To:
Sony Corporation
1-7-1 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0075, Japan.
Kind Attention:
Chairman and CEO
Mr. Howard Stringer
President and Electronics CEO
Mr. Ryoji Chubachi
Executive Deputy President
Officer in charge of Consumer Products Group
Mr. Katsumi Ihara
Hi,
Let me first introduce myself. I am Dr Sunil Khijwania, Professor at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati.
I purchased Sony DVD music system (Model number MHCRV 88D, SL number 3161741) worth Indian rupees 23, 200 on 09/10 from Ms Bharali Brothers Pvt Ltd, Guwahati, Assam, INDIA. They delivered this item at home. I asked them to check the system. As they were not having any DVD along with them, they said that they would be back next very day with DVD and check the system. They visited me after a few days with DVD and checked the system only to learn that system was not playing DVD properly. It was playing it bit by bit with a delay in between. They confirmed the problem and said that they will report to the owner (Mr Arpan Bharali) of Ms Bharali Brothers Pvt Ltd. I asked them that I do not want defected system and you please replace this one with another one, which is working properly. This matter was reported to Mr Arpan Bharali (son of the owner of the showroom and showroom in-charge that time).
Mr Arpan Bharali, from whom I bought this system, said that he needed to complete some formalities before replacing the system. He said that SONY engineer from SONY Service Center, Guwahati will visit me and check the system in order to get it replaced. Then SONY engineer visited my house and opened the DVD music system. He checked the system and observed the same problem while playing DVD. He reported this matter to Mr Arpan Bharali. Afterwards, Mr Arpan Bharali agreed to replace the system. He said that he has already taken a replacement for my system and would send the new one along with refrigerator (LG make) I bought from them (which was also defective and needed to be replaced).
Getting the same refrigerator model took lot of time. However I was relaxed for my SONY DVD music system, as Mr Bharali has already told me that they have a new replacement system for me. In the mean time, the main owner and father of Mr Arpan Bharali, Mr Nayan Bharali, having some problem with his son Mr Arpan Bharali (who was the showroom in-charge till then) replaced him with his elder son Mr Alloy Bharali. Mr Alloy Bharali now took the charge of the their shop. When I contacted him, he denied for the replacement of my music system. It made me very upset. He said that he could only repair the system. I said, I bought a brand new system, why should I accept refurbished one or the one, which had problem since beginning? But he did not listen to me. I made so many calls to him and visited many of the times to explain him the entire situation (it was very painful to me), I even talked to his father and the main owner Mr Nayan Bharali also regarding this mater and requested them to talk to his younger son and previously in-charge of their shop, Mr Arpan Bharali, to get the whole idea about my case. Both refused to even listen me straightforwardly or to talk to Mr Arpan Bharali; and started behaving very rudely. This all further took a lot of time (over the year). I was having no option to return the SONY DVD music system to him.
On 01.03.07, they took the SONY DVD music system from my house to repair and fix the problem, which I never agreed in principle. Around 3 months after they did send the system to me saying that now system works properly as all the problems are fixed. Their own staff, who came to deliver the system to my home, when checked the system in front of me, found that the problem still remained the same. I said to his staff that you better take this system back to Mr Bharali and tell them to replace it with new un-defected one. Since then I made numerous calls (in hundreds or more than that) and visited numerous times to their showroom (it is worth to mention that my institute, IIT, is located around 35 km away from Mr Bharali’s showroom), but no result. They always said that they had sent the system to SONY service center in Guwahati and the problem is being fixed. Finally once again Mr Alloy Bharali, one fine day, sent the system back to my home with his staff and told me that system is playing DVD properly and there is no problem. However, once again, when their staff checked the system even with so many DVDs, the problem was still the same, which was there since beginning. He took the system back to their showroom.
Again started my mental/physical harassment by this vendor (Ms Bharaly Brothers Pvt Ltd). I made numerous visits, which was very very difficult in the light of my academic profession commitments and the distance needed to cover to reach to their showroom from my institute. I also made countless calls to them for my system, but all in vain. At the end when I visited last year (07) in December to their showroom, I met to senior Bharali (Mr Nayan Bharali, main owner of the showroom) and virtually pleaded him to look into my case, talk to his younger son Mr Arpan Bharali to understand the whole issue. He then promised me that he will personally look into this matter and asked me to give him a week time. After 2 weeks when I visited him, he spoke to me very rudely and told me that do not approach me for this matter any more, talk to my elder son Mr Alloy Bharali. I felt very bad and humiliated. Having no option, I spoke to his elder son Mr Alloy Bharali. To my surprise he started talking to me that “I am doing my best and putting money from my pocket to get your system repaired”. I said, you need not to put money from your pocket but to replace the system. But he did not agree to me and insisted to repair the system. Once again, this resulted in many calls from my side and visit to their showroom. On one such visit to their showroom by me, he again said that the system is fixed and I am going to deliver it at your home. I said you bring it in your showroom from SONY service center and check it here in front of me. I waited till the system was brought from service center to his showroom. His staff checked the system in front of him as well as me, the problem remained the same as in beginning. System was not playing DVD properly; it was playing it bit by bit with a delay in between. I got very upset and asked him that this is a big harassment-mental as well as physical. The purpose I bought the system is lost now. Do replace this system with a new one immediately, which is having no defects otherwise I need to look for some other option. But still, no result from their side. Since then, the system is with them.
Please do understand the agony, frustration and harassment I have gone since the date of purchase (09/10/05) by the hand of Bharali Brothers, a SONY product dealer. This is now almost 3 years. I shall request you to penalize Bharali Brothers Pvt Ltd from your side and do snatch the dealership of your company items. Further do replace the system to me at the earliest. I have all the proofs with me.
Best regards
Sunil Khijwania
0 comments