Yesterday I went shopping for veggies at the 'mini market' outside my housing colony. After picking up the exact assortment that I wanted, I had only one thing left on my list - fresh lemons. 'I sighted' a hand cart with a pile of juicy yellow ones and made a beeline for it. After some hard bargaining, I picked up two lemons ,handed him the cash, tossed the lemons on the top of all the other veggies and headed to the corner of the road where I was to meet a friend.
As I briskly walked away, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I found a panting, teenaged boy with a worried look on his face. Before I could ask him why he'd stopped me, he thrust his hand out and handed me Rs. 95. This was the boy who sold me the lemons. After bargaining with him for 10 minutes, I had paid him Rs.100 for two lemons! With a huge smile of gratitude, I thanked him, took back the change and felt the sky turning a brighter shade of blue.
All's well with the world you think? Not really, all wasn't well with my brand new laptop sleeve, which prompted me last weekend to knock on the doors of this electronics retail giant from where I got the laptop and it's accesories. The laptop sleeve, though not even used yet, had a big rip on one side, which had slipped past me at the time of purchase.
So armed with my warranty card (duly stamped), my bill and of course the offending laptop sleeve I went seeking a replacement or atleast a repair. A matter of mere minutes, the process should've been, right?
Well, that's what I thought too, till the sales guy who sold me the lappie, told me ' Madam, you should have come earlier for this replacement, it's too late now'.
I waved the warranty under his nose and said 'The warranty covers my laptop and it's accessories and is valid for 1 year! What are you talking about?!?'
'I'm sorry madam, those are the rules of our store.'
'How about the warranty from the manufacturer then?' I retorted.
'I'm sorry madam, I can't help you.'
I was dangerously close to screaming my head off, but decided to give non violence one more attempt and asked to speak to the store manager. The sales guy gave me a bored look and called out to his manager, who decided to allow me ample time to admire the store's scenery till he finally showed up. On being briefed about the issue at hand by the sales assistant, he turned towards me and parroted the exact same lines that the sales assistant had already told me.
I tried to explain to him that all I wanted was a replacement for the torn laptop sleeve, at the very least I wanted it repaired. But nope, the gods of organized retail refused to bestow their kindness on me.
Finally, having reached the end of my tether and feeling extremely unjustly treated I called up the consumer care number of the laptop manufacturer, requested to speak to the floor customer care head and recounted my problem to him. He asked to speak to the store manager, and surprise surprise, the manager grudgingly asked me, 'Madam, what model is your laptop, let me check if I have an extra sleeve in stock'
'Justice delivered!', I danced inwardly, and helped the man with the details he wanted. As the sales assistant headed off to the store room to get my spanking new laptop sleeve, I grinned away triumphantly at all the other customers who were curious witnesses to this drama.
Maybe it was that grin that jinxed it. Within seconds of his exit to find a replacement for my laptop sleeve, the sales assistant was back saying 'Sorry madam, we're out of stock for that particular model's accessories'
I couldn't believe my ears!! I led the sales guy to the display counter and showed him the same model that I had bought and said 'If you're out of stock of this model's accessories, how will you sell that piece?'
All I got in return was a grave nod of the head, saying 'I'm sorry madam, there's nothing I can do. We're out of stock. Maybe you could try another outlet of our chain (which was two suburbs away) or maybe you could come back in a week's time, by when we'll definitely have the sleeve available.'
Rage mingled with helplessness, for being made to run from pillar to post for a small item that formed a part of a purchase that costed me Rs. 35,000. I finally gave up, took the torn laptop sleeve from the counter and got it repaired at the neighbourhood cobbler's.
This organized torture that I had suffered at the hands of a organized corporate retail chain, flashed into my head on that bright summery afternoon, as I took my change back from the scrawny teenager selling lemons for a living. Mark Twain famously said, 'Principles have no real force except when one is well fed'. I don't blame him for saying that. After all, he never almost paid Rs. 100 for two lemons.
This is the most ridiculous piece of 'News' that I sighted today - Elvis Presley did not die of a heart attack...he died of constipation!!
Yesterday I went shopping for veggies at the 'mini market' outside my housing colony. After picking up the exact assortment that I wanted, I had only one thing left on my list - fresh lemons. 'I sighted' a hand cart with a pile of juicy yellow ones and made a beeline for it. After some hard bargaining, I picked up two lemons ,handed him the cash, tossed the lemons on the top of all the other veggies and headed to the corner of the road where I was to meet a friend. 
Rage mingled with helplessness, for being made to run from pillar to post for a small item that formed a part of a purchase that costed me Rs. 35,000. I finally gave up, took the torn laptop sleeve from the counter and got it repaired at the neighbourhood cobbler's.
