed to scribble on the walls and desks alike. The imaginary sight of “Hey, next class is mass bunk right?? “And “Hey see, Kunal is looking at me”, brought a smile to my lips.

Since it was a big occasion, I took every care to look my best. So did the guy, Vaibhav, whom I remembered as oh so rich. He gave us an account of how he prepared for the same. Let me recite that for you in his lovely verse:

I rented a tux and a black toupee, then brushed my shoes and hair

I trimmed my mustache and my beard, and changed what I wear

I emptied the bottle of after shave, and rented a limousine

I brushed my teeth with Ultra-Bright, then gargled some listerine

I soon arrived in splendid form, with a flower on my chest

Sporting a rented diamond ring, and smelling my very best

Dude rented?? What you thought I always had that much money?

I wanted to meet everyone and didn’t have much time. So I moved ahead. The lean mean Meena of my batch appeared to have gained weight finally, though an addition of 100 pounds to once upon a time a total of 100 seemed a little more than little.

We got talking. After the usual niceties, she said – ‘Look, isn’t that forgetful Farida, I said –‘Yeah, she looks familiar, but too young, maybe skins like mine. In reply to our curious glances she came to us and said “I am her daughter. She couldn’t make it. When I was born, she got a little plump; someone told her you have to walk to stay in shape. She started walking five miles a day and now we don’t know where the hell she is”

The next was ‘Ravi’ who didn’t look too well. When I asked him, he said, "Oh no, all is well. Just a little tight. I used to sell furniture for a living. The trouble is, off late it has started being my own." I consoled him and moved ahead.

And then I saw Sukhi. He was so much in love with college that he took his own time in moving levels in college.  Someone was arranging a bouquet of beautiful flowers on the table which gave him a shiver. Later he confided, "At my age flowers scare me." God knows when will they be at my grave?

Just when we were talking of scare, Tiny, the regular gym goer, who had become like this, came and said, "Some people are afraid of heights. Not me, I'm afraid of widths."

While we were trying to decipher this talk, Nerdy Naveen came. He was an engineer to the core of his cranium. He was married to the prettiest lady of the batch who didn’t, by the looks of it, enjoyed her husband’s grey matter much. She started off with her woes at every chance; telling everyone how Nerdy introduces her as “My lady@ home. Wife”, sends a mail for dinner instead of calling, stares at an orange juice carton because it says ‘CONCENTRATE’, uses CAD to design their son’s toy car, takes her to sci fi movies and discusses tech glitches in detail afterwards, can remember all his PC Passwords but never their anniversary. She looked worried about her son, who seemed to think of his dad as one of the ET Crew, because when once he did the terrible mistake of asking him why the sky is blue, Nerdy started off with atmospheric absorption theory. Yeah. If any of the young guns here is planning to marry off any engineering toppers, beware, this is what your life may look like.

Amidst all of it, I realized how in those good old days we used to be free of all worries, with no money loading our pockets and yet all the happiness at our side.

But alas, suddenly, I started getting this strange vision of what I see on my computer screen every now and then when I am working – ‘Abort Retry Ignore’ as options for my lovely life. Abort Retry Ignore. Abort Retry Ignore. Abort Retry Ignore. I was suddenly terrified, shocked and started shouting. That’s when my mom woke me up and I realized, it was but a dream. I shouted; I am still young!! My mom looked at me and said so? So am I!

Revival

"A poem begins with a lump in the throat, a home-sickness or a love-sickness."  - Robert Frost

"Viyogi hoga pehla kavi, Aah Se Upja Hoga Gaan, Nikal Ker Nayanon Se ChupChap, Bahi Hogi Kavita Anjaan." - Sumitra Nandan Pant

I recall these lines every time I post something. So true, aren't they?

Every single time I have written a peace of poetry, it has been for the memories of loved ones, at the dissatisfaction of being at a place where I don't want to be, at the sadness of life, or due to some things or events which had bothered me beyond my emotional carrying capacity. 

I know there are hasya ras (funny poetry) entries all over the place but they too come out mostly as sartorial musings.

So, does that mean that when I don't post on my blog is the happy time?

Well, at least in terms of poetry this does coincide with my blog entry data analysis.

Even today, this long pending entry has come up as a result of my coming face to face with harsh realities of life once more. I do not want to hurt the sentiments of the friend who confided in me but I am so torn inside that I can't help but pen my frustration down.

Dedicated to my friend, in hope that she doesn't read it ever...

Remember the last time the love lorn twosome looked out of the world in peace?

Remember their smiles and the Utopian indifference which seemed so beautifully quiet?

Today I glimpsed at their journey in its ugly truthful stride.

Today I saw the indecipherable and inexplicable darkness behind that elusive light.

I remember thinking about the incalculable wealth of cherished togetherness they had.

I remember feeling childishly envious of them at times when I was writing some of my old songs.

A couple of years down the line, the agnostic in me is craving the support of the blind faith.

A 'logic first, emotions later' part of me is entangled in the messed up rights and wrongs.

How I wish I could go back in time, knowing this future and tell them to stop!

How I wish I could meddle in, be thought of as a jerk, but still try to make things work.

Alas, this wishful thinking will only be a part of my day, my unwoven thread of imagination.

Alas, the thoughts which began as a lump in my throat would die in this composition's murk.

All I would do, is think about Robert Frost and Sumitra Nandan Pant and one of my friends.

All the way thanking them for giving me a way to let this lump subside through these words.

But neither this writing, nor the thinking will erase what got etched away in the stony heart.

But I wouldn't be able to do anything apart from staring nowhere pretending to look at the sky and birds!

Hope to get over with this soon...

-- Rachna