I have been a loyal LG Electronics user, what with automatic washing machine cum dryer, airconditioner etc. of the same brand for the past couple of years.

Recently two episodes involving both the products happened that left me Happy/Sad.

The first one involving Washing machine began more than 8 months ago. Someone from LG had called up with their AMC offer, which we immediately availed of. Within a month of that offer, the dryer conked off and then the discussion began like lucky dip answer:

Madam, the spare part is coming from Delhi, the spare part came but was not the correct one, the mechanic has left, the company has discontinued the spare part, discontinued the machine, upgraded the machine, you should never have bought it etc. (take your pick). This would have gone on, with my not even being involved till the monsoons arrived (because who in Bombay uses a dryer otherwise) but for the fact that my wife decided to travel, leaving detailed instructions on how to use it.

The first time, I tried it out and it sounded like a mortar crashing down. Desperate calls to the wife, found the background, called up LG to hear some recorded message, tweeted about it, got an answer to write on an email. Did so the next day and they responded with name and how it was being handled.

It took 45-60 days to close the complaint but during the time LG did the following:

1) Asked if we were willing to give up the 3 year old machine & buy another one.
2) Offered a good buy back price for the old machine, making it impossible to refuse (money still awaited)
3) Offered a good deal on the new improved machine, making it easier to buy it.

Overall a painless experience, once the tweet and email worked.

The second episode involved my AC that conked off. Complaint lodged, 48 hours later after half dozen followup, some one loitered in around 8.45 pm, tested the machine & announced: ‘Gas nahi hai’ (now here I cannot understand that these local guys top up the gas on the spot, then why can Samsung & LG not do it too), workshop lekar jaana padega. Please pay 200, which was paid, on the assurance the next day morning it would be picked up (being Saturday). Nobody turned up, so the followup began again, till at 8 pm it was picked up, with a so called promise of Monday delivery. New day – Monday……same to same with dozen calls to find out if they were delivering that day, till finally were told that it would be Tuesday/Wednesday between 4-6 pm.

In the meantime, had lodged a complaint about the service to the customer service, who responded promptly and maybe thanks to that the AC came for delivery on Tuesday at 6 pm with the workshop calling up to inform ‘SIr, your AC is being delivered and tomorrow somebody would come for fitting the same’ tadak disconnected the phone. After a couple of tries, managed to call back to find out why it could not be fitted, ‘Sir, company policy is to do the fitting next day. But, M’aam this is a window AC taken for repairs. Sorry, we cannot go against the company policy. Finally, the manager came on the line, ‘Sir, hope your AC is fitted’ Whilst taking a breath, explained the problem to him. Prompt his answer was that if you have a split AC it will take 24 hours or else it would be fitted immediately.

Completely, irrevocably exhausted waited quietly till 9 pm for the AC to be fitted, thanked God, LG all mechanics and went to sleep.

Written by AD