(confidential account and person info details are not provided here)
Hi Mr. Elango,
This is with regards to my long overdue complaint with Docomo.
I have already emailed all your teams upto your appellate, spoken over phone and also messaged at Docomo's facebook page, so with lot of skepticism I am sharing my complaint again with you as you seem to be possibly the highest level within docomo to address my concern. I already tried your President's assurance link on the Docomo website, does not work for me as it cannot accept my message without showing an error -'oops, page cannot be found' - when I submit! So I hope you read this Facebook message and provide a favorable action to my complaint as you mention on your company website that you welcome feedback and will provide your prompt attention.
My issue is - Isn't it an unethical business practice to refuse refunding an user who has given back to the company an UNUSED, UNACTIVATED datacard because of gross incompetency by the company.
I've worked in customer care industry for nearly 10 years and the basic customer etiquette if a company genuinely cares about its customers is to refund if the user has not used a device purchased because of technical errors or incompetency from the company's end - especially if the company has verified that the user has indeed not used the device. This is very basic. So just imagine, your so called appellate('the highest complaints escalation team') refuses to refund for the datacard I purchased for 1200 although they failed to keep me informed by sms, email or phone for two months from date of purchase as to why this device was never activated. During the 3rd month, when I visited Docomo showroom in Koramangala, Bangalore after umpteen emails & calls to find out what's happening did I know that the device was never activated because my verification failed. Funny side here is your own 'verification team' called me twice during those 2 months to let me know that all verification is complete and I only need to call customer service to activate it. So finally realising my mistake of using such a service, I asked for my money back and to take back your device. No! No refund. So what should I do with the useless device? Your staff's answer: submit your documents again and go for another offer.
They refused to admit the blunder that happened between their own teams and the fact that I was kept in dark for TWO MONTHS as to why my device didn't work. So why would any user show faith in trusting again and applying once more? Why should I be compelled to keep an unused, unactivated device and apply again? To me, this means that your own 'highest complaints authority' has no education on customer service, not to mention again that this is unethical business practice. Forget customer service, your appellate acted worse than any average trainee when they called me to ask why I'm asking for refund when I already sent 22 emails about it to them! Check out appellant's answer by phone. My Q: What do I do now with this device? Their ans: This is not my concern. Q. I have no option but to go to the court. Their ans: You can do what you want. I think a peon in any company would have behaved more politely.
Realising going to court will be a even costlier affair, I did the next best thing. I gift wrapped the data card and personally handed it over to your branch manager in Silicon Terrace office, Koramangala, Bangalore on Jan 9, 2014 with a letter asking them to refund me. As expected, I never received any reply. My complaint is now more than a year old. So I'm assuming your staff has changed or fired since then and maybe there's still some hope for me to get my money back. I am expecting a credit to my bank acc no. or a cheque to my current address of communication.
My complete account details are:
Photon account number 917863303
Photon connection number 9243200509
Datacard MEID: A0000036F30068
CAF No. 8610300578716
Complaint docket numbers: 34652365, 352179273 and 357581411(the latest complaint number)
I have provided below my last mail to your appellate. All my earlier emails are attached here and the pic you see is the datacard I gave back!
Thank you for your patience.
Manoj
97xxxxxxxx
manojxxxxx@xxxxx.com
From: Manoj
Date: Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 8:23 PM
Subject: Re: Kindly help with my complaint (docket number 357581411~M13378717)~M13989927
To: appellate kk
Cc: social, listen@tatadocomo.com, customercare.karnataka@tatatel.co.in
Hey Varun,
Why are you, first of all, responding to my email dated June 07, 2013? When you called me up yesterday, I asked you if you are calling me with reg to my email sent on Jun 10, with subject line 'Serious complaint about service at Tata Docomo'(which I have attached here named as 'Mail to Srinath')? You said yes, then why are you replying to this older email of mine? That's the first joke I noticed.
Second joke. You had the audacity to ask me the moment I picked up the phone as to why I am asking for the device refund! I have sent 21 emails to Docomo, in which most of the emails are marked to the appellate stating why I need refund and you actually asked me why I need device refund? Are you playing around with me? Is that why they employ you there? To make fun of customers who find no where else to go and finally approach your so called "appellate" to get help?
The third joke. When I asked what Docomo will do with my money (as they are refusing to give it back), you said that is 'not my concern'. Of course, it is my concern, not yours. But do you actually speak like that to customers over the phone?! It only means one thing. Either the company failed to impart the basic customer etiquette to it's own so called highest complaints redressal team or you failed your company with your attitude.
Fourth joke. When I said I'm almost on the verge of reaching consumer court due to this issue, you said, 'you can go wherever you want'. Your professionalism is truly out of the ordinary.
And what did you do finally? You just end up copying and pasting from earlier emails(sent by your colleague Raj who also failed in acknowledging my queries or concerns and simply gives a standard response all the time). Why should you be employed and paid for that? You can even tell a peon in your company to sit in your chair and copy/paste from earlier emails.
You guys have utterly failed in your jobs, simply speaking. Sending 22 emails, explaining the same issue in different ways so that you guys will get the point of what I'm trying to say, and you still don't get it. is my English really hard for you to understand? I think my 12-year old cousin can also understand what I type.
I have already paid Akosha (an online consumer protection firm) to help me file a case in the court. But before that I am also checking with TRAI and also the TATA headquarters at Bombay house to whom I'll send this correspondence and the attachments with this email.
If I know you guys in the "appellate" very well, you will again end up replying to one of my much older emails, instead of this one and also give your standard response with the ending "As a service provider, we firmly believe that the key to customer satisfaction is adding value to a relationship that is continual and long-lasting."
Should I laugh or cry, I have no idea.
- Update as on Jun 26, 2014
Finally, I got my refund! After shooting off the complaint to the president of the company Mr. Elango, and then again sending few reminders every 2-3 weeks, the money I paid for the device was credited to my bank account. Thank you Docomo for finally waking up! Sending the letter to the president seemed to have turned things around. Anyway, I hope their services only get better henceforth. Touchwood.
