The Bangalore Blog

How do you screw a loyal customer?

Posted Vinaya HS

Consider our experience with Sangeetha Electronics, a popular mobile phone vendor in Bangalore, with stores located on JC Road, Jayanagar 4th Block, and at the Forum Mall, Koramangala. We (myself and Avinash) have been regular customers at Sangeetha over the past couple of years, having bought several mobile phones for friends and family. In total, we have done business over INR 60,000 with Sangeetha. About ten days back Avinash bought a Nokia carry pouch (worth INR 250) for his new Sony Ericcsson K700i – both the items being bought at Sangeetha. A couple of days later he noticed that the new carry pouch had a defect.

We could not take it back to the store until today. The dealer refused to acknowledge the defect insisting that he could not send it back to Nokia. It seems he would have happily replaced the pouch had we brought it back within a day or two. No amount of explanation (expressing our helplessness for not coming earlier) could change his mind. He admitted that he was ready to lose us as a customer (and any future business that we would bring) but would not replace the pouch. That we felt was injustice because we have always convinced (and in some cases forced) people to buy their mobile phones at Sangeetha. We had no reason to be their brand ambassadors, but we chose to. From today, we no longer are.

“Customer Service” is one business acumen that many a business in India needs to learn. What would you have done if you were in the dealer’s shoes? Would you be willing to sacrifice INR 250 just to keep a loyal customer? And having read about our experience, would you buy your mobile phone at Sangeetha?

116 thoughts on “How do you screw a loyal customer?”

  3. Hey Guys, I hate sangeetha so much that I feeling like gooing and standing in fron of the at least one sangeetha store and educating the blind customers not to buy phones from them, once I had been to Suntimes Jayangar( near BHS College) and enquired abt Nokia N72 Price, it was very tempting those days, I guess around 16,800 INR there. when my frnd insited that we cross check in Sangeetha, i hesitated b coz I knew Suntimes would give the best price for any mobile and it was the least compared to other stores and the owner and the sales guys respect you and greet you with a smile everytime. Theprice at sangeetha was 800 rs higher than the price at Suntimes, when I told the sales guy at sangeetha he started defending telling they offer the best price and it was impossible for anybody to sell at that price. I took up a challnge with the sales guys and asked him to call suntimes and he did, I asked him to put the loud speaker and I enquired abt the price and he was stunned and he lost the challnge but never gave what he challnged for. he had challanged that he would give the mobile free if I win. I also had challnged that I would give my Nokia N70 free if he won, then he started arguing and yeelling at us coz he knew he lost and he also knew that we’ll not buy there. I walked out showing my middle finger to him and his manager. Guys I suggest you check the price at Suntimes Jayanagar 4 th Block behind BHS College for any mobile purchases he is got the least price and best after sales and courteus sales reps, I always buy my mobiles there and recommend every body there you can also get your old mobile exchnaged for the new one also which he gives the best price.

    Avinashhhh

  4. I have bought from them before and I went to Sangeetha Indiranagar yesterday to buy an O2 phone. Nobody attended to me for 15 minutes!! Sad bunch of guys ‘coz they just lost business of >20K and of course a customer.

  5. Even i ahd the same experience with sangeetha R.T Nagar Bangalore. I bought a srach guard and a girl fixed it with talking to her boy friend ………… so care less about others money and it was not done properly.
    I lost 350 rupees anyway.
    Dear friends dont go Sangeetha.

  11. please dont buy any cell phones from SANGEETHA as they charge lot more than any other branded cell phone store…For example the MOTO ROKR E6 is 15,500 in sangeetha elsewhere its for 13,600 with same memory card..I personally prefer the mobile store whioh has branches all over the country

  12. Its True About SUNTIMES I too got Rs 1700 exchange price for my Nokia 6030 (one year old with display changed ) where as new phone cost you Rs.2800 only .

    I bought Nokia 6233 in Rs.6400 Exchange price . in sangeetha the same exchange price was Rs.7100/- .

  13. hi vinny ,
    I am a very unhappy cus of sangeetha the people r not trained how to speak to cus , they r worlds worst people especially the shop owners especially a person called karthick in forum mall bangalore plz ignore and aviod this person as much as possible …

  14. How is the current offer in sangeetha for mtorola phone l9 slvr with bluetooth snoon wireless head set free. I thing there is no dealer to beat this offer.

    What we customer want is best offer. and we forget evrything. I do.

  15. Hi,

    I was planning to purchase a mobile and thanks for this information. After seeing the sad experiences I will never turn towards Sangeetha Electronics for anything. This forum is helping a handful of people with the nuances of the business ethics they are following,

    Thanks,

  16. I am planning to buy a Nokia Mobile Phone. I was looking for the prices of the following models on the websites of the respective dealers and this is what i came up with.

    Model: Nokia 3110 Classic – 5899 in UniverCell, 5899 in The Mobile Store, 5700 in Global Access and 5800 in Sangeetha.

    Model: Nokia 1600 – 1749 in UniverCell, 1719 in The Mobile Store, 1700 in Global Access and 1850 in Sangeetha.

    Clearly, Sangeetha charges more or should I say Over Charges. Probably this has to do with the Ad Campaign they run in various theatres about their store and having stores in so called high visible places.

    Even though I have not been a customer of sangeetha, I have visited their showroom, especially the one in jayanagar, only to be put off by the snooty behaviour of their staff who absolutely do not know any thing about customer friendliness and their “take-it-or-leave” attitude.

  17. I would recommend SUN TIMES (I have made few purchases there) which is at Jayanagar 4th ‘T’ Block. Their customer customer service is impeccable and they are really courteous to all their customers.

    The prices SUN TIMES charges, I think is one of the best prices in town.

  18. thank u for the alert friends!
    i lost my mobile phone (Nokia N72,purchased at sangeetha,forum branch) yest in my office while distributing my wedding invitations! :-( Some body flicked it. Don know how. Still a mystery!Was planning to go to sangeetha n again get the same model!
    My friend sent me the link to this blog!!By No ways,im going to Sangeetha in my life time! Thanks to my friend for sending this link…n thankss to the blogers!
    looking out for a better shop…

  21. Thanks for updating guys about Sangeetha’s, since 2003 i visited Sangeetha’s outlet in Indiranagar for about 5 times to purchase new mobile’s, out of 5 i was attended by sales rep just twice, that too my friend knew one of those guys. Evertime i ended up buying in their opposite outlet Delight Telecom, they give the best price for your bargain and best exchange price, its the same uneducated guys in both shops, but only thing is the attitude.

  22. I found the same attitude even in the new chain of shops UniverCell, its not as rosy i taught after watching the Ads on TV. The guys (all young boys) at Delight Telecom i really appreciate them for their attitude and they help customers choose what they want.

  24. Pingback: Help Required: Can You Recommend A Good Mobile Phone Shop Near The Forum Mall? at GEO 12.97°N 77.56°E

  25. Hi Guys,

    Good stuff…. and thanks for all who shared their experiences.
    I will not choose Sangeetha any more.
    One of the cheep trick played…
    is every mobile box usually have two stickers,
    while showing to us, they will show only new sticker, the other sticker
    might already open for “their purpose” long back.

    Regds
    Satya

  26. i went to global access in garuda mall and also to forum dont remember the name. both places the difference in prices is enormous the premium edtion of rokr is offered at 14700 (approx). my street side vendour pomises to give me for just 14.5 grand at max. also the stores wanted to charge me 2% extra for credit card payment. I just walked out of their stores. saying that ” u r not doing favour to me by taking my credit cards” they said to me that its charged on them by the banks. but i dont think banks charge it they charge for the machine only. so please dont buy from these ppl only buy when there is a grand sale else avoid these gods of no one.

  27. hi guys
    i bought a new mobile phone from sangeetha’s store hyderabad , banjara hills branch, its new company ( FLY SX 210 ) and the dealer promised me for the best service i can get in the city even though its new company, after using for 3 months i had some problem with that phone , when i gave my phone to rectify the problem , thay took it and told me that he will retern my phone in 5 days after 8 days when i contected the store thay told me it will take 12 days , again when i visited the store after 12 days , thay told me in will take 3 more days after 20 days of follow up with them thay gave me the phone but thay changed my phone new panel and body with a old one with full of scratches, when i argued with the store manager Mr. saleem has no answer and he simply says that is what that the condition he recieved, i feel sangeeta mobile store is a big cheet and every one should about the facts what thay are doing with the customer’s valued money and time

  28. Thank god, This blog really helping me. I am leaving hyderabad. i Plan to brought a new mobile phone (nokia N series) and i searched a mobile site to see the latest modal then i found this blog. My friend rakesh roy recommend me to buy cell phone from sangeetha’s store. Thank god
    i am save. i will never go to sangeetha’s store Because for this money is all coustomer satisfaction is nothing.

  29. Amazing. Imagine what Rs. 250/- can do to a business. I chanced upon your blog while browsing for a place to buy a mobile in Bangalore. I am a management consultant and often ask my customers to read what the legendary Nordstrom customer service is all about and why they have set such benchmarks that even very evolved retailers in developed markets find hard to match. Sangeetha is a case in point for a country that feeds on mediocrity, apathy and downright fraud and rudeness. I suspect, with changing market conditions, their time too will come.

    Meanwhile, in their shoes, I would have not just replaced the pouch promptly but offered them a luch coupon or other mobile accessory for free with profound apologies. In fact I would have put in place a system to have customers call in with their complaints and redress it at their place, saving them the trouble of coming to the store at all.

    By the way, I am still looking for a good place to buy a new Nokia mobile. Any suggestions ?

  30. Hi Rajaram,

    If you are in Bangalore, check out nowbengaluru.com, and click on mobiles on left side menu, they have given a list of all major mobile chain/dealers. Personally i would recommend Big B or The Mobile Shop, they are quite better than Sangeetha’s or UniverCell. Hope now can get a clear picture.

  32. Hey people never be brand ambassdors ——– they dont pay us like they do for celebrites

    As they have other customers we do have other shops

    So just chill madi

  34. Big Bazar is a Cheat

    Hi,

    I am Hemanth Madyalkar and i am a regular customer of Big Bazar. Recently i bought 2 PC CD roms, one is a gaming CD and second one is a Educational, buth the CDs dont work nor get installed, when i checked with the Bigbazar people they say they cannot replace or exchange it, so the money what ever i have invested is lost it nothing than a junk now.

    I say that even the people selling pirecy CD’s on road have some responsibility but bigbazar sucks with the quality and standards than the street shops.

    I suggest please do not buy and software or gaming CD’s in Big bazar as they are nothing but junk.

    “BIGBAZAR is a BIG SUCKER” I am going for consumer court for this, because i am a regular customer of bigbazar and every time i go i do a minimal shopping of 2000/- atleast and this what you get when you spend your hard earnt money.

    Regards,
    Hemanth

  36. Hi folk,

    good to see the awareness of the informations that you guy’s are sharing in a open forum, but for me its too late, I have already purchased rokr E6 about three months ago, as on now i don’t have any problme with my mobile, but have to wait and see how this set work longtime…..

    anyway badluck that i have purchased mobile from sangeetha…

    Thanks
    Bhanu

  37. hi guys…
    im the owner of “SANGEETHA Mobiles”…actually my father is…
    i got very pissed off reading all these ppl’s blogs…
    i certainly wasn’t angry at d ppl who used fowl abt SANGEETHA or at my dad…

    i just want to drive one point into u ppl dat we
    (my dad and me),look for customer satisfaction more dan the profits, sales or fame….

    my dad is a little down-to earth/kind-hearted person and so has a soft corner towards the salesmen,and so he doesnt sclod them for these kind of mistakes…
    we never ever in our life think of cheating our customers…
    all said and done,wat ever might be the reason i give,i understand that i should give u guys the best service and a proper compensation to ur griviences/problems….
    but plz for heavens sake do not think dat SANGEETHA as an organisation itself is like that, jus bcuz one sales person was a bastard…

    i’ve just completed my tenth grade and so do not have the powers to screw the employees wen they attend customers rudely…

    however i can help u out to the best possible extent if u can call ‘me’ on 09743054838 or 08041643013….
    i will personally listen to ur griviences and go out of my way and help ppl who hav been treated rudely or cheated by the salesmen….

    and to complete i apologise frm the bottom of my heart to the ppl who hav been caused inconvinience by the salesmen…
    I AM SORRY…
    plz do call the above mentioned no’s for any assistance…

  38. Hi Chandu,

    Its nice to hear that you guys gave unconditional apologies, and gone one step further by giving your personal numebers to solve the problems. I am impressed at your down-to-earth attitude. Good luck young turk!

  39. Dear vinay,
    I really understand the agony and time you went thru after you had purchased that carry case from the stores.every customer has the right to fight for his rights and get the work done, but at the same time we should even understand that every retail organisation and some terms and conditions that most of the consumers dont know about, and so we end up blaming the poor retailer.just coz of 1 stupid salesman we cannt simply blame the whole organisation who has been in the retail organisation for so many years. I myself have been a very loyal customer of sangeethamobiles since they had started in Jc.ROAD and till date i havent faced any probs, and yeah except sometimes there might be an issue over the pricing, but hey its a whole big retail market where there’s a huge competition in all,so there’s bound for such things to happen.
    therefore i would suggest you guys to not to judge with just these small incidents and i woul;d definetly bet that sangeetha mobile stores are for the customers and by the customers and they will stand by their customer service loyalty in the near furure.
    And to help you i would suggest you to forward your mail to the concerned person at sangeetha mobiles id mentioned below. suprith@sangeethamobiles.com. he will definetly help you out if the problem is noticed. take care.

  40. i do agree with chandu…we cannt just judge the whole organisation by these issues.currently there’s a good promotion running at sangeetha mobiles. the FLY to SINGAPORE OFFER AND free bluetooth headset offer.
    i would recommend sangeethamobiles anytime, for best deals and best prices.

  41. Good to see that somebody from Sangeetha acknowledged the agony customer been thru, but is that all ?

    If you say one incidence of some bastard salesman then why so many people are pouring their griefs in here ?

    When I read all the incidences of these folks ( including me ) I think about the attitude that has gone down to heart of most of the salesperson ( who cares ! )

    You are more vulnerable when you are successful , you not only pissed on the trust of your customers but also have not taken any preventive measures. God save you…( calculate the damage these potential buyers caused you when you breached the trust of your loyal customers )

    all in good spirit and without any grudge..

    Cheers
    Anil

  42. I bought a mobile Nokia 5610 on Saturday, used it and found defective. it had a problem of rebooting. In sangeetha they told that they will replace the hand set if there is any such problem! so i brought and showed told that the problem is there the next day on Sunday. They didnot replace the handset tell me that its not getting shut down in front of them. so they again told me to use it for one week then see if the problem persists. it again reboted 5-6 times daily so the next saturday i again took it to them then they said if i had brought in 24 hr then they could have replace but now they will not. then they sent that mobile to the Nokia care center for reloading the software. Still now the problem persists. the people of Sangheeta CMH is very careless they give a damn to the customers. they give so many promotional offers which are absoulely useless and sucks… Donot buy from Sangeetha CMH road, bangalore. one of the promotional offers was free sim card which got disconnected after few days coz they didnt submit the required documents in the Airtel office. they dont pick the call for the numbers which r provided on the website and on the bills. One of the horrible Shops in Bangalore.

  43. Hi Folks,
    Truely said.. The salesman are really great.. They never bother about the customers and don’t talk properly. I went to Sangeetha’s Forum. After waiting for 15 mins.. I got to talk just to know that another salesman is dealing with that…and another salesman told me that previous salesman is dealing with that.. so I better choose to come out then wasting time and money there.
    If they are not caring now.. then how they will treat afterwards

  44. Guys you have been on the recieving end of the sales in most of the shops. There are couple things you should be aware before you pick up phone. Any warranty is from the manufacturer only. No retail outlet selling a branded goods will give you the warranty on it’s behalf.

    No matter howmuch pressure you put on these sales guys in the multi brand retail outlet it of no use.

    Catch the brands and beat them cos they are responsible for the replacement policy with respect to the retail outlet.

  45. This is not the problem only with Sangheeta, its with every shop in Bangalore. They dont care about Customer. There attitute is same as any land owner in bangalore, to suck out money from your pocket and give a damn. The problem here is that no owner sits in the shop and shop id run by just Servants. You go to any shop ownwed by a Gujrati or Marwadi you will feel the difference…

  46. Hi Friends,

    U guys r lucky atleast u got confirmation that u need to pay amount & u will get the gifts…hahahah.

    I took mobile on 16/06 and filled the form till now i never get any confirmation and i visited the shop @ Forum mall after 4 weeks they gave me a no and asked to send sms reg bill no they will confirm the price. But i send sms twice and no response, when i tried to call that no it says all incomming calls r barred ( the no is 9972572515) when i tried to reach the shop no given in the bill ( 22067666) no one is picking.

    What the hell is happening … cant we take any action to avoid this kind of Fraud…

  47. Hi guys,

    I really wanted to tell u guys that they cheat people like anything ,,,,they r bunch of loosers they even cheated me when i bought sony eric..in the name of free bluetooth they cheated me n almost took extra money in the name of some vat card payment.

    i thank u guys that u took the initiative to teach them lessons.
    i felt so helpless till now but u guys did real good job.

    So I feel “NO ONE SHOULD DO BUSINESS WITH THEM NOT ONLY THEY CHEAT BUT ALSO CUSTOMER RESPECT IS ZERO”

  49. am i fortunate or am i fortunate.. luckily i’ve not had such experiences as described above coz i’ve got ALL my cellphones (and ain’t talking 1 or 2, but more than 15) from my close friend (i met him when i bought the Ericsson T39m – my second Ericsson after the R380 World – many years back) – Prakash and Co. ask for Vijay Jain..

    not advertising for my friend here, but think that people shouldn’t end up having bad experiences in places like sangeetha and feel cheated.. everyone has the right to be treated with respect and dignity.. after all, customer is the king! ;)

    i’ll check with my him and see if i can post his contact information for you guys.. (one should respect other’s privacy, now shouldn’t we)

    PS: getting my SE P1i from him today ;)

  50. Hi Friends,
    I happened to go through all the opinions, views, observations and problems people have faced with Sangeetha Electronics. I have been their regular customer for nearly the last 10 years, when their’s was a humble appliance store. I have always interacted with the owner Mr. Subhash, his brother Mr. Rajesh and the manager Mr. Chandramohan. I have never ever faced any problems at Sangeetha and when there were any, they were handled personally by one of the above gentlemen. Now, coming to issues with pricing, all retail stores have their right to price whatever they want. It is for us to decide and buy wherever we like. You cant blame them for a price difference. All technical problems with phones are to be addressed to the manufacturere and not to the retailer. It is a clear understanding all over the country, and a few illinformed friends blame the stores. Errors in billing, customer handling etc always vary from shop to shop and person to person. You cant blame a company for the irresponsible behavious of a couple of salesmen. I am in retailing and I know how difficult it is to get good people doing retail sales, considering the temption packages offered to young people in call centres and by big retail monsters like Reliance/Big Bazaar etc. I presume that Sangeetha must have handled more than a lakh customers till date and coz of observations of about 50 people here, we should not judge a store. Friends, go for yourselves, and check out the store. After all, you are buying branded products. No one can cheat you with the product. As far as pricing, you decide after making a small survey. Good times friends.

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