The India Today Book Club has been in existence for a few years, and I was one of their first customers, purchasing books from them. The site was good, and deliveries were prompt at that time. The trouble started when they started venturing into selling premium goods at so called "fabulous discounts".
In April this year, I got a call from India Today Book Club, saying that they had a fantastic offer of a "Samsung Omnia" phone with a market price of Rs 23500 for only Rs 14998! I checked the web and found that Samsung Omnia Pro B7610 had a market price of Rs. 23500 and after confirming with the salesperson that this was the phone they meant, I placed an order for the same. When I received the parcel, I was shocked to find that they had sent me B7320 which had a market price of only 12800! I promptly contacted the customer service, and was asked to send the entire package back for replacement/refund.
After sending the package back, I received confirmation that India Today had received the package, and then my wait for the refund started! It is now nearly two months, and every mail is answered with "we have forwarded your claim to our blah-blah department".
In the meantime, I found out that India Today has spun off the mobile merchandising division as "Bag It Today" probably to dissociate the India Today brand name from marketing strategies that flirt with fraudulent practices, which the India Today magazine takes great pride in exposing. I wonder whether they will write an article criticizing their own subsidiary!
My earnest advise to all Mouthshut users is not to succumb to the grandiose offers made by anyone who claims to call from India Today or Bag it Today. Your best recourse to prevent financial loss is to tell the caller "I am not interested" and disconnect immediately.
UPDATE: IT IS NOW THREE MONTHS, AND DESPITE A COMMENT FROM THE COMPANY, TO WHICH I RESPONDED, I HAVE STILL NOT RECEIVED A REFUND!
UPDATE 2: Finally, got a refund in September, after I sent them a registered mail threatening to sue in case my money was not returned! Their argument was that they could not refund as I had opened the package, but I reminded them that they themselves advise customers to open the package before signing the courier’s slip, to ensure that the item has not been damaged in transit!