Not so classy

This is the third post in the series of customer care. This one is a partly third person review. Today it’s the airlines Etihad Airways.

Quick background.

My parents flew business class on Etihad airways. One of the flights was more than 14 hours long. My mother (no she doesn’t have any medical condition that stop her from flying or eating crappy Airline food and stop having negative thoughts!!!) doesn’t eat onion or garlic in her meal. So I booked Hindu Jain vegetation meal for her.

On her 14 hour long flight she was offered a breakfast and that’s it. When she asked for more she was told nothing is available for Hindu Jain meal. She told them she can have fruits, bread, dry fruits and juice. So it was offered to her. All she was offered on a 14 hour flight was breakfast, fruits, juice, some dry fruits and bread. I believe people are served better food on shorter economy class flights. So this was the third party review. Because I don’t know how much food was served to my mother and what quantity.

But let’s review the customer care of Etihad. I dropped them a feedback on their official website and there was no reply. I assumed because there are more than million people airlines so who will take care of so many feedback. So I decided to call up the customer care. Being a global brand contacting customer care till less than 5 minutes to be connected to a representative. After telling him all the issue he said that because my mother has a special meal so and the crew carry just one meal per person. I asked him should I pack lunch for my mother and he said yes. The customer service representative forgot that my parents are flying business class and not economy. But none the less he took my compliant and seems to forward to his internal team. Not till date there is no update from them.

My rating for Etihad of
Customer Service = -/5 (i have not received the service so cant comment on this)
Customer Care = 0/5 (No Updates, zero follow ups and clueless customer care executives.)

A different perspective

For many of you 31st Aug 1992 is just another day in the last century. Not for me, it was my first day in hostel. Yes it that long time ago. Those who are mathematically challenged it’s more than 23 and half years.

It must have been too much for any 9 year old. (Yes, yours truly was only 9 years old when I went to hostel). There was precedent already set with my elder sister and brother both going to hostel at a very young age before me. So I was mentally ready. But what about my parents? Were they ready? If they have sent two of their kids to hostel they must be ready to send the youngest one too. I digress.

Let me explain. Assume you have 3 fruits (or any item you love to eat. It doesn’t matter).

Scenario 1 -> If you to give one of the fruit (or the item of your choice) to some one else. You may be reluctant but you may share.

Scenario 2 -> What if someone extort two of the fruits(again assume the item) from you. You will be heart broken but have to part with 2 of the items. Because you are still left one of the fruits(just assume your favorite item, don’t make me repeat)

Scenario 3 -> But if you have to give up all three of fruits because they will become better fruits in foreseeable future. Will be ready to give away all the fruits (still? Even after missing last one). Remember these are your favourite and you would like to keep at least one of them with you.

Now replace fruits with your own kids and think of the scenario 3. Yeah the same feeling. For any parent having an empty house is the last thing they will want. And mine had the same for last 23 and half years. An empty house..

For those who are thinking why am I writing this, is because I am leaving my wife and 7days baby (yeah 1week old) with my parents and going back to Hong Kong. This really breaks my heart and I can’t do anything. Now that I know what is the pain of being separated from your kid, I can only assume how much pain my parents have felt.

BTW it’s a girl.

Not So Quikr

This is post is second in the series of customer care. Today its the “Online Raddi Wala” www.Quikr.com.

Quikr has new feature where you can opt to pay for the product online and quikr will pick up the product and deliver for free.

I was looking for second hand cell phone for myself. After checking out the website and zeroing on a phone I called up the seller and agreed on a price. I paid the amount online and waited for the product to be delivered. It was almost a happy experience with till now.

After 3 days I called up the customer care for update. They said they have raised a request and someone will call me within 24-48 hours. Fast forward 3 more days and multiples call to customer care. The customer care has a very peculiar issue that the call if its not answered by a customer care executive in a minute will automatically be disconnected. you are lucky if the call gets connected at the first attempt. After umpteen tries and don’t know after how many calls to customer care, I am yet to receive a update or my money.

My rating for quikr of
Customer Service = 0/5 (I am yet to receive any service)
Customer Care = 2/5 (They remained calm and composed even through my shouting and angry rants)

For those who want to know what phone I was planning to buy checkout the link of the ad

Keep Counting

Lets take stock of our lives. When we are kids we used to go to the shop next door, which had the ever smiling uncle to cater to all your needs. I don’t remember seeing that uncle getting angry at us. He even used to send chotu with all the items. Reminds of something? For those getting nostalgic STOP!!!. Now we have “next door online store” who do all this and more with cheaper prices.

But one thing which I think is always a hit or a miss. The customer service. I will provide my take on various customer service I received from various “next door online store”

The first one for I want to take on is www.Musafir.com . My dad is coming to bangalore and asked me to book tickets for him. I thought lets try this new website musafir. I check the site and it was not displaying the prices of the airlines I was looking for. I was bored so thought of giving them a call and letting them know. But as the luck would be I got one of the best customer care executive out there. He was courteous, patient and knowledgeable given that it was midnight (yeah it was 11:45 PM when I called in, didn’t I said I was bored?). You rarely find good customer care executive in night shift. But boy was I wrong. Musafir team helped me find the best fare and even applied a discount code for me, which is rare. This agent was with till I have done the payment and once everything was done. He even called and confirmed If I have received the ticket.

One cute thing though, when calling out phonetic names for M instead of using “Mike” they say “Musafir”

Hope musafir keeps the customer care to top notch.

Musafir Customer Care gets 5/5

Keep counting the ratings guys.

Getting Screwed

I have been a fool for a long time now. And still am. I have taken some wrong decisions, did wrong stuff but lived on. I do look back and think that those decisions and things that I have done have made any difference. Sometimes they have. some times it was just another moment in life which we all recall to laugh, cry, feel sad or just use them as stories for our grand children.

The mistake will always remain with you no matter how old you grow or how much you repent. They will come back to bite you in the ass. No matter in what form but it will come back. Life is like that. I knew that day will come to me but never knew it will come so soon. My hot headness, stubbornness, rudeness and thinking I am always right is the reason for this. I don’t know if I deserve this or not but the situation I am in will either leave me battered or lonely in the end.

When one knows they have dome some one wrong and can’t do anything about it. They start to find company to support their relationship. It may be either support of near an dear or solace in a bottle of alcohol. For me it was always the lonely room and myself that comforted me.

Life teaches you a lot of lessons and this was taught to me. So teaching you guys for free. Remember when life teaches you a lesson the course fee is tears, pain, regret and heartache.