Location/place: Delhi

Name of company/service: Neil Communication, Sec 10, Noida

Hello,

I have been a Nokia customer since 14 years. It had not given me any scope earlier to raise a complaint or vent my grievance. This speaks volumes about Nokia product and services. But today I am writing to you as a disgraceful and disenchanted customer.

I own a E6-00 phone with IMEI Number: 354875047351975 which has an extended warranty till October this year. I initially had a problem with the charging point and speaker phone a month ago. I got it rectified from Approved Nokia Care center, Neil Communication, Sec- 10, Noida. After the repair my phone started showing glitches. Apart from all the software hiccups, it had network signal and battery back up problems for which I was forced to resubmit my phone at Neil Communication. This time they said moisture has gone into your handset and your warranty is not valid anymore and you have to pay for the repair and parts. I was not convinced with the way they communicated it and they opened the handset inside the service room and showed some moisture which I was not able to see and no one can scientifically prove that. It was quite subjective. Then I escalated the matter to the Manager at Neil Communication. He tried to convince me that moisture can enter into the handset in all probability of our usage..for example, while touching it to your ears while talking, talking while it is raining, touching phone with water in our hands..etc. which no human being in this world can deny. I negotiated and bargained to get my antenna assembly replaced for 1400 rupees which earlier they had quoted as 1850 rupees. That is not all.

To add to my plight, when I received my phone on Saturday (27th July), I found that my phone keypad and the side volume buttons are not working. Today (29th July) when I again went to show the defect (Not to say petrol prices are not free in India and time is invaluable for all of us), I was made to wait for 15-20 minutes. Then I was handed over another job sheet and to my utter surprise, I was told that my estimates will be communicated to me on phone. I went there with anger and despair in my mind to get it rectified then and there, as it seemed a problem of faulty assembly, as the buttons were not working and to mind you, any layman can say these are external parts in the handset.

When I conveyed this, I was told it is a repeat problem of moisture and liquid in the handset (later I could find out this is a common fault the center finds with the handsets..I will talk about this issue in detail later citing couple of other customer’s grievances who stay as my neighbors) and will not be covered under extended warranty and I will have to pay for the parts. I was initially told that I will have to wait for 2-3 days for the parts. I am not sure if Nokia has instructed them as a strategy to sell Nokia handsets to stay connected for the interim period of handset repair. Really it stinks me of the plan to cross sell or upsell some handsets/accessories. I left the center with much displeasure and disgrace and I am waiting for their estimation call. With a feeling of distrust and betray, I could not help writing to Nokia to appraise the appalling condition of this franchisee center who take the customer for a ride and charge a fortune. May be some well-of customers do not care and pay the money, but I can not waste my money by paying to Neil Communications. Everyone knows we buy Nokia phones at a premium for its quality, service and brand, which is fair enough and acceptable to customers.

This is an earnest request to take some concrete steps on your side. Otherwise, I will pledge not to buy a Nokia phone in future. As an individual customer I may not be of much value to you (if I purchase or not purchase), but my social network footprint, word of mouth will definitely earn bad repute to Nokia, as a brand.

This is quite disheartening as a customer to ferry Nokia care centers every now and then leaving our professional and personal commitments. May I request you to look into this and take some steps in exigency so that Nokia customers are not taken for a ride and to ensure that Nokia customers do not distance themselves from the brand in future.

To my utter discomfiture, I found the whole system at Neil Communications faulty and it evokes a reek of distrust and unpleasant customer experience. To cite some processes: There is no token system or queue, the service engineer sits inside and finds faults without giving proper explanation, quotes prices as per his whims and fancies, not to talk about the front office executives who are the mouth peices of the service engineer without skill and adequate knowledge as they can not diagnose the problem themselves. Here, I would like to give an example of a Nokia care center in Bhubaneswar, where the front office executives are semi technical in skills and they open the handset in front of the customers, diagnose the problem (unless the problem is so critical to be escalated to the next level), explain the customer to their satisfaction and more often than not, provide the quote referring to some Nokia manual. I have had opportunity to deal with that Nokia care center and I did not find any discrepancy in process or anything that is distrustful. Just an example of another Nokia care center.

Now coming to the grievances of my neighbors with the same Nokia center, they were also told about the moisture or liquid problem in the handsets. I am copying Mr Deepanker Gupta, one of the customers who faced the same plight with Neil Communication.

Hope this long time loyal customer will get a quick reply/assurance/action on the same.

Regards, Swagat Sahoo