[Resolved]  Kent RO — Kent Pearl - Product and Service issues

Address:

Bangalore, Karnataka

We purchased Kent Pearl water-purifier from [Arvinda Steel Centre, No 1298/2 9th Block, 25th Main, JayaNagar [[protected], Bangalore] on 20-May-2014. Less than one year later, around 15-May-2015, the unit stopped working (the red-light just switches on and immediately goes off). We contacted the designated installer and service provider [Sreenivasa Aqua Service, 178/10, 4th Cross, Venkatapura Main Road, Koramangala, Bangalore-560034] but the serviceman was not sent immediately. After multiple follow-ups, we finally got the serviceman to come and look at the problem on 06-Jun-2015. This serviceman (Sunil - [protected]) did not even enter our kitchen before declaring that our water purifier was more than 2 years old and we need to replace 2 or 3 filters. He must be a good baba/soothsayer/fortune-teller. Anyway, I told him to have a look at the date on the receipt and his own service center's installation date which was 20-May-2014. Then he relented and started opening up the unit and promptly declared that the micro-controller (in his words "PCB") is dead. And then he quickly replaced it with a different micro-controller unit before we could react. Then he tweaked the TDS controller to show higher TDS (~150) level in output water and "advised" us to replace the sediment filter. We were not sure about it therefore we said we will take a second opinion. He then left disappointed but not before billing us Rs.1235 (935 for the spare and 300 for service). The very next day, 7-Jun-2015, our Kent Pearl stopped working again. This time, the red-light switched on but the green-light did not switch on and obviously no filtered water was output. We contacted Sreenivasa Aqua again. They again delayed despite multiple follow-ups and finally we received another serviceman (Harish - [protected]) on 17-Jun-2015 who, again, opened up the unit and declared the micro-controller dead. We were understandably disappointed since it was replaced on 6-Jun-2015. He, then, proceeded to replace it but, since we showed the 6-Jun receipt, he did not charge any money for the spare. But he did change the pre-filter and billed us Rs. 350 (just took the money and did not give receipt giving some excuse). Incidentally, this man said that the TDS level is good enough (at ~30) thereby contradicting his own colleague's (Sunil's) prophecy. Within an hour of his leaving our house, our Kent Pearl stopped working. Same problem as before. Red-light on but no filtered water output. We are getting increasingly frustrated but trying to contact Sreenivasa Aqua. All we get in return are rude responses and apathy. They absolutely do not want to own their service mistake and say that our electricity supply is fluctuating and damaging the micro-controller. Nevermind the n-number of electrical appliances in our house which run perfectly well, most of which without a stabilizer. What a ruse! At this juncture, we are extremely annoyed both with Kent Pearl water-purifier and Sreenivasa Aqua service agency. We also have a couple of our neighbours who are facing similar problems with their Kent purifiers all being serviced by the same agency. We will, of course, discourage every prospective water-purifier buyer in our social networks from going the Kent-way. We will also post this message in all possible forums to spread awareness about the hassles of living with a Kent water purifier. We have decided to move to consumer court as a last resort but before that, I volunteered to contact Kent Customer Service once. Hence, I am writing this to you, believing you stand by the products you sell, with the hope that you will intervene, take some kind of action and provide a solution to this nuisance.