Can you give me an example where a company provides the best service in the whole of India—that is, wherever you go from Kashmir to Kanhaiya Kumari, its service will be the best?
Man, honestly, I have asked this question to many people online, but I did not get a single correct answer.
The Harsh Reality of Service Quality in India
Because the simple thing is that the quality of service centers differs a lot. And there is not a single such company in the whole of India that is consistently known for good service. This becomes a sad reality. But now if the work is being done in this way, then it is being done.
Not About Any One Company or Sector
Yes, the very first thing, I am not talking about any particular company or sector here.
I have seen this thing everywhere. As we are talking about online e-commerce, in many places, Amazon’s service is bad and you all know the condition of Flipkart.
In the mobile phone industry, people have given many examples of Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola’s service. But if we talk here, then there are some four-wheeler companies in India that are also known for their poor sales service.
Great Products, Poor Service
India does very well. They make the products right, put big factories and do distribution and people enjoy the products a lot.
But when there is a problem in the product, they go to the service center—then is the mobile phone replacement easily available? Many times, such things do not happen.
Challenges in Service Infrastructure
Because a simple thing, it is very easy for every company to create a factory, create a distribution network. But it is difficult to go to every city and open a service center at an individual level.
To bypass this, they use a third-party method, where they give their franchise to a third-party service center. And they say, keep our franchise, we will train your employees and you train on our behalf.
And you provide service on our behalf and give the best service to our users.
Some Third-Party Centers Work Well—Some Don’t
So yes, in this case, there are some service centers that think of their customers even though they are a third party. And if they work at an individual level, then some such services are good.
But still, there are many such service centers where there is a lack of availability of parts.
Many times it takes a lot of time and many times a lot of work comes, so many phones, many products keep filling up inside themselves.
Parts Shortage and Delays
Because it is not possible to repair them all at once. One of the core reasons for this is the lack of availability of parts.
Because even today, there are some parts that are easily available. But there are many such parts that are not easily available. Due to which it takes a lot of time for the company to arrange, order, and repair those parts.
Common Defects and Warranty Issues
The next thing is that many times we have heard manufacturing defects in mobile phones. Like motherboard issues, camera issues, green line issues, and the display is not working properly.
We have often seen many such issues. Where many times it seems that the company is using bad quality components. But even after that, many people do not get any resolution by going to the service center.
Warranty Denials and High Repair Costs
So many times the companies totally deny all these products here and say that we will not be able to repair the warranty.
If your phone is out of warranty, then you will have to pay for it. And whenever the mobile phone is out of warranty, then you have to pay a very hefty amount for it.
I have seen many times that the cost of motherboard replacement is literally more than the cost of a mobile phone. Let’s hear the story of this tech here.
A Nationwide Service Issue
Now looking at this, it seems that after-sale service is such a thing where almost every company in India needs to work here.
Because no company has been able to give a proper resolution here. This is a thing, often people talk online that the service of this company is bad, this company does not work well.
The Question Everyone Asks
So I often get this question from everyone that who is good, you tell this.
You tell yourself that if you have a good experience of sales and service in any company, then which company is it in the comments below.
Service Experience Varies Greatly
But I have seen one thing that India is a very big country. And it is very difficult for every company to manage every place here.
I have definitely seen some service centers here where good service is also provided. And I have seen some places where the service experience is not so good.
Lack of Skilled Labor
With this, I have observed one more thing here. The skill labor in India is a little less in the service industry. That is, when the service center employees go to find them, they do not get such employees who can work well.
Any product, whether it is a mobile phone, laptop, television, camera, scooter, four-wheeler, whatever it is, it is repairing it well. The skill labor is very less here.
The Issue of Transparency
Because of which they hired the people they met. And one thing I have seen often is that the transparency thing is not here.
That is, sometimes companies are not completely transparent. Sometimes companies give a one-year or two-year warranty on their phone. But they put a star on it, in which terms and conditions apply.
The terms and conditions are not read. And many times companies take advantage of it and try to save it.
Why Good After-Sales Service Matters
This poor communication is needed to be cleared a little here. Because I have seen that you make a good product, make a good thing. But until you give a good experience of service or after-sales, it is difficult to satisfy the consumer here.
Even Apple Faces Challenges
I have even seen that there is no consistent service experience of a company like Apple in India. Although Apple is trying to solve the problem because of the Apple Store, the service experience there is comparatively better. The bad experience of the rest of the place is not hidden here by being good at one place.
Over-Expectations from Consumers
With this, I have one more thing left. Often, the company is not always at fault. Many times, consumers have an over-expectation from the company. I have told many examples in the past that in many places, the consumer is also wrong. The consumer deliberately goes to take a replacement for the phone to spoil the phone. But when the company finds out about this, it refuses to give it.
When the Customer is Right
As a consumer, if you are in a genuine case, if there is a real problem in your product and it is due to the company’s fault. Then the company should listen to you and you should repair the new product.
Patience is Important
But in some cases, the user is at fault and they blame the company for their own fault. Often we over-expect. Now it is necessary to see that when good service is not available here due to over-expectation. Then people have problems there too. And we see that thing on Twitter and social media.
A Personal Example
Overall, as a consumer, you have to think that no company can provide you good service here. There is going to be something up and down everywhere. But if your case is genuine, then you have to wait patiently. If you don’t wait patiently, then the company may not be able to solve your problem.
I will take my own example. I had a OnePlus phone and the screen of that phone was damaged. The phone fell from my hand. But the replacement period of the screen was about 15 days. Because the screen was not available in India. They had to order it from abroad. So it took 15 days here.
Third-Party Repairs: A Risky Option
Many people ask to go to the shop and get it repaired. Repairability can be done in shops and office centers. That is also a different option. But sometimes 100% reliable parts are not available in third-party stores. Although some third-party stores will give you genuine components. But I have seen some third-party retail stores that give you other parts in the name of repairability.
The Need for a Service Revolution
I will give you an example. I had an AMOLED phone and the screen was damaged. We got it repaired outside. So instead of AMOLED screen, he replaced it with LCD screen. Yes, I have heard such cases. The glass back is removed and the plastic back is stuck. And the repair work is also very much going on here.
Time for Stronger Consumer Laws
Overall, India needs a good service revolution. And there are some strong laws in after-sales service. If a company is selling its product anywhere, how is after-sales being provided there? If the consumer has a problem at one place, how will it be solved there? There is a need to talk about all these things.
Hope for a Better Future
If there are such strict laws, where the consumer benefits well, the genuine consumer who has a problem, then it will be a better thing. Let’s see what happens here and when India’s after-sales service situation is better.
