Annoying episode with Mr Gangaram. Review on Gangaram's - Bangalore

My wife and I were recently in Bangalore visiting friends and went into town to buy a few presents to take back to Holland as it was approaching ther end of our trip. We went into Gangaram's and made a nice little pile of stationery, plus a few books and were preparing to pay, when Mr Gangaram approached us to ask if we would like to use their "postal service". He told us the cost would be about 1000 bucks for 5kg's. So we stacked up more until we got to 5kg's of presents with a value of about 2000 bucks. He said we could come back an hour later and he'd have had the lot packed by his store and officially weighed by the post office man. When we came back an a few hours later we were shocked to hear that the postal bill would be 2500 bucks !! We told him we found that too much and that we'd rather carry the stuff ourselves.

I mean, who would spend more in postage that the value of the presents themselves? He informed us that it was too late, the books had already been sent, and then very arrogantly, and very unprofessionally in front of other customers went on to make out that we were in the wrong and that we hadn't listened, adding that " rs2500 is nothing for you people!"  What an arrogance! I do not assume that every Indian I meet is dirt-poor but this man appears to think every phirengi he meets is filthy-rich!

We then spent the afternoon trying to recover the books from the post office, but it was too late, they were already gone, irretrievably. I asked Gangaram what he would have done if we hadn't come back to the shop - it would have meant that he would have had to pay the postage out of his own pocket - he trumpeted that he normally can trust his customers. Of course we paid the postage if only to keep the honor on our side - there was no suggestion of a compromise or the slightest indication that some blame may have lain at the great man's door for his appalling explanation of his so-called postal service.

Now we are home and the stuff has arrived. It was so badly packed by Gangaram's that the fancy letterheads I had bought for a writer friend are crushed at the edge and an insult to give.

I'll never go to this store again even though it's convenient and fairly well stocked. The thought of putting any more more cash into the arrogant and dishonest owner's pocket does not appeal.