Sep 28, 2006 10:13 PM
3510 Views
Hey guys,
Just wanted to share a bitter experience that I went through last night. Its about how these people fool us through their cheap and paltry publicity gimmicks. Who hasn't seen the "delivered in 30 minutes or free" guarantee proudly displayed by these so called "pizza delivery experts" ? I was in for a shock when I realised that this is a farce.
Last night , I Ianded up an order with dominos, khar (mumbai). I usually order my pizzas from this outlet since its quite close to my house. If you've ever tried it, you'd know what an exhaustive list of details you need to give, the first time you call them (your address with landmarks, etc etc.). But its worth it as you only need to mention your phone no. for every other time you call them. But my name was not on their system as they had recently updated their database. So I had to go through it all over again. Well, I did give them a couple of landmarks with my address, assured that my dinner would reach me within half an hour. But I was wrong. Forty minutes after placing the order, I was experiencing mixed feelings of the typical 'pet mein chuhein' on one side but the joy of getting my free dinner on the other. But, someone has rightly said, that in this world, no lunch (in my case, dinner!) is free.
Finally, the delivery boy called up 10 minutes later saying that he could not get the address. I explained to him in detail, giving directions to my house. When the pizzas finally arrivred, I did not hesistate to claim them for free. But the delivery boy pleaded that the address given to him was incomplete. And indeed, he showed me the bill which had only the building name and flat no. He told me i'd have to call the outlet back to avail of the discount. I did so and asked the guy about the exact details I had gi ven him. But he failed to reproduce the landmarks which he had specificlly asked for. I could not understand why they wasted so much time in collecting such details when they don't use 'em. But when I said that I was in no way going to pay the bill, he asked me to check the fine print on their menu. (This is the best part) The terms and conditions said "MAXIMUM DOMINOS LIABILITY- RS. 300." So, I had to pay the balance (Rs. 230). I felt helpless and cheated but could not do anything as the official terms and conditions lay before me. (in a rather camouflaged manner).
What I fail to understand is why can't these people just divide the small area that comes under one particular outlet into convenient zones (like pizza hut mc donalds) which will make things easier for both parties. May be they should take a cue from small dhaba style restaurants (pal's and mini punjab) which deliver easily at just the mention of your building name. One reason for their failure could be because the delivery boys (college students who are on the look-out for a quick buck) keep changing every few days making it difficult for them to get familiar with the area.
But I still feel cheated. I think the condition should be clearly mentioned in each and every advertisement of dominos. Till then all we can do is see them happily fooling the aam janta!
