HT Newspaper
Mismanagement & Poor Customer Care Service

To Whomsoever it may concern.

Am a senior citizen and a subscriber of HT since its commence in Mumbai. In July I received numerous calls (to be more specific 3 calls - both on my mobile & landline) for renewal of my annual subscription. I was informed that they no longer take 2 year subscriptions, so I confirmed it for one year. The HT renewal dept personnel verified my postal address and promised to send the coupons as well as collect the payment. Till date no coupons nor any person from their end arrived. Instead, the vendor was informed to keep delivering the newspaper and in turn charge me monthly charges.

When I called HT Customer Care Number provided by my vendor, the call was answered by Ms. Swati Kamble - Customer Care Executive, who kept denying that no one from HT renewal dept made calls to me. She expected me to remember the name of the concerned person who made the call to me after 3 months. Also when I asked her to renew the subscription, she informs me that it is my mistake not renewing my subscription on time and now that I should pay a higher subscription fees.

This seems to be the practice being followed by HT, that whenever they want to increase their rates, they do not send you the coupons, but ask your vendor to keep delivering the paper to you and charging you a monthly charges.

When asked to speak to the Senior, who is a Floor supervisor, Swati informs me that the call can not be transferred and it is not the duty of the Floor Supervisor to resolve Customer issues? When asked to give a contact number to speak to the Floor Supervisor, since the telephone line could not be transferred, I was informed that they are not authorized to do so.

When suggested that she check with the Floor Supervisor, that the Customer insists on speaking with the Supervisor, The Floor Supervisor - Ms. Sandhya Venugopal tells her to inform me that she is not interest in speaking to me & that it is not her duty to listen to Customer Complaint nor resolve the customers issue. This is the egoistic high & mighty attitude of the Supervisor.

When asked for a postal address for couriering a written complaint to the HT office, I was given to inform that the Customer Care Executive is not authorized to give the postal address for correspondence to the consumer/customer. This is a major surprise, when HT can have all records of its subscription customers, but it in turn cannot provide the Customer with its postal address for correspondence.

Can the authorized personnel in the HT group kindly reply to why a customer is treated in this manner and has HT changed its policy, that now it wants to ill-treat and cheat its customers/reading?

My Complaint No.: 4815 dated Sept.10.

As a reader and a Senior Citizen, can the concerned person in the concerned Dept of HT or one of its Senior Management spare sometime to address this issue of the practices followed by the HT Customer Care Dept. I think the Customer Care Executives and Supervisors need to be better trained.

I am hoping that the management takes it seriously that besides me there are several other customers / readers who have complaints which do not seem to have been answered and that it makes no difference to HT group, if they loose some readers.

Am hoping the needful is done.

P.S.Sheth

Mumbai

Email: shethpss@rediffmail.com

Company: HT Newspaper
Country: India
State: Maharashtra
City: Mumbai City

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