| A: Details of the organisation complained about |
| 1.Organisation: |
India Today Book Club |
| 2. State: |
Delhi |
| 3. City: |
Delhi |
| 4. Website: |
www.indiatodaybookclub. com |
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| B: Details of complaint |
| 1. Subject: |
Cheating subcribers with fraud offers.
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| 2. Period: |
2007 - Dec |
3. Details:
|
I had purchased 3 CDs in Dec 07 and all were delivered in damaged condition. I had complained through e mail on 08 Jan 08 and they had sent a fresh package by VPP which the post man obviously refused to deliver and I was not prepared to accept except as a replacement free of cost! I reported it through e mail on 30 Jan 08 and there has been NO response so far. Copies of my e mail on 08 Jan 08 and 30 Jan 08 are included in the complaint document (comp-itbc-vcd and books-050708) attached. Later I received a Books Buddy offer of 5 books which they claimed to be best sellers. The packet even contained dummy dust jackets of the books being offered. As a 'Customer of Distinction' I was also offered free gifts worth Rs 5990/- if I accepted the VPP costing Rs 735. I received the VPP on 20 Jun 08 but there has been NO sign of the free gifts. Shockingly even the package was short of one book. The invoice itself shows the titles of 4 books only but the total quantity is shown as 5 and the total cost is Rs 120/- more than the actual total ! The missing book that I have NOT received is 'You can heal your life'. Scanned images of the 'Customer of Distinction' offer, dummy dust jackets of the 5 books offered, invoice and the instructions for claiming one of the two assured free gifts are attached. On following the instructions one is led down a dead alley! Copy of the complaint sent through post using one of their own business reply envelopes is attached The complaints through e mail on 22 Jun and their responses are also included in it.
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| 4. Additional information: |
http://www.karmayog.org/othercomplaints//upload/22/itbc-complaint to karmayog.zip
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5. Current status:
|
Not only has there been NO positive action on my complaints they have come up with an addtional offer exactly on the lines of the earlier Customer of Distinction offer. Only this time the assured free gifts are: Diamond jewellery worth Rs 5000/- and Tupperware Lunch box worth Rs 330/-! And the Books Buddy books are Blink by Malco lm Gladwell, Vaastu by Sashikala Ananth, The inheritance of loss by Kiran Desai and Superstar India by Shobhaa De. The dummy dust covers have been provided but are not being scanned and attached just to keep the file size under limits.
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6. Solution desired:
|
The CDs should be replaced free of cost. But since it is difficult to check the condition of the CDs I would prefer that books of my choice of equivalent value is given in lieu. Also for the troubles caused I expect them to compensate me with additional books of the same value. The missing book of the Customer of Distinction offer and the free gifts should be provided without any more delay. Again I expect them to compensate me for the delay and trouble that ensued.
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| 7. Help needed: |
No
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| C: My Suggestions |
| 1. For the organisation: |
Though on the face of it an offer of free gifts worth Rs 5990/- on buying books worth Rs 735/- (incl postage and handling charges) would be ridiculous I was tempted to believe because of the Customer of Distinction classification. If amoung their thousands of customers they were offering some privileges to a few customers who have been regularly patronising them then there was nothing to disbelieve in it. But as far as the CDs are concerned I am still wondering how could they have scratches and be cracked when the package is as good as any that could be used. I really suspect foul play.
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| 2. For the public: |
Customer be ware! Never get carried away by big names. Better to promote your friendly neighbour hood shopkeeper always!
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| 3. For government: |
The Consumer Protect Act makes it difficult for the consumer to pursue these cases because of jurisdiction. These offers invariably come with the clause Disputes subjected to courts in .....only. But with even e-commerce taking off in such a big way, it should be necessary that the consumer is able to prosecute the service/goods provider at the place where the goods/service is delivered also.
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| D: My Contact Details |
| 1. Name: |
Maj (Retd) P M Ravindran |
| 2. Organisation: |
Janjagratha, Palakkad |
| 3. Profession: |
Telecomn Engineer but presently activist only |
| 4. Phone: |
0491-2576042 |
| 5. Email: |
majorravi@gmail.com |
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