I have an Aquaguard SMART RO model. I called up Aquaguard last week and wanted to change all the filters for my water purifier. After following up 4 times, a technician called Mr. Rajesh came from Kaizen Enterprises with the supposed-to-be new filters. Totally, the filters would cost 4230+ 425(service charge). I had kept my machine in the hall so that I can supervise when he was changing the filters.
He told me that he can work only in the kitchen so that the water pipe could be connected. I found it logical and so went to the kitchen to assist him. He told me that the RO membrane if opened cannot be exposed to air and immediately put inside the holder after opening the mould. He told me that since it should happen in a matter of seconds he would like to go to the terrace and replace.
Though I found it odd, I told him that I would help him in the process and asked him to do it then and there. He reluctantly started breaking the mould and did it with his back turned onto the process and completely blocking me from seeing it. I peeped in and noticed that the membrane that he got out and was putting hurriedly into the holder had a tampered barcode with no label. I immediately demanded that I look at the membrane and to my horror, found that the membrane was old and it was dirty.
It did not have any label or covering and was obviously a very old membrane. I just took my old membrane, the one that he just took out of the machine and showed him how even my membrane was newer than the one that he had brought in.
He immediately offered to put another one which he told he will break the seal in front of me but he told this time he will not break the mould.
I was shocked and asked how I could be sure whether this one turned out to be a new one without looking at the membrane. But this time he was not ready to open the mould and told that I had to pay the service charge.
I told him that I did not want the membranes and he told me I still have to pay the service charge.
I immediately rang up the customer care and was explaining the issue when the phone got cut. I borrowed his mobile and rang up the customer care and when I explained the issue, they asked me to wait till they connect me to a senior manager at which the fellow got his phone back and volunteered to forego all charges. He packed all his things in a minute and vanished.
When I asked him his boss, Mr. Satish’ s number, he refused to give it and asked me to call the customer care.I promptly rang up the Eureka Forbes customer care and informed them for which they flatly refused that it must have happened and when I pressed further that if they sell old RO membranes to gullible customers, people will be victims to infections, kidney stones and all other kind of diseases. I asked them to transfer it to a responsible authority and they gave me the mobile number of Mr. Imaya varman of Eureka Forbes. I rang up the fellow and asked him to call me since my phone balance was low. He never returned my call.
do not know who in Eureka Forbes will take responsibility for such kind of serious fraud. But I know that I can’t trust Eureka Forbes(or Aquaguard brand) any more.