I have taken up the membership of Club Mahindra a month back. What I am writing about is NOT about Club Mahindra services as I am yet to experience it, but my experience BUYING it.
I had received a call inviting me for a presentation where, I was to be explained the features. For this irrespective of whether I take up the membership OR not a few free gifts were promised. Of course, the pre-clause in this being that after the presentation, immediately we were to confirm, if we are interested in the membership or no.
The gift were as follows:
1) A 2N/3D holiday at Club Mahindra
2) 3 couple movie vouchers
3) Some discount vouchers.
The location was Club Mahindra, Raghuleela Mall, Kandivli West , Mumbai and the people from their were Sachin and Vidhata .
I went took the presentation and liked what I heard. So I subscribed to the membership. Of course, since it was getting late at night, when it was suggested that the free gift will be delivered later, we left the center.
After three weeks, I had still not received any intimation about the free gift. Ofcourse, a welcome mail was received from Club Mahindra and also a physical letter confirming my membership number. So I called up both Sachin and Vidhata at the center for whose presentation I had visited. First there was an utter confusion displayed regarding the free gifts to be delivered to me and later reluctance to pick/respond up my call even. Random messages were exchanged. But as somebody known to me said, this is a common practice of all marketing executives of Holiday package marketeers and I need to keep following up, I used to do it.
First I don't know if it was confusion OR a deliberate act, both the people did not even realize they had not mailed me the said gift kit. After a couple of days of ignoring my calls and giving vague answers to my messages and over phone, they asked me to confirm when I was taking the holiday. I reverted back with my choice of destination and dates. I was then informed that my choice of location is not available for the free gift holiday voucher. But they said they will send out a note to their head office and get approval from there as it is a regular practice. Ofcourse they never gave back a confirmation as to by when they will revert back to me about the status. Despite my repeatedly asking for a approximate date, it was never given to me. I had in the meanwhile confirmed that the free gift holiday package was a blue/white studio and Mahabaleshwar was not a location in the available list of destinations.
Next the remaining gift items were couriered and it reached me after like 4 weeks of my attending the presentation ! On my trying to register the vouchers received, I got the message that the voucher is INVALID . Still appreciating it might be a blunder at their end, I got back to them and again they either avoided taking the calls OR sent out vague messages not confirming anything.
Finally getting irritated and tired of chasing them, I sent across a message to Sachin whereby I stated I will never again reach out for the gift and that I felt insulted in all my interaction with them. The main drive for this ofcourse being that never in all this time wherein I am reaching out to them for this SUPPOSED TO BE FREE GIFT, they use the word SORRY for the lapse on their part!! All kinds of statements were made and reasons given but they tried to make it as if they are doing me a FAVOUR!! A further show of the high-handedness being despite having received the message I sent, he bothered to call back.
In this day and age where salesman in an electronic showroom guides and ensures you get a good deal on your buying an item costing a couple of thousands, this people followed the old mantra of sell and then forget to deliver the service !!
I am yet to start my journey with CLUB Mahindra but am only hoping and praying all their services are not AS BAD AS the two people I first interacted with. If this is how they treat people, will not have the courage to recommend it even though at the time of presentation I purchased the package.
Round 2
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I stay at Mumbai and since the resort at Mahabaleshwar was the talking point during our presentation, I got the thought why not use the free Holiday Voucher which was mailed to be after about 28 days. While trying to register and redeem I observed that Mahabaleshwar is NOT a location on the permitted list. Ofcourse the two points to be kept in mind are (a) They have started the resort at Mahabaleshwar only about 2 weeks back (b) this free holiday voucher is for people who attend the presenation irrespective of whether they buy the package. So since Mahabaleshwar is pretty close to Mumbai and logistically more proper for a 2N/3D kind of vacation, I wrote to them regarding this and requested for an exception. They wrote back stating it is not a permitted location for the free voucher, despite my clearly mentioning that since I did not find, I am asking for an exception :)
Next I called up their help desk and explained the situation that:
1) I need a booking only in OCTOBER and am flexible about the dates
2) It does not make sense in my travelling to most of the permitted location as I can do that rather leisurely using my package rather than take a hurried vacation using the 2N/3D at a time suitable to me
3) Mahabaleshwar being close to Mumbai is more suitable for this kind of a trip
4) There really is no point in spending the holidays from an expensive package for travelling to Mahabaleshwar from Mumbai.
After all this talk, I only got the response that, MAHABALESHWAR is not allowed on the free voucher. GOD DAMN IT, for me it is no longer free !!! I have agreed to pay 3 lacs and taken a membership with you already.
The way things are progressing, am really wondering, was my decision wise !
With so many restrictions, will HOLIDAY be ever a HOLIDAY? MIND is confused.
But, I promise, I will go to Mahabaleshwar, despite being a CLUB Mahindra Member, will stay at a neighbouring RESORT and blog about my experience there, over here.
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8th July 2012
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Yesterday on the 7th of July I received a response on Mouthshut from a Ronnie Ninan, who has expressed that he is glad that I am planning a holiday with CLUB MAHINDRA and they will be happy to help me with it and I need to get in touch with them :) Guys, I doubt if he has even read what I am writing about OR was it a standard response, to mark the issue closed on Mouthshut and give a picture of all is hunky dory to the world and stamp the "RESPONSE RECEIVED" tag against my review :))
Mr.Ronnie, If you carefully read my blog above it is clear that I have already got in touch with you and the response always is as tepid and unrelated to the issue at hand, as yours. Standard liner from your rule books, with scant regards to the reason/logic given. This is not to say, I am taking the "My Way OR The High Way" approach, because, there has never been any logical response OR answer to any of my calls or mails. For your information after blogging the above details too on July 4th I had sent two mails to your "FEEDBACK" id but till yesterday have not received any response. So I had sent a reminder about it again and parallely called up your call center and requested if my membership can be cancelled and my money refunded. Then you responded asking me to get in touch with you at Mouthshut :)
