Customer service in India

I find that customer service in India, especially that of big companies, leaves much to be desired.

For example, it took me a month to get an ICICI bank account opened. Although I ensured all forms and ID proof were submitted properly, the "processing" took 4 weeks. When I started to lose my patience and complain, the response was always like "Sorry sir, but our Mumbai back office hasn't gotten back to us yet. We would inquire with them, sir".

The designations of the employees in the banks are themselves amusing - everyone is an "executive", including the teller. And you don't just have a bank account - you have a "relationship" with the branch!

Then I applied for a Citibank credit card (since one or the other was always pestering me on the phone with a Citibank card offer). After completing the form and submitting it, I got "verification" calls, not once but 4 or 5 times! And for address proof, they sent someone to my door - twice! Then it took more than a month after that for my card to arrive (after I made several calls to find out what was going on). I got so frustrated that I have not used the card even once so far after some 2 years.

While at it, I feel amused by this concept of "permanent address" required on a lot of forms in India. When someone asked me what mine was, I gave him the address of my flat where I live and which I own. He then said "No sir, I am not asking for your residential address. I am asking for your permanent address sir". I was a bit confounded. "Hello, this is where I have been staying for a while and intend to stay, and as far as I am concerned this is my permanent address". Then he educated me, "No sir, I asked you for your parents' address. That is what we mean by permanent address". I was taken aback by this. I told him I am close to 40, and have a family of my own, and am not a kid who lived with his parents on a permanent basis. But that didn't wash with him. Of course there was no point in blaming him. It is the mindset in India where even after being married, one cannot oneself independent of one's parents. In the US, no one asks for your parent's address unless one is a minor, in opening a bank account or applying for a credit card. Here even after being married, everyone considers that your parents' place is where you truly belong! When we blatantly copy the US in other aspects (like mother's maiden name for security and so on), we cannot shake off this stupid concept of permanent address. At least call it by what it really is- "parental address" or something like that.

The worst customer service in my experience is that of Hutch. Hutch is an established cellular service provider in India. However, once when I visited Chennai, the roaming facility got deactivated for some reason. So I went to a Hutch outlet in Chennai. They said they cannot help since Hutch Bangalore is different. The only way to reach the Bangalore Hutch customer care was to dial the Bangalore number. But that wouldn't work since I didn't have roaming - so it was a chicken and egg situation. Then I had to call up the number from a land line. I was put on hold for more than 15 minutes, with a recorded message asking me to be patient. Then all of a sudden it said "Sorry, all customer executives are busy at this time. Please try later" and got disconnected. I became so enraged that I swear I would have taken it out on a Hutch employee if there had been one nearby. It was a waste of my time as well as money. If Hutch claims to provide superior customer service, is this the way to treat their customers? First, they don't even have a common national database. And on top of that, they disconnect the line AFTER the customer had spent 15 minutes on the call. Sure they could have informed that at the beginning of the call- the queue situation couldn't have changed so dramatically in 15 minutes. Idiots.

Everyone now talks of "retailing" in India. It seems to be the latest buzzword. Never mind the fact that all shops have been doing it for ages in India. Of course, they are not big players like Reliance, so even if you had bought provisions from them throughout your life, it doesn't count. "What really counts is when you buy it from us, in other words, we retail it to you", they would like you to believe.

But if my experience at shopping at the minor chains like Foodworld or Monday to Sunday in Bangalore are anything to go by, I am not so optimistic.

First of all, Foodworld outlets are overstaffed. A Foodworld store would have a dozen employees or so at any time, most of them doing nothing, other than gossiping. Yet there would be only 2 or 3 at the cash registers. In the US, a similar sized store would have maybe 3 or 4 employees at any given time. And the quality of the stuff they sell is third rate. For example, they sell vegetables in closed polythene bags, with no refrigeration. The vegetables rot in no time under such conditions. I have come across bags of even beans where there is visible fungus growth, something that I have never encountered when buying from the lowly vegetable vendor. Most Foodworld outlets are hot, with no AC, which causes perishables to get spoiled faster. In most Foodworld stores, the vegetable/dairy products area would always smell of a dead rat. The other pre-processed food stuff they sell is third rate - I have seen many times where the expiration date stamp is missing on the wrapping. So much for their quality control. Plus their inventory management is poor. Sometimes the stuff I need wouldn't be in stock for months. But they would be available at family run stores always. It seems that the small family-operated store can manage its inventory better than a large chain like Foodworld, which is contrary to what one would expect. Now RPG, which owns Foodworld, wants to get into retailing too! If so, God help us!