IFB Senator Washing Machine
Hidden agendas & money making racket by AMC agencies

Subject: Hidden agendas & money making racket by AMC agencies

I own a Senator (top of the range) front loadin washing machine (bought it in 2004). I entered into a Annual Maintenance Contract with an agency, thinking that it will be peace of mind if anything goes wrong. After 5 years the machine started with a typical problem. On 29th June when I set & switched on the machine, I heard a loud bang and saw bright a spark light up from the bottom of the machine. I immediately switched it off and disconnected the plug & called the agency. The person on the phone instructed me to call their call-center and hung up before I could say another word. I once again called him & asked for the call-center's contact number. When I called the call-center, the representative on the other end started speaking as if it was a fast forwarded recording. I couldn't understand a word. After some time I was able to convince him that I had a problem with my machine & I need a technician to rectify it.

The next day i.e. 30th June a (novice) technician arrived and simply without checking anything, removed a circuit board box and replaced it with a similar but a very used, blackened, re-conditioned one. I asked him how he knew that it was faulty? He immediately said that he knew it just like that from the time he had heard about my complait at his office. He then switched on the machine and he witnessed the same loud bang with sparks emmitting. Now he was fumbling and didn't know what to do. He requested me to use my landline to call his senior which I very courteously allowed. He spoke to his senior for about 15 minutes and said that it may be the heater and that will have to be changed. Giving the benefit of doubt I asked him to bring the heater (heating element) the next day. He promptly got it on 1st July. It was in a company printed & sealed plastic bag with "IFB Genuine Spares" printed all over the packet. After fitting the heater, he tells me that I owed the agency Rs.100/- for the heater's sealing gasket as it was counted as a seperate part and was not covered as per the AMC. I was wondering that if the heater comes in a sealed packet with the gasket and its supporting plate bolted to it then why do they count it as a seperate unit and why the hell am I supposed to pay even 1 paisa? I immediately called his office and they too insisted that I pay up the Rs.100/-. I was furious but had no other alternative but pay the chap. He promptly prepared a receipt-cum-invoice of Rs.100/- & said your problem is now solved. He had barely gone out of our society's gates when I started the machine with normal load of my white cotton clothes, my fuse blew again with a loud bang and I could even smell smoke. I ran out & shouted for him. He came and was total shocked when I told him what had happened. He said that now it was beyond his understanding to rectify the fault & that he would ask a senior to come & have a look. Saying this he went away. After 3 days days IFB sends me an SMS thanking me in showing interest in their service & informing me that my problem has been RESOLVED.

The SMS even asked me to send them a feedback of satisfaction Y/N. I sent an "N". Another SMS comes stating that a cust care rep will get in touch with me SHORTLY. After "shortly" two days I get a call aplogizing for bad service and non-repair/non-rectification of the fault. Then on 10th July a senior technician comes & checks my machine and says the motor has gone bust and needs to be changed but I'll have to pay approximately Rs.200/- as carriage/cartage expense as it is a major part in the machine. He further added that the dampers/shock absorbers supporting the drum were very soft & had surpassed their service life and also need to be changed. (As far as I remember, the softness of the damper was as it is from the time I had bought the machine) does that mean that the company installs used/defective/deffect creating parts/units/components before they sell it to the customer??? All of these need thorough investigation by a neutral agency. It can only be possible when atleast 20 to 30 irate/dissatisfied customers from each of their cities/states come together and take a decisive step to begin the investigation and bring the erring company to books.

In spite of being a technically qualified person myself, if these small time technicians are able to take me for granted and try to trick me into all sorts of technical mess-up, just imagine what they must be doing to common laypersons especially women & old people who are solely at their mercy and who willingy/unwillingly pay to get their machines started and working again.

I sincerely hope that someone will read this posting and initiate a few steps toward stopping this malpractice by companies and/or by their Service Agencies.

Company: IFB Senator Washing Machine
Country: India

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