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Reliance Retail – An Unorganized & Cheap Player In the Organized Retail Space

Hi Guys,

I need some help from you guys if you can get this post across the head of Reliance Retail.

We might have read a lot of posts on about how to do business. But this may be the first of its kind showing 1 sure shot way of business failure.

Nokia fell to its face because of attitude and now Reliance will follow.

If you want to fail, follow the business model of Reliance Retail. Why? I’ll explain below.

2 days before my father went to reliance digital store (Milan Subway, Santacruz) to purchase a modem router for our ADSL broadband. He is not a technical guy, so he explained that we had an “ADSL modem and wanted a modem with higher range”.

The bloke at the store offered him to purchase a 300+ meter range router. Since my dad was not aware if it was the correct piece, he opted in for a lower end router of 150 meters on the condition that “if it doesn’t work for us it will be replaced.”

Next day we go to the store asking them to replace the modem with a router. A sales guy comes and says that the product can not be replaced as the package is opened (how in the world will I get to know if the product is what I need without opening the package).

We asked to speak to the manager, he had left for the day. There is no support for customers.

I said, I want to purchase another router of higher value, the first modem was Rs 1500 and I would be purchasing a router modem of Rs 3500 in exchange. The sales guy refused.

I said I also wanted to buy a Samsung Ultra Book (around Rs 45k) and a Cannon 60 D (around Rs 55k). Still no consideration.

They lost a customer of more than Rs 1 lakh just by not exchanging a modem of Rs 1500. 

Apart from saying no to a loyal consumer, there was no reply to empathy towards an irate customer, there were not escalation points available.

Apart from this, I observed a lot of sales reps around on the floor promising the clients to purchase a product and they could have it replaced. I pity those who might have made the purchases.

We immediately left the place and made the purchases from eZone. Hats off to the Biyani group who set up the store and ran it really well.

For all those reading this, I strongly recommend purchasing from eZone or Croma or any other place but a Reliance digital store. Spending a few hundred bucks is better than being cheated!

If someone from Reliance Retail is reading this post, I will suggest, please don’t believe in one time sales and treat loyal customers well.

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  1. Dear Sir,

    We apologize for the inconvenience.
    Although we take great care to ensure that important matters such as customer service are properly managed, please accept our sincere apologies for not meeting your expectations.
    In light of this, please share your contact details at – https://www.facebook.com/reliancedigital/app_316705315043746 so that we help you resolve your issue and hope that this will provide a basis for continuing our relationship.

    Warm Regards,

    Reliance Digital

  2. I feel that therodinhoods.wpengine.com is fast becoming a place for irate consumers to rant about their plight. It just feels a wee bit out of sync. 

    Also: I know that Reliance isn’t particularly known for being a well-reputed company, but calling it unorganized and cheap because of an isolated incident is naive.

  3. Wow..  Companies participating in forums, blogs to solve customer queries  good moment

    Thanks

    Sai

  4. Hello Neelesh…I understand the frustrations of such experiences…we all have gone through it and will continue to encounter such on and off…I am just wondering whether eZone or Croma would have acted in a different way in a ditto situation. 

    Every retail is a bloke in some way or the another and I have the highest level of contempt for the sales executive of such retail players who have redefined the words such as dumb, dunce, douche-bags, etc. They have zero knowledge of the products and they don’t have ears to first understand what the consumer needs. They have been taught by the textbook and will say the same things irrespective of what the needs are.

    Though its encouraging to see some one from Reliance coming here and trying to address the issue. Keep us posted. 

    But recently I came across very impressive advertisement of Reliance Digital about ResQ…their new total peace of mind initiative. And now this experience of yours. 

    In pursuit of reach and scale, brands nowadays are spreading the quality of experience to very very thin levels. 

  5. So nice of you to have responded to the buyers concern. surely the value and currency that you would derive out of this initiave would far outweigh the costs involved in such cases…

  6. We bought a combo pack of soaps from Biyani’s Fair Price and after  reaching home  found that particular soap is allergic to my son. With out opening it I went to Fair price shop to  replace it  and it took me more than 6-7 visits to get it done. We are regular customer and buy groceries worth 3-4000 per month.  Biyanis, Ambanis are same when it comes to customer service. 

  7. If you had the bill and still it took 6-7 visits, that’s pretty ridiculous. In terms of time you may already spent much more than if you had just bought another pack instead of getting it exchanged.

    As I said…the brand may differ, but the negative experiences are prevalent across. 

  8. Talking in general terms, in India  it is rare that sales guys are polite after a certain level. So if you wish to get any return or replacement, make a first attempt and if that fails jump to highest possible level (in most of the cases lower level staff are reluctant to make any decisions). The key is more you sound stronger, chances are high that your job will be done easily

    I have successfully tried this in getting several products replaced at various retail outlets.

  9. Most people in India are taken for a ride by these retailers, whose only aim is to maximize their sales. The retailers have to train their staff to be sincere and honest….and these are personal traits one should have inherently (cant be thought fully but can be trained to an extent).
    The quality of service or handling issues is pathetic. Further, when there is a special sale these outlets fail to manage the crowd/customers effectively.
    If you compare this to US or other nations the quality of service in India is poor (sorry to say despite being a fan of Indian products). Many stores are small, cramped and disorganized with products and merchandise being scattered around, which indicate lack of professionalism. These things will not change much after the entry of foreign players, unless the companies themselves take the initiative of improving its processes and quality of service.

  10. I had written a PIB article earlier about reliance digital. Their support gave me a facebook URL, took my details and never bothered to call back.

    Yesterday my mom had been to their Santacruz store, the same place where I met with the ugly shopping experience. She was planning to gift my dad with a laptop on his birthday.

    She asked the details and price for the laptop. The sales guy (Mugdar), the same bloke who turned back on his words the last time, was insisting she buys the laptop then and there itself and he would give her some freebies. 

    She said she would think and comeback tomorrow. He insisted on taking her mobile number. She left the place and we bought the laptop from Sony showroom.

    The bloke called her the next morning asking her to purchase the laptop. She said we had already purchased it from the Sony store.

    He started arguing with her left right and center mentioned words like we “wasting their time” and finally he hung up. The tone of the speech of the rep was very disappointing and alarming.

    It seems that all anti social elements are employed with Reliance Digital

    Wow, It was today that I realized that Reliance Digital sales people WASTE THEIR TIME while servicing clients.

    Their online feedback form does not work and there is some company I believe who takes care of their customer care RESQ.

    Does such a retail giant not have social reputation management company?

    FINALLY ONE ADVICE – What ever you do, please stay away from Reliance Digital

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