I always stand up for what I believe in and what is right even if it means standing alone...In life standing up for your rights is never easy but it is very important to embark on this Long and difficult path to enforce and protect your individual and consumer rights.We all must be aware of our rights.In exercising our rights are we truly free individuals.

I have won many long customer battles against Banks,Phone Companies, Airlines, Electronics Companies etc. I have devoted time and energy to demand positive resolutions for myself and people around me. I hate it when one is denied what every customer has a right to...and that is when I find it important to address it and complain about it. I know it takes time to escalate matters but somehow I prefer to address it no matter what. Having lived in America for sometime, I give a lot of importance to Individual Rights.

It is my nephew who inspired me to write this blog. He felt the importance of his rights and the need to address this subject in a blog very early in age when he was unhappy with the services of a certain Airline. It was then that he suggested that I should write a blog concerning such matters too.

Everyone has certain rights but we are usually not informed about them or do not exercise them. We have a right to be heard...and we must never forget that. There is One Right for All and None should be discriminated. One has the right to question and a right to information. With growing middle class touch 400 million and consumerism, Indian Companies need to become responsive to Consumer complaints and grievances. Ignoring such complaints could lead to big financial losses for the company on consumer complaints being upheld by Consumer Courts.

In this blog, I would like us to share our knowledge about how best to address our complaints effectively as a customer or consumer. It is also important to inform people about the poor customer services provided by reputed brand names. But I would also like to hi-light the names of companies and brands who have co-operated with customers and given positive responses. Please do share your experiences too.

You do not win every battle in life but you learn lessons from it and hopefully live to win it some day. Through this blog ,I would like to inspire people to stand up for their rights and if needed fight for it but the fight for your rights has to be fair and honest. I aim to create a direction and awareness for people who are not given their due rights as an individual first and then as a consumer. There are always solutions and there are way to reach those solutions or alternatives as customers through proper channels.

Whenever you have been able to get your rights heard, you should generously share that knowledge as how best to achieve that so that others could follow that too. Pay it forward ! We should share knowledge and in doing so we will learn more from each other. Alone you can stand up for your rights but with people behind you and with you , there will be more force in it and consumers and customers will not be taken for granted. United we stand in getting value for our hard earned money...United we stand in ensuring we get good customer service.

When there is a will there is a way. When you stand up for your rights and for others , somebody will listen to you sooner or later. Your voice will be heard ! But for that you have to speak out ! Silence can sometimes be mistaken as weakness or indifference. Always know your rights and request for those rights to be implemented but if they are not then demand that justice be served.


Always stand up for your rights...

Consumer Rights Consumer Might !

" Sadaa Haq Aithe Rakh ! "

"Manzil mushkil to Kya... Humhe to us rah par chalna hi hai..."


Monday, October 19, 2015

Viodafone has the worst customer service- Bad Attitude

These people at Vodafone have a very bad attitude ! They just don't know how to talk to customers and are very threatening ! One of their executives Sundar shouted at me tonight and kept saying that I am lying...when I have already submitted updated documents in June thus year. But he kept saying that I have not which is totally untrue. It is their staff who is not doing their job and updating information regarding our accounts. Even though the Vodafone store had confirmed that they had verified my documents, this man kept on disagreeing. They are bullies ! My calls have been barred for the second time in the last three months.
No point even trying to address issues with them as Vodafone Nodal and Appellate cannot be trusted to pass fair judgements. I just wonder how they are getting away by treating their customers in such a hostile manner ! It can be seen from their social media page that they are treating so many customers the same way and barring their calls without proper investigation. It is my right that the matter be investigated thoroughly ! And till then I can't even think of migrating to another company and taking this number with me there...

Vodafone bullies again !

Even after the Sector-18 Noida, India Vodafone shop's confirmation that I visited the store on June 3rd 2015 with updated documents and they had verified the documents, Vodafone Specialised Care team, Nodal and Appelate continue to attack me and have even barred my calls for the second time in the last three months.

 Vodafone has no right to treat Indian customers this way ! This is harassment and discrimination ! Vodafone would have been sued in another country for such treatment. Leave alone making up for the inconvenience and deep stress caused to me, they  refuse to even order the Specialised Vodafone Care Team to send me an apology letter for the false feedback they had given to the Nodal Office. As it is Vodafone Nodal and Appellate are incapable of resolving conflicts fairly and effectively as they blindly support their teams.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

HDFC's Delayed Response even when customers decide to compromise for the peace of mind despite inconvenience caused to them

Not withstanding HDFC Bank's reluctance to extend genuine regrets for the inconvenience and harassment caused to me because of unjustified reduction of the principal amounts of my FDs without my consent, I have in the spirit of not spoiling our long relationship compromised as suggested by them. But even then they are showing their indifference in delaying their final response. Every time they are asking me more time to give the final resolution. And if they continue the never ending delay to resolve the matter, I may actually change my mind.

 The last option offered by HDFC was - the Bank can credit the amount of TDS deducted and interest loss due to this in my Savings Account and the tax due till date shall be deducted thereafter. I told them that I can consider this option if HDFC could confirm in writing that without signing the form ( Customer Consent on TDS recovery from CASA.doc) , the Bank will ensure that the same problem will not occur again. After all how many customers have signed such a form ? As far as I know nobody from my circle has done that.

Never have the principal amount of my FDs been reduced like this to recover tax in the presence of sufficient funds in my account even when the threshold limit was crossed. Once again I would like to stress that it was the duty of HDFC Bank to inform me before doing so and if there was any change of policy then all the more the same should have been communicated through your website or mails to customers. But HDFC neglected the fact that communication must be sent to the customer.

I would like to stress again on the point that in the future too HDFC Bank has no right whatsoever to break the FDs of customers without their consent. I repeat the tax should be deducted from the account at the time of crediting the interest of the FD to the account.

Vodafone- Pathetic Customer Service !

I just posted again on Vodafone India FB page describing how utterly disappointed I am in their not following up on my case that was left incomplete in June 2015 only to surface again today. Let's see how they respond to this case on the same subject this time but from past experiences I doubt that they would resolve it once and for all.

Vodafone continues to show insensitivity and carelessness in dealing with customers. As it is the last case on the same subject lies unresolved as after that nobody from Vodafone's highest authority levels got in touch with me to follow up on my complaint. There was no follow up. There was no thorough investigation and judgement was given by them without verification. I have all the mails till now. They were supposed to be investigating the false feedback of their specialised care team but all they did was giving me fake assurances when actually from the beginning till the end they supported the lies of their teams and defended them all the way. This is a total let down ! 

Not only that but my request that their specialised care team apologise to me in writing for giving false feedback was also ignored. Not only is Vodafone incapable of delivering fair resolutions but Vodafone does not even believe in sincerely apologising to their customers in writing for the deep stress and harassment they cause to their customers. 

Vodafone does not ever take responsibility of their careless actions in recent years and they do not address or complete their cases. The grievances I had regarding this subject in June this year were not addressed effectively and the case was left incomplete because of which I am facing the same problem again.

Leave alone giving damages for all the loss of time, money and peace of mind they caused me, they were not even willing to apologise to me in writing or ensure that I would not be threatened like this again. As I have been repeating from June, I had already visited the Noida Sector 18 Vodafone store with the updated documents on June 3rd 2015 and the store staff also confirmed the same, but Vodafone Nodal and Appellate refused to believe that as they chose to be partial and loyal to their so called specialised care team who gave them false feedback. As I said earlier on, I have evidence to prove that I visited the store. And this time Vodafone is again provoking me to take this to Court. 

I expect justice to be served and for once Vodafone to take a fair stand and carry out a proper investigation so that it could be proved that their teams were lying. Now this is a matter of principles for me...and I am very serious about ensuring that  the truth is uncovered. Thereafter I want a written apology letter to be posted to me and then maybe Vodafone can expect co-operation of some kind from me. Till then I have warned them that if my phone services are interrupted again then this matter will be escalated further than where it went last time. Vodafone cannot be after me every three months to verify my identity with documents when I have already done so many times till June 2015 itself. This is pure harassment and discrimination !

VODAFONE ATTACKS AGAIN ! - Harassment continues even after submitting updated documents in June 2015




I have written again to Nodal as well as Appellate Authority directly today as the way their so called specialised Vodafone care team and customer services handled my case in June 2015 has made me lose faith in their customer services.

I am being harassed again on the same subject as I was harassed back in June. I had escalated the matter then till the Appellate and all of them did not even investigate the matter thoroughly  before giving a resolution. I was harassed beyond comprehension even after submitting updated documents for my connection on the 3rd of June 2015 at the Sector 18 Noida Vodafone office. Vodafone specialised care team gave false feedback to cover their carelessness.

I have evidence to prove my statement in the court of law. Back then I did not go to Court but this time I may have to.

Now once again Vodafone specialised  customer services team is threatening to disrupt my services when I have already submitted documents in June this year.

Vodafone has no right to continuously threaten me every three to four months. This is pure discrimination ! I have reminded them so many times already that I visited Vodafone Store in June 2015 with updated documents. But they just don't listen !
I will have to consider taking them to Court if they suspend my account again.

Vodafone First investigate the case on the same subject thoroughly and fix responsibility on your specialised care team for giving you wrong feedback to hide their carelessness and then only can we discuss my submitting the documents for the second time this year. FIRST DO YOUR JOB PROPERLY & then I shall co-operate again !



Thursday, October 1, 2015

FIXED DEPOSITS WITH HDFC AT RISK !


Here is yet another complaint against HDFC's way of handling our FDs. I could really relate to it as our family has faced the same problem. This is absolutely not fair that Banks are allowed to play with the principal amount of our FDs in the name of deducting tax.
Please visit a very well written article on this on Money Life -

http://www.moneylife.in/article/now-even-your-fixed-deposit-principal-may-be-at-risk/4540.html

HDFC & other Banks should not be given the power to break the principal amount of FDs to recover taxes when there is sufficient balance in the account to deduct the tax from !



Are Banks allowed to break the principal amount of as many of your FDs to recover taxes in the presence of sufficient balance in the account even in the so-called breach of interest threshold limit ?

Does one have to sign the Customer Consent on TDS Recovery from CASA Form to protect the principal amount of your FDs from being broken by the Bank ?

Such questions as above are prevailing in the minds of many customers specially in the absence of any clear instructions of the RBI to the customers through their respective banks. The Banks have not informed the same to the customers through their websites or individual mails which is resulting in a lot of problems as the customer feels insecure about continuing having Fixed Deposits when RBI is allowing the banks to continuously break the principal amount of the customers without the authority or approval of the customers. Now one cannot even be sure if this is a new policy of the banks or the banks are simply implementing the rules of RBI. HDFC Bank's Taxation team is breaking a lot of FDs without the knowledge of the customers in the name of such a rule passed by RBI whereby the principal amount of FDs are being broken to recover taxes even in the presence of sufficient funds in the accounts. Now one wonders who is right here...

But something like this has never happened before...I am doing a research on that and conducting a survey as well on FB. Let's see what we come up with ! But whatever said and done FDs are supposed to be the most secure investments customers can have and they should not be easily broken without the consent of the customer !