On 29-Dec-2007, my hubby & I visited Reliance Digital on Cunningham Road Bangalore, to purchase a LCD Television. We decided to buy a LG 32’’ (model: 32LC4R; offered price: 43, 990/-) on part payment and were taken to the finance department to acquire the details of the payment.
We were told that we had to pay the EMIs through post-dated cheques and this option (i.e. Reliance Finance) involves a cost of 1250/- as ‘processing fee’. We enquired about the ECS option but were told that it is not functional yet.
On 31-Dec-2007 (the ‘spot finance’ advertisement is definitely misleading, because this procedure takes its own time), after we received a call stating that the loan has been approved, we went with the required documents (photo ID proof, address proof etc) to make the payment. This is where the misery began – This ordeal took 5 hours!
The finance department had apparently not disclosed to us all the available options of payment. We were not told about the ‘credit card – EMI’ option. We overheard the details of this option while it was being explained to another customer. If the payment is made through credit card, the interest would amount to Rs 800/-, which is less, compared to the Reliance Finance processing fee. On questioning, the finance staff told us that the ‘credit card- EMI’ option was launched on just that day while their ‘senior’ staff contradicts this by saying that it was available since 3 days! Why were we not given all the facts to make an informed choice? We needn’t have to make a second trip with the documents, had we known that we could pay through credit card.
However, we decided to pay through credit card. The finance staff now takes a photocopy of both sides of the credit card and claims that it is ‘their procedure’. Isn’t it a known fact that the Verification Value Code (CVV number) printed behind a credit card is a confidential number and is an anti-fraud measure? Why do you have ignorant and untrained staff dealing with grave responsibilities (such as finance) here? We soon had another staff member contradicting his peer stating that the photocopy was not required. What if the CVV numbers were acquired from other naïve customers?
The credit card swiping instrument went conked. We were with a variety of disinterested individuals, who lacked seriousness and commitment in what they were doing - They wasted 2 hours of our time trying to get the credit card swiping machine work and it didn’t, eventually. Does the mega store have no fix or alternative in such situations?
Finally, we paid through post-dated cheques and had the additional charges (1250-800) waived off after enough argument. Why should a customer be taxed for the store’s mismanagement, failure, and inadequacy?
We were told that we need to pay (during installation) for the clamps/brackets that are required for mounting the TV. They told us that the Reliance personnel would bring the required material for mounting the TV and that would cost us an additional 1500! We were skeptical about this, and on the next day found out from the LG corporate sales office that the brackets come along with the TV as accessories. This is also documented in the product manual that is available on LG’s website. On speaking with Reliance, we were told that there was a ‘small’ miscommunication. We wouldn’t be surprised if they would make us pay for that too, eventually!
To add to that, the staff is rude, irritatingly incompetent, and an infuriatingly unhelpful bunch. Even the seniors were not helpful. There is absolutely no co-ordination among the staff and each one misleads the customer. The place is a chaotic enterprise managed by un-resourceful personnel.
Shopping at Reliance Digital was a disgusting, trying, and draining experience. We wasted 5 hours on New Year’s Eve dealing with this nuisance and it has definitely left us bitter. We are expecting the product today – after all the torture and struggle.
We do not rely on Reliance for any post sale service after getting a taste of the pre sale service. Reliance Digital has attempted to dupe us and has tortured us!