My tubectomy failed. Can I sue the doctor?
The canned potatoes I bought were rotten. What do I do?
Is my courier responsible for the job I lost?
I paid a 25,000 advance on a new car. Four years later, there’s neither a car nor a refund, never mind
the interest. Where do I go?
Consumer is king, say market-place dynamics. Throw in deals, freebies, privileges, or anything at all
-- just get the money out of those pockets. Thing is, the people behind those pockets are hopping
mad, simply because no matter what the promises made by companies at the time of buying are,
follow-up consumer service is at an all-time low.
Coming to the rescue are online consumer redressal forums. The list of categories that these
Websites accept complaints under is staggering. Products, services, institutions and organisations
are all included; all further classified according to price, quality, content, timing, commitment to
quality and service. Even institutions such as banks and products such as movies are not left out.
Basically, what these Web sites do is offer reviews of everything, leaving it to the consumer to decide
whether they would like to avail of the goods on offer or not. They also act as ‘facilitators’ between
consumers and organisations.
Like Citizen Bharat, a website that takes the trouble of conveying
feedback and opinions of consumers to the organisation, and vice-versa, while sharing those
opinions with numerous other web surfers in the process.
What users get is not only information on available choices, but also a platform where people can
view others’ opinions on products they have used. It is a free forum where consumers have the final
say about products they love or hate, rate their usefulness or uselessness and make their buying
decisions, at the same time refraining from being an opinionated party. The USP: Valuable feedback.
Click to complain says iTheCustomer, the brainchild of journalist
Monika Halan, who has been a consumer activist through her medium and Arun Anand, a corporate
bigwig with many years of experience behind him.
The site has a two-fold objective -- make consumers heard and give companies feedback they often
miss. A very interesting concept here is that of the ‘Hall of Fame’ and ‘Hall of Shame,’ where
companies who have received glowing tributes and big brickbats are featured, respectively. A
powerful incentive for companies to perform better? You bet.
Slightly more radical by nature is Planet Customer, which offers
features such as comparative quizzes that help you determine what exactly you want to buy.
Through its comprehensive search, you can compare various models, companies and types
available. It goes a step ahead, letting you check out model listings, view any model you like, and
seeing its features online. This proves to be an invaluable aid while buying.
Furthermore, detailed case studies are available online. Reviews and ratings are made available by
consumers, and those who need aid also solicit replies and opinions. There are also
discussion-based pieces that talk in-depth on subjects such as the Indian mentality, in terms of
levels of comfort with online buying. There is also a multi-experience-based piece on whether
computer institutes are worth the money and trouble. The conclusion: they are not.
Not just buying, seems the tag-phrase here. Get a better life. Anyone might offer you the earth, the
sky and the moon, but do they deliver?
Consumer Raj is yet another forum to express yours, and avail of
others’ opinions. Apart from the usual categories of products and services, it also has a section
where you can speak forth as a consumer about the media. As a platform, it acts on three levels --
before buying, while buying and after buying. The tools it uses are Reliability Reports, Consumer
Buying Guides and previously published works.
On the other hand, Consumer India comes forth with a powerful line
of pep-talk and a strong hope-- that the pen is mightier than the sword, words are mightier than fists
and the Net is the mightiest of them all.
The stress here is on ‘painful experiences’, which they promise to turn into ‘sweet ones’ and make
you the king of consumers. Judiciously divided into nine parts -- Consumer, Legal advice, Help Desk,
Complaint Zone, Judgements, Expert Guidance, Discussion, Consumer Experience and News – the
site helps you with every arena of the market place, post-buying. You can learn simple basics like
rights and responsibilities, how to go to consumer court and where and how to get legal advice. You
can also look up judgments that have been passed earlier, to figure out what kind of chance you
stand with your complaint.
There’s also a database of concerned officers addresses and contact details from organisations
such as government departments, private and public sectors, and so on. The expert guidance
section is also a useful reference point.
Similar guidelines are followed by King Consumer which promises
to be the forum of the Indian consumer. Consumers are cordially invited to express their anguish
against defaulters, and the idea here is to unite consumers into a big force against any given
manufacturer or product provider and fight them successfully.
It is unfortunate, however, that there is not too much evidence of these lofty intentions being fulfilled.
Furthermore, when contacted to respond to this article, the site did not reciprocate, even in the
negative. Enough said.
The list of sites could go on forever, but the important question is, how effective are they? Going by
the fact that not one of them have put up any examples of cases that were fought on behalf of
consumers by them and won, and that neither is there any evidence of any company replying to the
more acerbic complaints against them, one wonders if these grievances even reach the right ears.
Sure, practically sites boast of a panel of experts too, but how active are they?
Furthermore, when contacted to present their cases, none of the sites deigned to reply. Makes one wonder: If
they fail to make themselves heard on a public platform, how concerned are they about the poor consumer
anyway?
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