| Address: Mumbai City, Maharashtra |
I had written to Philips India via email almost two & a half months ago. I am forwarding my communication with them hereunder which explains the entire experience that I have had.
I received an acknowledgement from the company via email the very same day with a request for more details which I provided. A few days later, they emailed me claiming that they tried to call me but my phone was not reachable and asked for the contact number again. I reconfirmed the number and subsequently emailed and called many times in an attempt to get a response or see some action but to no avail.
The last communication from them has been two months ago. Hence, I am left with no alternative but to write to you with the primary purpose of highlighting the callous manner in which a reputed company like Philips treats its customers so that other consumers are aware and do not have to go through the ordeal that I have gone through. In my original letter to them, I had said that I would be drawing this to the attention of consumer forums but withheld such action in the hope that the matter would be resolved promptly which, I am sorry to say, has not happened. I do not expect the company to resolve the matter but if other consumers can learn from my experience, some purpose would be served.
Original email sent to Philps (sent on November 19, 2014)
Dear Sirs
Philips has been a preferred brand of my family from as far back as I can remember. In fact, my father has been a dedicated user of Philips electric shavers, even before it was officially sold in India and he continues to use it today. We have also extensively used your music systems and televisions. Hence, it is with great regret that I write to you.
Having been a Philips electric shaver user for decades, my father decided to gift me a Philips hair clipper HC3420 which he purchased from your counter at Asiatic Store, Churchgate on August 28, 2014. I have been using a hair clipper almost every week for over 15 years (Braun Remington and Wahl, amongst others), though never a Philips product. He thought that I would have as favourable an experience with the brand as he has had with his electric shavers.
I was excited to receive my gift and liked the general product styling, though I was apprehensive about its durability, especially the comb which was made of what I think was some sort of plexi-glass - unlike any of the other clippers that I have owned which had combs of a hard plastic. However, as my father had a good experience with product longevity, I thought that it would last as long as most of the other brands I had used.
To my dismay, my apprehension unfortunately proved to be correct when the previous weekend, whilst cutting my hair, I heard a vibrating sound and one of the prongs of the plexi-glass comb flew off. As I attempted to complete the very little cutting that was left, another followed. I had begun using the clipper in the middle of September and after using it for around half a dozen times, it had given way on me. I have usually used a single setting every week (normally 3mm) since the time I began using clippers and continued to do so with my new clipper. That it had been presented to me by my father only compounded my disappointment.
I visited your counter at the Asiatic Store from where my father had bought the product and intimated them about the problem. I requested the person to organise a replacement comb for which I would pay as I did not expect the warranty to cover such a part which he confirmed. The person was very attentive and assured me that he would contact your service centre to do the needful and it would probably take around a week for the comb. He requested me to contact him the next day which I did. He said that the service centre had not been able to confirm, took my number and promised to call me with the information. He did as he had committed but what he had to say shattered the reputation of your brand in my eyes.
He informed me that your service centre had indicated that I could not get another comb, even if I paid for it, as it was only sold with the product. What this meant is that, for all practical purposes, my clipper was not usable any more as it cannot cut to my desired length without the comb. Either I have to buy a new clipper to get the comb, which seems coercive, or junk the one I that I have. As far as I know, no brand of stature has ever presented a customer with such a stark choice; only fly-by-night operators. This is despite me willing to pay for the comb and not asking for a replacement. For a reputed international brand like Philips to leave a customer in the lurch was a shock to me, more so because the material chosen for the part which is most heavily used was not appropriate, given my long experience with clippers.
I am utterly dismayed by my experience as I use my clipper every week and have to hunt for an alternative because of the callous attitude of your company. Needless to say, it will certainly not be Philips, not only for this product but for any product in future. My father is deeply disappointed that your company cannot guarantee consistency of quality across products. I am writing to share this experience with you so that hopefully you do not make other customers go through the same thing and also change the material of the comb.
I am forwarding this mail to as many consumer bodies as I can so that they can share it with as many consumers as they can to alert them about the quality of this product and ensure that they know how customer unfriendly your company is. I will also be sending letters to the media towards the same end as well as highlighting it on social media.
It would be nice to hear from you, though I am skeptical to get a response, given the attitude your company has towards it customers - sell and then, the heck with them!
Response from Philips (received on November 19, 2014)
Dear mr. / mrs. de Sa,
We have received your inquiry and will answer your question within 4 business days.
With kind regards,
Philips consumer care
Response from Philips (received on November 20, 2014)
Dear Mr. De Sa,
Thank you for writing to Philips.
This is with reference to your e-mail dated 19th of November 2014, regarding Philips Hair Clipper.
We apologies for the inconvenience caused to you by our product. We would request you to provide the following details to register the product:
1. Contact Number:
2. Alternate Contact Number:
3. Complete Postal Address:
4. Pin Code/Area Postal Code:
Thank you for your response.
The contact number is [protected].
The address is 1, Windsor House, 138, M. K. Road, Opposite The Oval, Churchgate, Mumbai 400 020.
I look forward to your response to my mail.
Thanks again.
For further information kindly contact our customer care numbers mentioned below:
[protected] and[protected] numbers from Monday to Saturday between 9am to 9 pm and on Sunday between 9am to 6pm.
Our primary objective is to address your concerns at the earliest and to ensure satisfaction.
Yours Sincerely,
Philips Consumer Care
My response to Philips sent on November 21, 2014)
Thank you for your response.
The contact number is [protected].
The address is 1, Windsor House, 138, M. K. Road, Opposite The Oval, Churchgate, Mumbai 400 020.
I look forward to your response to my mail.
Thanks again.
Response from Philips (received on November 24, 2014)
Dear Mr. De Sa,
Thank you for writing to Philips.
This is with reference to your e-mail dated 21st of November 2014, regarding Philips Hair Clipper.
We apologies for the inconvenience caused to you by our product. We tried to contact you but the number [protected] was not reachable.
We would request you to share your alternate contact number with us, so that we may call you regarding your concern.
For further information kindly contact our customer care numbers mentioned below:
[protected] and[protected] numbers from Monday to Saturday between 9am to 9 pm and on Sunday between 9am to 6pm.
We look forward for your continued patronage of our services and the pleasure of serving you again.
Yours Sincerely,
Philips Consumer Care
My response to Philips (sent on November 24, 2014)
Thank you for your response.
[protected] is my only number and it is rarely off. Perhaps I must have been in a bad signal zone.
Is there any number on which I can call? And is there any complaint/case reference number that I can cite so that the person knows in what regard I am calling?
My mail to Philips (sent on December 4, 2014)
Dear Sirs
It has been 10 days since I last heard from you, despite responding to all your mails.
Whilst you have regretted the inconvenience caused to me in your mail hereunder and indicated that "Our primary objective is to address your concerns at the earliest", I have not heard any suggestion in this regard.
You had also requested me to contact your customer care centre because they could not reach me when they tried but have not given me a reference number to cite, even though I have requested you to provide one. Surely you do not expect me to explain the whole case to them all over again. And does attempting to reach someone just once reflect any desire to resolve a problem. So much for the primary objective of “addressing concerns". It is mere lip service that many brands display these days, though not what one expects of a reputed like yours.
I look forward to some suggestion on how this matter can be resolved or to a complaint number/reference number that I can cite when I call your customer care centre. Needless to say, I will have to revert to other avenues to elicit a response as well as to ensure that other customers of your company are not handled in this manner.
Philips India customer support has been notified about the posted complaint.
