[Resolved]  Nokia Care Centre, Dadar East — Terrible service and misinformation

Address:

Maharashtra

My name is Mrs. M Kamath. On the 3rd of last month, I purchased a new Nokia C-6 , but in just about a month’s time the display screen went blank and the touchscreen failed to function. Soon, in about a few minutes, the phone refused to start at all.
I approached a Nokia Care Centre (R S Telecom, Shop No 104, below Hindmata Cinema, Dr B Ambedkar Rd, Dadar (E[protected]. Firstly, the place was over crowded, lacked ventilation and, even though there were ACs in the room, they were switched off and customers were left waiting at the mercy of a little wall fan hanging in the corner.

One of the customer service executives, I was attended to by a man named Sandeep. He told me he’d have to check my phone, and whether I’d have to pay or not would depend on the cause of the problem. That done, he proceeded to dismantle my phone, took it upstairs to check with his technicians, and returned to tell me that my phone was absolutely alright, it was just a problem with the settings. Since that was a company problem, the phone would have to be sent to Delhi, re-programmed, and sent back. And, he assured me that since it was a problem with the handset, I was covered by the warranty. I was asked to call and check with them in a few days. Then he told me that they were supposed to provide me with a standby handset for use until the problem is solved, but didn’t have any pieces at hand. The customer care however stated that no Care Centre was authorised t5o provide customers with standbys. How confused are you?

Today, it’s been a week since the phone was given to the Care Centre. When I called the number provided by the executive, and after being kept on hold for 5 minutes, he informed me that my phone was ready and I could collect it. However, when I did get to the Centre, they gave me the phone and said to check if all was okay before I collected it. Apparently, they didn’t seem to have done anything with the phone since the problem was as it was when given for repairs. When I asked why I was called to collect my phone if it wasn’t fixed, the executive began to look at the other executives and shouted out for ‘Who said the phone was ready when it wasn’t?’
Then, Sandeep tells me he’ll have to open it again, and this time, after much fumbling and help from his colleagues, when he did open the phone he points to a smaller than pin-head size green spot in the far corner of the phone and then, in a tone of sudden enlightenment, says, “Arre, there was water inside.”

I told him that he didn’t tell me that the last time he checked my phone. He replied that he hadn’t actually checked my phone then. Now, that was unprofessional on his part, so I asked him, since I was last assured that my phone was not a problem, how was I to prove that it wasn’t them who put the water in the phone in the duration that it was lying in their office (I doubt it ever went to Delhi). He then calls another absolutely rude executive who states that he himself noticed the water the day after I gave the phone to them. Well then, why wasn’t I informed about it before being misinformed that the phone had been repaired or when the problem was discovered? And if that wasn’t enough, every customer who came there while I was seated at the desk, was being informed that there was water in their phones. Have all Nokia phones suddenly, miraculously started drinking water all at the same time?

So, now, one chap says the phone was checked and there was no internal damage in the handset, the other says it wasn’t, a third man says he just noticed there was water in the phone, while a fourth man states that he saw it days ago. And no one knows who answered the phone and told me the phone was fixed.

To top it all, none of the executives seemed to know what to do with a phone once it has been dismantled. They kept trying to debate over which part went in where. Now if the phone has a problem who is to blame?

This particular Nokia Care Centre is terrible, the executives are incompetent, the supervisor is NEVER in the office, customers are misinformed. On the whole, Nokia after sales service is pathetic. If one does call the helpline, all we get is some trained dummy who keeps saying, “I understand, ma’am, but….” “Yes, ma’am, I know…”. This rubbish doesn’t help. I have called plenty of times and every time I’ve had to speak to some idiotic parrot who kept putting me on hold. It’s shocking that a company with as big a name as Nokia provides such terrible service at the hands of even worse executives. Absolutely third grade!