We had high hopes when we first engaged with D’life, looking for a professional partner to help us build our dream home. Unfortunately, our experience turned out to be a nightmare, and I feel compelled to share this detailed review to warn others.
Our first interaction was with their salesperson, Ravindra, who contacted us after we were exploring various options. We visited their new experience center in Kharadi, Pune, and spent 5 hours discussing our project. We were clear about wanting a minimalist design and, most importantly, an on-time delivery. Ravindra assured us that D’life had fixed production timelines and would never delay a project. He also promised us that our design would be finalized in 10 days, as we had rough sketches ready. He gave us the impression that D’life was a professional, reliable company.
To top it off, Ravindra offered us a 30% discount on the project, which he insisted was a limited-time offer. We were thrilled and decided to proceed, trusting his assurances. However, that turned out to be a complete marketing gimmick. There was no real discount, and we never saw any reduction in the final invoice. The "discount" was just a tactic to get us to sign the deal. The work order they showed us had inflated prices, and the promised discounts never materialized.
False Discounts & Marketing Gimmicks: One of the most frustrating aspects of our dealings with D’life was the deceptive discounting practices. The sales team will show you higher prices in the work order or quotation when onboarding and offer a 30% discount(plus another 5% employee discount) on top of that. They’ll give you the impression that you’re getting a great deal, but in reality, when you receive the final invoice, there is no mention of the discount. It’s just an inflated price with a fake discount applied in the quotation to make it look like you’re getting a bargain.
To put it in perspective: If you were shopping on platforms like Amazon or Myntra, a genuine discount would be reflected in the final invoice, and you would see the actual price reduction applied to your total bill. However, with D’life, it’s a completely different story. They give you a false price in the quotation, offer you a "discount, " and then charge you the full price without showing any deduction in the final invoice. It’s just a marketing gimmick, nothing more.
Once we signed on with D’life, things went downhill. The delays started early, and Ravindra assured us that D’life would be liable for damages if the project wasn’t completed on time. This, too, was a lie. Our project was delayed by over a month, and we had to extend our house lease, incurring additional costs.
As we reviewed the work order, we found that we were being charged for numerous items that were never used in the house—items like extra panels and shelves that didn’t match the design. In total, we were overcharged by around ₹2 lakhs for things that weren’t even part of the project. The sales team seems to have a practice of inflating costs and then "discounting" them to make customers feel they are getting a deal, which is absolutely misleading.
Ravindra had also assured us that D’life would manage the entire project end-to-end. Unfortunately, that was another false promise. The sales team subcontracts work to outside vendors at 3x the price and adds their own margins. This included plumbing, electrical work, and other services, which ended up costing us significantly more. Additionally, they pushed us to make advance payments to these vendors, many of whom disappeared halfway through the project, forcing us to find replacements at the same inflated prices.
The invoicing process for these third party vendors was equally frustrating. We kept getting random invoices from different vendors with no details like GST numbers, addresses, or invoice numbers. It became evident that this money was likely going into the pockets of the sales team and their associates, not the vendors doing the actual work.
One of the most frustrating aspects of our experience was the complete negligence on part of the designer. After giving him all the details and requirements—such as the need for lights inside the cabinets and specific items like a wicker basket—the designer forgot to inform the factory about these fine details. This kind of casual and negligent behavior was completely unacceptable, and it caused unnecessary delays and confusion during the installation process.
A Major Rip-off on Painting:?We had entrusted D’life with the entire painting of our house, but this turned out to be a huge mistake. They charged us an exorbitant amount for just two coats of paint, which, according to the work order, should have been Royal Touch(premium) paint. However, they used a basic emulsion paint(standard quality) instead. Even worse, they applied just one coat in many areas, including ceilings and spaces behind modular installations, despite charging us for two coats.
At the completion of the project, we were billed an additional ₹1.8 lakhs for painting, despite already paying ₹2 lakhs for a space of less than 1, 500 sq. feet. This cost was 4x higher than the quote we received directly from Asian Paints! When we asked for a detailed breakup, they lied to us, claiming they did 4 coats and used premium paint. The truth is, they only applied 1-2 coats of basic paint, and they continue to refuse to refund the extra money they charged us for "additional painting." We frequently visited the site, took pictures and videos, and showed them the reality of the situation, but D’life has not refunded the extra charges to date. They even charged us for wallpaper that was never deployed at the site due to issues the designer failed to foresee.
We were promised that this money would be refunded, but that, too, was a lie.
Escalation & Social Media Deletion: When we tried to escalate the issue, we were met with roadblocks. D’life’s leadership is virtually unreachable, and the so-called "Customer Relationship Officer, " Denson, has been completely unprofessional. Despite repeated requests, Denson failed to provide the promised invoice reflecting the discount. When we asked for a timeline, he had no clear answer and even had the audacity to say that no timeline was committed for resolving the issue. Additionally, when we asked to discuss matters over a call, Denson refused to cooperate, citing his 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM working hours and being “too busy” to speak with us.
To make matters worse, D’life does not share any escalation metrics or leadership details with customers. If you publish your feedback or post about your experience on social media, their social media team will immediately delete your posts, and you’ll receive no action or resolution. They are only interested in promoting their handpicked positive testimonials to mislead potential customers. So, even when you try to voice your concerns publicly, they will go out of their way to suppress it and continue their deceptive practices.
A Truly Siloed, Blame-Game Culture: The best part of all this is how D’life operates in complete silos. No one takes responsibility, and everyone is just passing the blame around. The sales team will blame the designer for delays, the designer will blame the factory, and the installation team will blame the sales head and designer for giving unrealistic timelines. The installation team even said that the sales team pressures them with fake timelines and misleads customers, all in a bid to earn their incentives.
Meanwhile, the customer(us) suffers as a result of these internal issues. Our project was delayed for over a month because of these fake timelines given by the sales team, the designer’s delays, and the production team’s inefficiencies. It’s honestly a complete mockery of a so-called professional setup. There is no teamwork or accountability, just a constant blame game that has left us frustrated and financially drained.
At this point, it’s clear that D’life is more interested in making a quick sale than providing any actual service or delivering on their promises. The entire experience has been a series of lies, delays, and deceitful practices. We regret choosing D’life for our project, and I strongly urge anyone considering them to stay away.
If you value your hard-earned money and want a reliable, professional company to manage your project, DO NOT choose D’life. They are simply out to exploit customers and make false promises. It’s been months, and our project is still far from complete, with unresolved issues.
Save yourself the trouble and find a reputable company instead.