Pathetic Customer Service by Snapdeal

This is w.r.t. an order I placed with you (Order # 3609980226). I placed this order on Nov 17, 2014 and the confirmation said that the estimated delivery date was Nov 24, 2014. (I must confess this was far longer than my expectation since your contemporaries like Flipkart and Amazon India take much shorter delivery duration, max. 4-5 days for the same product.)

I had been getting 4 mails a day telling me that I can now track the status of my order online and when I opened it, it simply informed me that the product was handed over to Ecom courier service on Nov 18, 2014 and will be delivered to me by Nov 24, 2014. Did it help me with much information? NO.

Anyway, the product did not reach me by the promised date. I was not informed by the company that there would be a delay and the reason therefor. I called the customer care number on 24th evening but I could not get through as the answering machine disconnected after saying, "we have too many customers on the line right now, please call later." (Now that I think, it’s no wonder you get that many calls because you really are bad at service). An hour later, same problem but at least it said that I could select an option to arrange a call back. I did and I am yet to get a call back. I waited for an hour and called again and then waited about 15 mins to speak to a customer care officer who first very coolly informed me that Nov 24, 2014 isn't over yet. I had to remind him that it was 9 pm and unless they deliver products even at that hour, the day was over. He then said that he would register a complaint and that the product will be delivered before 12 noon on Nov 25, 2014.

Then, today when I just casually clicked the “Track Order”, it gave me the same status that said the product was handed over to Ecom courier service on Nov 18, 2014 but the delivery date was CHANGED to Nov 29, 2014.

On a normal course the company sends an apology with an explanation in case a delivery is delayed. AT LEAST YOU COULD HAVE SENT AN INTIMATION. Snapdeal did not care to inform me about the delay and just simply on its own changed the delivery date. Furthermore, when I called the customer care to complain, they simply gave me the no. of Ecom Express and asked me to follow up with them as the delay was from their end. Is that my problem? Did I pay over 40000 bucks to Ecom or to Snapdeal?

I still check with Ecom and they tell me that their records show that the product reached Delhi on Nov 21, 2014 but they need time to deliver the same. I asked how much and the person said that I would escalate this as a high priority delivery so that it reaches you within 3-4 days. Needless to say, I am shocked: High Priority and they still need 3-4 days to deliver it from Delhi to Gurgaon. They need 8 days to deliver a product from Delhi to Gurgaon which on a normal course takes less than an hour? This isn’t even an item of furniture or huge electronics like refrigerator or TV but instead a phone which comes in a very small box. This is ridiculous by all standards.

This is the second time I have faced this problem with Snapdeal out of only 2 times I have placed an order with Snapdeal. That's a record 100%. Someone should tell Snapdeal that you don't win customers by giving full-page strategically placed advertisements in the newspapers, but rather by the quality of service provided. You need to learn that from Flipkart and Amazon India yet as you still have a long way to catch-up. Seriously disappointed.

When did Technology become such a vital part of our lives?

I have been living without a phone since almost a month. Okay, correction: I have been living without a smart phone for almost a month. I do have a functioning phone in an old non-smart handset, but it doesn't have an internet connection and I am off WhatsApp and almost off all social media.

I had recently bought a Nokia Lumia 1520. Needless to say it is a high-end phone and I was more than satisfied with it. Loved it, to be precise. Then, one day I accidentally dropped it and it's screen broke, much as my heart. I thought, "Oh luckily, this time I have bought an insurance for physical damage so I am saved." Little did I know that it was the start of an ordeal. I called the Insurance company, in fact I couldn't even get through on their number for the first two days. Eventually I did, on 10th October, 2014. The lady told me they will pick the phone from my house within 24 to 48 hours. But no, they took full 7 days to do so and that too after scores of phone calls and after involving the retailer from whom I had bought the phone. Okay, not a good start but let's hope all goes well now, at least the person at the insurance company promised that it will. How wrong could I be? Two weeks, daily follow-ups and they hadn't even got my phone repaired. Their excuse? Well, sometimes they don't have staff due to Diwali and then later Nokia service centre doesn't have the part. I called up Nokia Service Centre and they tell me, "Ma'am you bring the phone, it will take about an hour to repair the phone." My Insurance Company had been fooling me.

I try to escalate by talking to the supervisor of the person concerned. He plays the same dirty tricks. Well, on 1st November, 2014 they eventually confirm that the phone has been repaired. But it's today, 5th November, 2014 and I still don't have it in my hand. And today I broke all records of phone calls. Record 53 calls made to the Insurance executives to at least force them to eventually pick up the phone and come up with yet another excuse. Furthermore, their excuses are getting dirtier and inhumane. "The executive who was on his way to deliver the phone has met with a serious accident." What the hell? If I tell them off saying that it's just one of their excuses, I am an insensitive person. Yes, that's exactly what they guy said to me. Can you believe it? Yet another promise of a 110% guarantee of the phone being delivered the next day is handed out.

So much for my physical experience. But, what about my emotional experience. I have been feeling depressed, cut-off from my friends and lonely. In fact, I have been feeling angry, harassed and stressed too. I have been seething with fury since this morning for being taken for a ride and have been unable to calm myself down despite all my attempts. I feel absolutely helpless and feel like crying. And to be honest, I haven't felt like this - so angry, so helpless and so depressed - since a very long time. I tell about this to someone and I sometimes get a reply, "Okay, it's just a phone. We didn't even have them till a few years back." And I feel like snapping back, "Have you lately tried living without your phone for a month?"

We belong to a generation who has done away with stereos, cameras, watches etc. ever since we shifted to smart phones. The first thing most of us look at when we get up in the morning is our phones and some even check it out a number of times at night. True, we didn't have them till a few years back. But, then nobody did and it wasn't just me alone without it. And therefore, people used other ways of keeping in touch. It wasn't like now when you keep in touch through WhatsApp and Facebook. Even office is easier to manage when you don't have to switch on your laptop before going to sleep or after getting up in the morning to check on your mails because you could simply do so through your. phone.

I don't know, I thought I might be able to calm myself down after putting all this in words here. But, for once, even this is not working. Dear God, I NEED my phone. PLEASE HELP! Before I go crazy!! I NEED MY PHONE!!!

Reflections from my Birthday!!

It was my birthday a few days back and to be honest, I was not much excited. I always thought that I have reached an age where birthdays are no more special days. They are just ordinary days. I am neither reverse counting the days before my birthday nor am over the moon in planning something unusual for my birthday. I don't buy birthday gifts for myself any more and usually go around doing my business as usual.

But when I reached an age of nonchalance, my daughter has reached an age of excitement, curiosity and deep concern for all around her. She made my day special by planning a midnight surprise with my sister and mom. My family showered me not only with gifts but also immense love and affection.

Moreover, my phone was broken and I was off Whatsapp and was therefore not expecting many messages. But to my surprise, there was awesome bombardment of lovely birthday wishes from my friends, relatives and acquaintances that kept pouring in on Facebook and SMSes and even through calls, all thanks to Mark Zuckerberg who added a feature on Facebook that reminds all of our birthdays.

Actually, the birthdays are not special days per se. They are ordinary days that are made special by this little touch of persons around you. And I am grateful to God for surrounding me with such lovely people.