Complaint Details

Status	:	Closed
Complaint No	:	0005434/2013
Category	:	Telecom
Date	:	15-07-2013
Subject Line	:	Defect in Product & Unsatisfactory After Sales Service of Micromax
Complainant	:	Trushar Chheda
Address	:	Flat No.1, First Floor, Shreeji Bhuvan CHSL, Opp. G.H.High School, M.G.Cross Road, Borivali - East,
Complainee	:	Micromax
Address	:	Micromax House, Pascos Building, 90B, Sector-18,

Complaint Details
My brother in law (Mehul Naik) had purchased Micromax Canvas A – 110 (IMEI Nos. 911306900414474 & 911306900619478) mobile on 21st April 2013 from Vijay Sales at a cost of Rs.10,990/- (Invoice Copy attached) & gifted it to me (Trushar Chheda). To protect the screen from scratches, I had incurred a further cost of Rs. 300/- on the screen scratch guard. I started using the mobile from 23rd April 2013 onwards. Around May 2013, the Sim 2 slot of the Cell phone started showing problems & would show an error that Sim 2 is not available (inspite of the Sim 2 duly inserted correctly). On switching off the cell phone, couple of times, the Sim 2 slot would then reflect. This continued for about a week & then finally on 1st June 2013, I had visited the Micromax Service Center at Borivali West (Bhagwati Mobiles) to get this corrected. At the service center, I was informed that the Sim 2 Slot had corrupted & it needed to be changed & hence I had to deposit my cell. I understand that after all it is a machine made product & it can have a defect which can be corrected & hence I had not lodged any complaint for this. This problem was rectified on the same day & my cell phone was returned back on the evening of 1st June 2013. Now the Sim 2 slot was reflecting correctly.
Then I again stared re-using my Canvas Mobile from 1st June 2013 onwards. Again from 28th June 2013, the cell phone started showing one more problem – the touch pad automatically (on its own) started doing things on its own (as if there was a ghost in it). Automatically, the calls would get connected or disconnected, any of the applications would get opened/ closed, text sent to anyone etc. When I visited Micromax Service Center on Saturday, 29th Jun 2013, I was informed that since the system is down, they cannot attend to my cell, but I was informed orally that it seems that the touch pad needs to be repaired. So, again on 1st July 2013, I took the cell to the Micromax Service Center at Borivali West (Bhagwati Mobiles) to get this corrected. This time, at the service center, I was informed that there was a problem with the touch pad & hence it will have to be replaced. I was asked to deposit my cell & was informed that it would take somewhere between 7 to 15 days to get this corrected. Within a short span of 2 months of usage (23rd April to 1st July 2013), the cell had faced 2 major problems –
1. First, the SIM 2 Slot was corrupted, &
2. Second, the Touch Pad needed to be replaced.
I was upset hearing this but still kept my cool & asked them that what would happen to the screen scratch guard. They (Mr. Pradeep Gupta from Bhagwati Mobiles) rudely replied that the scratch guard would become useless & that the company (Micromax) had not asked me to put the screen scratch guard & hence the company is not responsible/ answerable for this. This made me very angry & inspite of being unwilling, I submitted the Cell phone (Job Sheet No. W030204-0713-4301177). I told them clearly, that it seems that I have been sold a second hand, sub-standard product & hence I want my money back. Also, I simultaneously lodged a complaint (Complaint No. 0107139893 through Customer care representative Mr. Suresh Kumar) on the Micromax Call Center stating that the service center guys were rude & also that I want a refund for my money spent on Cell phone as well as screen Scratch guard (Rs. 10,990 + Rs. 300). I had also asked for the email address of the concerned team & was asked to send the complaint on service.superfone@micromaxinfo.com. I told Suresh Kumar to please help me with the email address of some specific person, so that responsibility could be assigned to him, as this being a General Mail drop, I was sure no one would address my problem. He said that he did not have any other email address & he assured me that since the complaint was also lodged on the call, I would get revert within 7 days. Simultaneously, he suggested that if I wanted, I can send a mail to the above address.
So, I had dropped a complaint on 1st July 2013 (asking for refund as I was sold a sub-standard product) & marked the same to service.superfone@micromaxinfo.com, info@micromaxinfo.com with a cc to deepak@micromaxinfo.com. Since, Micromax is not too keen to provide service to its customer, I got a reply only after a day’s (24 hours) delay stating that the company did not have refund policy & that my problem would be “resolved soon”. Thereafter I have been writing mails to Micromax every alternate day, but the replies have been “Apologies for the inconvenience” or “the problem shall be resolved soon”. No concrete action was being taken on this.
Finally, frustrated with the inaction at the end of the Micromax, I again called up the Customer care on 9th July 2013 which was answered by Chitranjan Thatoi. I asked him that I was assured that I would get a revert from Micromax within 7 days, but no one has reverted on my complaint, to which he rudely informed that the resolution of my problem would take another 10 days. I informed him that he was behaving rudely & hence I needed to talk to his supervisor, but he refused to transfer the call. I then told him that he should not be behaving rudely to a customer & asked him to lodge a complaint against himself & provide me the complaint No. He bluntly refused to lodge a complaint giving a absurd reason that he cannot lodge another complaint as my earlier complaint was not yet closed. I told him that my earlier complaint was against product quality, whereas the current complaint was against the service quality of the Customer care, but he refused to either transfer the call to his supervisor or to lodge a complaint. I held the call for approx. 25 mins, but he put it on mute, so finally I had to hang up the call. This was high headedness at its height.
The above episode clearly shows that Micromax is just keen on increasing its market share (even if it is by way of selling sub-standard quality phones) & are not at all bothered about providing customer satisfaction & quality. With deep regret, I would like to state that earlier, Micromax was not this way. I have been using Micromax Cell phone since 2010 (My earlier Instrument was Micromax Q5 fb) & till the time, Micromax was not a big name the product quality was good. But now Micromax has chosen to ignore the customer satisfaction & product quality & sell cheap sub-standard handsets.
Today is 15th July 2013, which is 15 days since I had lodged a complaint on customer care alongwith numerous follow ups on emails (with a cc marked to the CEO of the company – Mr. Deepak Mehrotra at deepak@micromaxinfo.com), but no fruitful reply has so far come from the company. Hence I am compelled to lodge this case with the Consumer Complaints Redressal Council (India) to get me my money & incidental costs back. I am not interested anymore in using the second hand quality Micromax Mobiles.
Exhibits –
1. Invoice of Purchase of Micromax Canvas mobile amounting to Rs. 10,990/-
2. Job Sheet No. W030204-0713-4301177
3. Email communications with Micromax.

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