Jan 15, 2011 08:47 PM
25213 Views
(Updated Apr 26, 2011 06:01 AM)
On recommendation of a dealer, I bought a 1.2 ton TCL window air-conditioner 4 years back.
The compressor of the unit carried warranty of 5 years but it failed in 4th year of operation.
On my complaint to TCL, India service, they first refused to accept that the compressor was faulty and instead asked me to get the coolant gas refill.
I paid for the refill but the compressor failed to work. Once they acknowledged that the compressor was faulty, they experimented with locally made compressors one after another.
Each time, the pipes were cut, fresh gas filled and the joints were brazed.
When each of the compressors experimented by them failed.
They asked me to send the unit to their workshop promising that the unit will be thoroughly checked and a high quality company recommended compressor will be installed. All the while my family continued to suffer in extreme summer.
They kept the unit in their workshop for more than one month and after intense follow-ups, finally returned it. As the unit was re-installed, there was hardly any cooling.
The delivery-man requested me to accept the unit with my comments on the delivery challan which I duly made.
I again raised the issue with the service center but they rudely advised me to take the matter to court.
When I approached the higher authorities, I was told that a third party would inspect the machine and give its verdict.
An engineer from a third party (M/s Laxmi Sales & Service) was sent to inspect the machine. On inspection, he made the following startling revelations:
To be-fool me, the 1.2 ton compressor was replaced with a local 0.75 ton compressor by the service center
The pipeline joint was totally swathed in corroded material as repeated cutting and jointing spoiled the pipe.
When the service center was confronted for the cheating committed by them, they again offered to change the compressor with the original capacity compressor and set up new piping to make the unit immaculate.
They again took the unit to their workshop and stopped responding to my follow-ups.
They waited for extreme winter to set in. Now on 8th January, when the average temperature is hovering around 10 degC, they came back and installed the unit at my home. It is impossible to check the cooling efficacy of the unit.
Going by my experience on their disregard for the warranty terms and the way they tried to cheat me by passing on a lower capacity compressor, I am very much skeptical this time too.
To add insult to injury, this time, the unit has been delivered with virtually most of the electronic controls disabled. The unit has been fixated at the lowest fan speed level which cannot be changed.
Similarly, change of modes and swing has all been disabled. The whole unit is now wrecked due to the long history of repeated attempts to somehow close the matter through shabby and unscrupulous work. As promised, the piping has not been replaced.
This is a Chinese company with Chinese quality and absolutely no ethics or regard for customer’s rights.
For eight agonizing months they harassed me to the hilt to give up my claim in exasperation.
Update: April 2011
As expected, the AC has not worked this summer. It is now a piece of junk for me.
