TATA SKY'S POOR COMPLAINT MANAGEMENT

It states on the Tata Sky website that "In case of complaints (other than non receipt of signals) by Subscriber, at least ninety per cent of all such complaints shall be redressed within a period of forty-eight hours of the receipt of complaint. All other complaints shall be addressed as early as possible.
In addition to the dedicated call centre network in place, Tata Sky has nominated nodal officers for redressal of grievances of those subscribers who are not satisfied with the redressal at the call centre level. Such subscribers can contact the nodal officers citing the docket number issued by the call centre." 

So I got in touch with the Nodal Office as I was not satisfied with the way my case is being handled . And as  expected they too would gave a very crisp response devoid of any clarity on my case.

My complaint had not been addressed effectively even after 48 hours due to their lack of efforts in seeking information regarding my transaction with the concerned department in the proposed time. They agree the payment was successful and stands submitted by me on the 5th of July 2016 but they still need more time to process the payment for it to reflect in my Tata Sky account.

The Nodal Team's response was as follows-

" Your payment of Rs 514 made on 05/07/2016 to recharge your Tata Sky account has been processed and the status is SUBMITTED. Please give us 48 hours to process the payment.  

If payment is successful then recharged amount will be credited to your Tata Sky account. If payment is unsuccessful and in case the amount has been debited from your bank account or credit card account, it might take 7 to 10 working days to be credited back to you."

My response to the above was- 

"I too am aware since the 5th of July that the payment of Rs.514 stands submitted. Since the 5th of July around 11 a.m, I have given you more than 48 hours to process the payment but all your representatives are not talking the same language and I am not getting accurate information till now. There seems to be lack of co-ordination between your departments resulting in not giving me accurate information about the status my case. And now you are saying you want another 48 hours to process the payment in question. This matter is being delayed and we are not reaching a conclusion. 

This complaint should have been addressed at the earliest specially when I had gone through a similar experience with Tata Sky last month though fortunately then the matter was resolved in one day and my account had not been deactivated during that time. I can't comprehend why it is taking so long this time to tell me the exact status of my payment which stands already submitted even according to you. I would also like to know why this is happening often at the time of making online payment on your website. But since the 5th nobody is willing to give me information regarding that. I may encounter the same problem get again if your backend team does not get your act straight and address the errors in your system. 

 As it is on the 6 the of July my Tata Sky account was deactivated from your end despite my recharging my Tata Sky account on the 5th and being assured the previous day that I will be given a credit till the case is resolved. Anyway I managed to persuade your representatives to extend the credit limit till Saturday or till the time you reverse the money to my bank account. Your other representatives were trying to assist me in the matter but Ms. Priyanka from your backend team was aggressive and rude. I do not appreciate that kind of treatment. Instead of discussing the matter to reach a mutually suitable alternative, she was more interested in terminating our conversation. She was not even happy about your other representatives granting me credit till the case is pending.

Now some of your representatives had said on the 5th of July that my payment though successful would only be processed and reflected in my Tata Sky account within 24 hours to 48 hours due to faults in your system. But now some including you are telling me to give you another 48 hours which is alright with me only if you do not deactivate my services till you are clear about the status of my transaction. If you are still not clear about the transaction and are not able to give me accurate information, then I suggest that you give me written confirmation that between the 10th-14th of July ( which makes it the time duration Priyanka and you are proposing to credit the money back to my bank account) Tata Sky would reverse the money back to my bank account before I make a fresh transaction. 

As I said earlier I am willing to co-operate on the matter and go ahead with a fresh payment  as long as Tata Sky confirms to me in writing that they will reverse the money back to my bank account in the said duration of time and action is taken against Ms. Priyanka for being so insensitive, inefficient and rude to a customer. Responsibility has to be fixed and somebody has to be answerable for the wrong information I was given till today where it was said to me on the 5 the that till today my payment will either be processed or credited back to my bank account.

Look forward to a positive and sensitive response from the Nodal office considering that this is the second time I am enduring this problem in online payment on your website."

I wonder what their response would be or how long they will take to determine the exact status of the payment submitted successfully by me. But I must add that the entire interaction with them has made me conclude that they lack the professionalism that I so expected from them. Further their representatives specially the back end team lack the ability to address the problem and their complaint management is poor. My overall interaction with them has not been pleasant and has consumed a lot of my time and money in calling them several times. Tata Sky staff is just as bad as SITICable in terms of business etiquettes and dealings. I never had to ever go through such experiences abroad in my entire time there where the lack of efficiency of the companies costs the customers so much of time, money and stress. Mistakes happen but not every time and if there are problems there should be effective complaint management and proper follow up.

Tata Sky Services declining by the day !

Tata Sky' s subscription charges have increased as they have added new channels to their packages but in that process their services have really declined and we are thoroughly disappointed ! 

Their website reflects error every time one makes online payment and even after the payment transaction is successful it does not get reflected in the My Tata Sky account leading to deactivation of services. This has happened a lot lately and because of the inefficiency of their Backend team and lack of responsibility of the seniors, the customers suffer even after making timely payment.

The above happened again on the 5th of July 2016 at around 11am. After successful online payment , once again the transaction did not reflect in the Tata Sky account. On complaining about it immediately, I was informed that they would solve the problem in 20 minutes which they did not. Then later I was told on calling them that the problem would be resolved by the afternoon and then they extended the time to 24 hours and eventually 48 hours.

 On the 6th my Tata Sky account was deactivated despite their assuring me earlier on that this would not occur till the case is pending. Anyway I managed to make them agree to restore the services till the proposed time of complaint resolution. During this time I have had to call them several times which has been so inconvenient and irritating. Since last month I have had to spend a lot on calling them on the due date of payment as I face this problem every time on their website. After completion of the duration of 48 hours time limit, I am now informed this morning that the case is still pending and will only be addressed till the 9th. 

On complaining to them that I would address this case on social media, I suddenly receive a call from their backend team at last informing me that they are not able to reflect the paid amount in my Tata Sky account and so they will now reverse that money back to my bank account but it may take ten days or more. They could have informed the same earlier instead of misleading me and making me wait all this while. 

I requested Priyanka from the backend team to do this on a priority basis considering how long I have waited and so that I could go ahead with a fresh transaction. And I also requested that till the time the money is not reversed, they should not deactivate my services again and I should not be forced to pay again till then. Such a thing had happened once with Costa Coffee but they were efficient enough to reverse the money immediately to my bank account. Another alternative I have offered them is that if they want me to pay again before the previous amount is reversed to my account, they should send me a written confirmation stating that they would reverse that amount within the said duration of time. But Priyanka rudely declined to co-operate on the matter or offer another suitable alternative. Instead she just cut the conversation and  tried to terminate our conversation abruptly. 

All this while all the Tata Sky representatives ( about 6-7 names can be provided ) had confirmed that the online payment transaction was successful though it has not reflected on my bank account as yet which according to my Bank and Tata Sky may be due to the technical error of Tata Sky server as their system accepted my payment but was not able to reflect  the same in my Tata Sky Account. Whatever the reason, I seek clarity so that this case is resolved immediately so that I could go ahead and pay again to avoid more harassment from Tata Sky who are threatening to deactivate my services again. But Tata Sky representatives refuse to let me talk to their seniors even though they promised me many times that their seniors would call me regarding the case. I need answers and accurate confirmation of the status of my case and I am willing to co-operate but their backend team is making matters worse by their lack of efficiency and lack of professionalism. I demand a written confirmation that Rs.514 would be refunded and a written request to make a fresh payment.

I did not expect such bad attitude from Tata Sky representatives when Tata is known for it's good services. I intend to escalate the matter. Having worked with Tatas I expect better services than what their amateur employees are offering now.

Nathu's Sweets not fresh sweets anymore !

Over the years, the quality and the taste of the sweets sold at Nathu's have declined considerably . And their lack of professional customer service is contributing in the decline of their services in a big way.

Just day before yesterday, we bought a couple of sweets ( mithai ) from there in the evening and we were so disappointed with the taste and the packaging. The sweets did not seem to be fresh and the gulag jamuns ( kala jamuns ) were sour...On complaining about the same, we were met with a very careless approach. According to their representative it is natural for any sweets made of dairy products to get spoilt easily in summers but we had served those sweets the same evening to our guests.

Well at least this was not the answer we were looking for . We had left the sweets as soon as we tasted one or two of them. We had hoped that they would get those mithais tested. And they should not sell some sweets in summers if according to the person concerned these sweets get easily spoilt or they should use good quality ingredients. They could go in for seasonal sweets if they can't handle the making of some certain mithais in summers.

Customers must complain whenever they find that they are given stale sweets as then only will these famous shops take such matters seriously and be forced to address it effectively.

In summers they have to be all the more careful in not selling stale sweets and focus on their proper storage as well.  Hygiene of the containers and people handling these sweets should also be taken into account.Now Haldiram is better in that respect though there too the hygiene can be questioned and I would be elaborating on that later in another article solely on Haldiram Sweets which involved my complaining about the matter. Talking about this subject, this has become quite a problem at many restaurants and cafes recently where the staff behind the counters are not wearing gloves to handle the eatables and using their hands to either squash a ' aloo tikki' or passing eatables to the customers soon after doing something really unhygienic before the customer.

The idea of complaining about the above is not to get a fresh box of sweets for free but to inform them that Nathus should be more careful as their customers could fall ill because of stale sweets. We would particularly go for the 'ladoos' there but we may have to think twice now.

Department Manager can make all the difference in enhancing customer service

After long I experienced very good customer service at Shopper's Stop a few months back and it is all due to their Dept. Manager Mr. Kalrha. I would be writing about the details about his exceptionally good customer service in the coming days which created the most favourable impression on me a few months back and ever since then I have been meaning to write about it.

The growth of a pleasant interaction between the customer and the store depends a lot upon how the customer and the store are willing to co-operate with each other along the way where sometimes the customer understands the store and other times the store. Sometimes the  customer has to give in to understanding the store's limitations and policies...And sometimes the store has to have a flexible approach towards customers. Most importantly a Manager has to be able to differentiate between a genuine and a false complaint.

His action that I would be talking about in the coming days definitely demonstrated his sensitivity to the customers. I appreciate his recognising the fact that the complaint was genuine and taking the appropriate action accordingly in all fairness. Honestly does pay and gets rewarded ! What is important is to make honest complaints and sooner or later someone sees that and helps you out.

SITICable's " lack of connection " with customers

People please do not waste your time in posting your complaints on SITICable social media page  as they will never be effectively resolved as SITICable refuses to take any responsibility in taking any action against their employees or Local operators for the way they harass the customers through bad attitudes and bad customer service.

Many in our neighbourhood have been disappointed with their services and have turned to Tata Sky.
The person assigned to collect payments from our neighbourhood was very rude and insulting. He always resented our decision to pay by cheque instead of cash. We wanted to continue their services but he made sure our channels were blocked before deactivating the  services completely when we escalated the matter and insisted on demanding for a change of person for collection of cheques or a drop box. 

Over the months I had complained about it on their website and FB page. I got a call from from SITI Cable but according to their representative they cannot take any action against their operators or provide us with the contact details to get in touch directly. So then who is responsible and whom do we complain to ? Instead of being helpful and co-operative, the male representative  was defensive and aggressive. They ought to be selective about choosing their operators or at least have some control over them. Instead they are letting their operators create their own rules, terms & conditions as well as modes of payment. They should encourage their operators to have an interactive approach with consumers in handling of complaints or information regarding cable connection services. Their operators are the face of their company and so all the more they should keep them under strict vigilance. Online payments should be allowed as well in Noida as that will make it more convenient for the customers to make payments.

Better than posting complaints , share your bad experiences regarding their services on social media. Tata Sky services is much better and after the first connection, their Multi connection works out cheaper. It was my mistake to expect SITI Cable to intervene in my issue against the services provided by their operator and investigate the matter. Their attitude on the matter regarding harassment by their operator's payment collector and deactivation of our account without warning and despite our payment is very disappointing. They seem to be clearly siding with the Operator as they have given them full freedom to treat customers any way they want even at the stake of tarnishing the name of SITI Cable. The same can happen to you too. So do not choose SITI Cable. As it is their connection and signal is bad and one does not get good picture quality.

As a Consumers Rights Blogger, it is my duty to inform consumers about the deficiencies of SITI Cable.

Bon Bon Pastry Shop definitely losing it's touch & taste now

We have been Bon Bon's loyal customers and so all the more I was very disappointed to see the declining customer service, quality and attitude. Customers gave the right to receive a pleasant experience while buying something from a shop. Customers are entitled to good service. I noticed that they are not getting good reviews anymore because of their lack of interest in maintaining their original quality and service. We like the chicken patties, chocolate triangles and eclairs there but lately the lady behind the counter is just not keen on packing the patties in the boxes bearing their label. The other day I had bought about five patties and even then they were not given to me in a box.

 Many a times we buy stuff from there as gifts for others and not having the confectionery packed in their boxes and that too separate boxes can make others feel that we have shopped from a roadside vendor rather than a reputed shop like Bon Bon. I even told the lady concerned that their name sells and all the more I would prefer that everything irrespective of the quantity is given to me in their boxes instead of blank brown paper bags. After all presentation and packaging matter and that is why one goes to a shop like theirs.

As for the all time favourite eclairs, the cream does not seem to be that fresh anymore and the quality of breadsticks is deteriorating. Some time back we were told that we could not buy just a packet of breadsticks and instead we had to place a big order for them and which we did. But again the breadsticks were not packed properly and they did not seem to be fresh.

I hope they are able revive their old time hospitality and quality instead of taking it for granted that customers will keep returning to them because of their reasonably priced goodies. I have always liked Bon Bon because of their prices and quality in the past but because of the recent attitude of the lady there I may be inclined to change my opinion. As it is I find myself going more to other shops now.

Save Water- each drop counts !

Save Water and don't waste it ! Every thought in this direction counts and every drop counts. Every drop can save a life ! There is scarcity of water everywhere and we hear of droughts all the time all around the world in the news. Soon there will be wars over water ! We may not be able to do much in providing water for all but we can definitely do our bit by contributing in saving water and in turn saving lives. We can start from our homes. The shortage of water is a very serious issue and we need to save water all the more now than ever because everybody is entitled to have water !

Having access to water and that too clean water if possible is a human right. Not many are doing anything about it and what we don't realise  is that tomorrow we too may not have access to water at all. We could face drought as well. So many people have to walk such a distance just to get water and I was informed about this by many children from neighbouring villages when I visited Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Many children even requested me to give them empty bottles so that they could use them to store water. Such is the condition of people who are denied water not only in certain villages but certain cities too. Their thirst is reflected on their faces...

Everybody has a Right Not to be Thirsty ! Everybody had a Right to get water !  And we must keep that in mind and educate people not to waste water so that in the process we could share water with all.  As said earlier, It is our right not only to have water but get clean water !

Some days back we bought a RO Water Purifier and from Day one my mother was concerned about the amount of water that is wasted in the process of purifying the water for drinking purpose. An enormous quantity of water just drips from a pipe during the water purification process and it is so heartbreaking to see that when one considers how that amount of water could be so useful to so many who are denied water. Of course we worked out a way to end this kind of wastage of water . We store that quantity of  so-called wasted water that the Purifier leaves in big vessels and use it to clean utensils or mop floors. Actually that water could be used for so many other purposes instead of just throwing it away. In a world that is now facing water crisis this is the least we can do.

But my concern is that why the companies selling these Water Purifies are not doing anything at all in finding ways to save that water by using certain techniques to recycle the water wasted by the machine at the time of purification. Maybe they could design the RO Water Purifiers in such a way that the wasted water could be emptied or released simultaneously in another container with a tap to recycle it or something. Many responsible citizens have found ways to store that water wasted by the RO Water Purifiers in big containers to use it for cleaning utensils or washing clothes. One of my friends shared a post concerning the same on FB today and that  reminded me to share what I meant to write for long regarding how we are combatting the wastage of water by these Water Purifiers.

I feel that gigantic water purifying plants should be set up everywhere in the country to provide pure drinking water for people and at the same time recycle the large amount of water released during the process of purification of water for various other purposes. This way nobody would need to buy individual RO water purifiers which result in immense wastage of water in households. As it is , this will ensure in real saving of water as well as providing clean water for drinking purposes for everybody. The mistakes of some are depriving others of having water and that is not fair. And some who may have access to water are just not getting clean water . Some are just not getting water safe enough for drinking. Strict measures need to be implemented to tackle not only water shortages in every way possible but also provide clean water.

Each step towards saving water can contribute in dealing with the long-term possibilities of a water crisis in the not affected areas as well. Many countries have already found sophisticated ways of dealing with water shortages as well as water  problems by recycling wasted water and advising people to save water at their homes by doing the same.

As I always spread the word around that water is a necessity and we must not waste it at any cost or soon it will just become a luxury accorded to a few who can afford it. It is our right not only to get water but get clean water ! Save Water as well as collectively do something somehow to get pure drinking water for everyone ! All deserve water and that too clean water.