I am forced to bring back my issue through my different user account at mouthshut, as my original issue seems to have no impact on the resolution. While I plan to copy this review in as many social blogs as possible, I am copy pasting my story again. The infibeam experience has really been a nightmare for me and I continue to chase them for a possible 24 thousand rupees fraud. I purchased blackberry 9810 on infibeam (order ID : 9862313; sub order ID: 18753235) on 14th of December; they invoiced it on 21st December and I received the product on 24th of December in a proper sealed package.
The only reason I purchased the product was that it was 2K cheaper than retailer and flipkart. As a longtime blackberry user I was always confident on the build quality and quality check’s they do before boxing the product. Now with that faith and excitement of using my new blackberry I inserted my existing blackberry sim in the new mobile, just to find that the brand new handset does not recognize the SIM at all and kept on asking for SIM. I thought to myself that probably it’s my SIM card that being old has a problem. Therefore I tried using my other SIM cards and they returned the same problem. Now it was clear that it was not the SIM card, but something is wrong with the handset. I promptly called up the infibeam customer service and explained my problem on 26th of December.
Up to this call I was pretty confident that infibeam will show some sympathy for my experience (it’s a 24K+ device). Specially when they claimed to replace the product within 48 hours of delivery. The gentleman at Infibeam helpline rudely told me that they have nothing to do with 48 hour replacement promise and the only way I can get the replacement when I will visit the service center of Redington and request them for certificate of ’defective on arrival’. Okay, now that was another revelation to me that their 48 hour return promise means that I will have to visit the overly crowded redington service center to get DOA certificate which they do not give without holding the inquiry for at least 4 - 5 days. (So it is guaranteed that you will never be able to return the product within 48 hours of delivery.) Realizing the fact that I am left with no other option but to get the DOA certificate, I spent 300 rupees to visit the blackberry service center at Khar and after a wait of about 45 minutes got to see a service engineer (he was exactly like a sarkari babu, with no intention of working or helping customers). Anyways, this is the way of life and status of customer support in India, so I gave a pass on his attitude (do we have any other option?).
He disregard fully opened the cover of my ’yet to be used’ handset and gave me a verdict that one of the SIM receptor pins are missing / broken, that is why the phone is not identifying the SIM. Fair enough, so I asked him to give me a DOA, as he had agreed on hardware defect. He laughed and told me ’aise thodi DOA milta hai’, we will first have to investigate who has removed / damaged the receptor pin (God knows if they are going to deploy CBI to investigate) as many times online companies ship defective products to the customers. I asked him as to who will decide on this investigation, he told me that he will check with his senior and asked me to wait. In the mean time he took pictures of handset from all angles (God knows if he was just testing the camera of his seemingly brand new Samsung Note mobile) and took copy of invoice etc. After observing this gentleman for 15 -20 minutes attending other fools like me, I went back to him and asked the status, he rudely asked me to wait as he was attending other complaints.
Finally I heard him talking to somebody in a very friendly conversation (typical mumbai slang language) and after doing all the crappy chat with the guy on the other side of the phone, he told me that they will take 2 -3 days to investigate. He returned back my handset promptly and without bothering to look at me, he told me that he will call after 1 - 2 days (I felt as he was saying FO to me.) Today is the 3rd day after my visit and no response from anybody. And I am left with a 24.5 K worth of worthless handset and utter frustration that for a greed of saving 2K rupees, I have lost my faith in Blackberry build quality, lost my faith in Infibeam, Redington and the whole blunder that I made when I purchased a mobile online. Guy’s never buy products from Infibeam they are illogical and have not intention of helping on after sales defects.
Okay, today is the 11th day with a non working Rs. 24, 500/- worth of handset at my disposal. Since my last update the only thing that has happened is as following. After my enquiry on 48 hours of revert time by infibeam I got a call from Mr. V suggesting to get in touch with some Mr. R. Mr. R who leads the supply chain for infibeam again recommended me to go to the Blackberry Service Center at Khar and assured me that he has spoken to the Redington guys and they will instantly provide me with the DoA certificate. Mr. V. and Mr. R. both suggested me that without going to the Redington service center they will not be able to help me.
So a helpless fool in me again visited the Service center which apparently was over crowded with nagging Black Berry customers and chewing the brains out of people stationed there. I became part of this crowd and after a wait of about 30 minutes or so went again to the service engineer who had surveyed my device earlier. His expression was ’Phir se aa gaye’, anyways he asked me the purpose of my visit and after a little while he recalled the issue. He entered the job work order request in the system and very coldly told me that there is no update from them and they can’t do anything about it.
Apparently Mr. R who was claiming to be following up with Redington was unknown to them and they again instructed me to get in touch with the Vendor (infibeam). Again this time my second visit again costing me 300 rupess was a waste of time and efforts. But this time I called up Mr. V of infibeam and told his the status Quo, while I was still at service center. Mr. V. almost gave up on me and suggested that only Mr. R. in the world can help me now. I tried calling Mr. R, who never picked up the call and instead sent me an SMS that he is very busy in a meeting and I’ll have to wait.
I swear I never felt so helpless and stupid in my life, thanks to the mistake I made by doing transaction with Infibeam. Finally Mr. R called and he got an confirmation from Redington that the product was never registered in their system, meaning that I or nobody ever have used that device.
To cut the story short , Finally Infibeam agreed to take back the product and picked it up on 3rd of January 2013. Since then there is no update from infibeam. I have sent several mail’s to Mr. V., who hasn’t bothered to revert back. Right now I am less 24thousand rupess with no product and no refund and no update from Infibeam.
I only recommend to avoid doing transaction in infibeam specially the high ticket items as they are selling the products which are either re fabricated, factory seconds and you will only regret the day when you made a purchase.