Location/place: Bangalore
Name of company/service: HomeTown Bangalore
Placed order on first week of April with 50 % payment for modular kitchen of worth 2.6 Lac against order number: 2004088707 to Hometown, JP Nagar with the delivery promise of 30-35 days. Received goods arrival intimation on 22nd May. Made 100% advance payment before delivery. Got delivery on 25th May(50 days) against the 30-35 days promise. Materials delivered late by 3 weeks
Issue post first hand-over
1) No Magic corner of Rs.20,000 as ordered
2) D Carosul – Delivered cheap quality PVC material instead of steel
3) No Cylinder Trolley
4) No Skirting
5) No Soft hinges for cutlery unit, cup saucer unit, spice pull out rack, thali units
6) ’Pull out’ not delivered as per order
7) No Rolling Shutter unit
8) No loft material and cabinet
9) Wall mount cabinets covers- wrongly designed in 2
10) No Towel Pull Out unit of Rs.12,388
Project Completed- after 10-15 painful follow-ups on 7th July ‘2013 with the cancellation of Magic Corner, Towel Pull out, Detergent Pull outs and refund promise of Rs.33, 000.
Found another item missing later in the project: Towel Pull out of Rs.12,388
Issues still unresolved
1. No Soft closing for cutlery unit, cup saucer unit, spice pull out rack, thali units after multiple follow ups- Company does not have these materials or do not have vendors who supply this although these are readily available in any kitchen fitting traders or any other modular kitchen suppliers.
Solution: We got the channels replaced with soft closing at our own cost of Rs.3,400. Bill still unpaid
2. Refund not received. Company is pushing to buy other goods with credit note after promising refund and we ordering the balance materials to other vendor.
Total Amount to be refunded:
Rs.20,000 towards Magic Corner,
Rs. 12,388 towards Towel Pull Out,
Rs. 13,000 towards Detergent Pull out and
Rs.3,400 towards replacement of normal hinges with soft closing.
Total Rs. 48,788
Experience
1. Poor unknown brand ‘spacewood’ fittings: I am getting rust on some fittings in 30 days post installation
2. Delay in delivery and installation- project completion
3. Uncompleted project
4. Too much of follow-ups and loss of peace of mind for 2 months
5. Average overall buying experience
6. Big communication gap between sales people-taking order and factory people who are manufacturing materials
7. Some of the materials like Magic corner, rolling shutter, D carasoul etc were ordered only after the first hand-over with lead time as high as 5-6 weeks !
My take from this experience
1. Very smooth and polite talker. Do not fall on this trap.
2. Never hand-over 100% of your money to them before placing order. It never works. Once you have done, it’s actually you who have to follow up to get work done and not they. They are as good as any unbranded vendor when it comes to handling your money. The risk of not getting refund is always there.
3. Big Brand does not mean best materials, best service always. Internally they may work as unorganized as any vendor. Lack of communication between groups is key which is not available always with Big Brands.
4. Don’t trust 100% for everything. Insist for good quality fittings like hettitch, else they can give you poor quality fittings without your knowledge.
5. Write down everything in minute details you have need & agreed and get them signed before handing project. Don’t believe on their words and their agreement only. It may go unfulfilled leaving with you a bad taste.
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