How may I help you today?

Amma doesn't go around the world cribbing about the incompetency of her electronic items. If she does, she cribs about it only to the Customer Service.

#1
Amma had a problem with the microwave, which was then sent to the Service center. The person in charge said- "They were of spare-parts and it'd take a week". A week's time turned into three and four, which got mom freaked up. Cos at home, we were almost dependent on Microwave and a month without it was SO though. Mom then called the Cust Service at Delhi and bashed him diplomatically.
In the next three days, we had our MW back home. Mom couldn't contain her surprise and asked em how come SO soon, to which the attendant replied-
"They were asked to replace our faulty MW's part with that of a NEW microwave, as they were still short of spare-parts" :D

#2
The Onida Washing Machine that stepped into my house, replacing the old fourteen year old Onida, was a headache. It posed numerous problems in a matter of 1 year. Mom wrote a LONG letter to the Onida Head Office, explaining how good the old machine was and how she expected the same.
In two weeks we had the Manager with the Sales director at home!! They offered to replace the machine and replaced the same the very week. That was unexpected.
So, that was another story with a Happy ending... hehehe!

I don't know if I have inherited these genes from my mom. But we both have a tendency to file a complaint with the corresponding Customer Service, once we realize the product is faulty.

#1
After having a sumptuous dinner at KFC, which was partially unfulfilling as we had to scream out for sauce. All I could think of the next morning was to find out a way to make a complaint. I finally found out the International online Customer Service forum http://www.kfc.com/contact/
I emailed them.
Hello,
We have had N number of dine-ins and take aways at KFC's. The dine-ins are partially ruined by the way we have to scram out for sauce. What is more irritating is that sauce sachets are handed out, so we end up screaming for scissors.

2 days later, I had a mail from the International Customer Service, directing the Citicentre's KFC outlet to look into this issue.
And thus this email -
Dear Ms.Kappu,
We have received your mail regarding the difficulty you faced to peel the sauce.We appreciate your suggestion for issuing sauce bottle to the customers.We have taken your suggestion to our higher official . I Mr.KS.Manikandan the Manager of KFC Citicentre,would like to invite you and your family for a lunch or dinner, at our restaurant.Please feel free to call me. 9962122***.
Regards
KS.Manikandan
KFC Citicentre

:D what a laugh me and my mom had over this!
Alas, we didn't have the time to lunch. I made Mr. Manikandan a call and refused his offer :|
I still don't know if the sauce sachets have been replaced, that's a different story altogether! :D

#2
After Pretty not being able to send sms, I called up Hutch Care (aka Vodaphone). The IVR was irritating, we did not find any option to contact the Customer Service Executive.
Then I had this message calling for my feedback from 6790,
to which I replied-
"It's horrible. Not pleasing like the Hutch care that was once there.
Pls revert, else it might give Vodaphone a bad image. "

Needless to say, I promptly got a call from them. I explained them saying "All I needed was a PERSON to help me. I couldn't find that option in your menu and it is irritating."
To which Ms. Suganya (the lady who called me) said please try calling us once again and irrespective of the menu, select option #4 (Berserk right? I had an issue with sending and receiving SMS, though I had to selected this option which was meant for Roaming Related services)
Voila, I was attended to by a CS executive and Pretty's issue resolved.


#3
Durable Chrome Factory. Durable? What a name for shoes that don't even last a month. After repeated purchases and disappointments, I persuaded the manager to give me the contact no of the authority in charge for complaints. I am yet to call that man and start off.

Yes. AGAIN :D

Joke of the day...

No, it isn't something from Comedy Central or the like websites.

Today, as I completed downloading Avast, I had a pop-up saying: "Thank you for choosing Avast.
We wish you good luck and few viruses"
What? Thanks for the warning! :D

Khalil Gibran

Khalil Gibran has captured my attention not once but twice. The poems written by him were introduced to me by Amma, she spoke about him and his poems at lengths and finished it with
"How rotten it would be to follow his words and bring up a child" :D
On the other hand, I can feel him urging us to give the "space" a relationship needs.


On bringing-up a child..

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

On Marriage...
Then Almitra spoke again and said, "And what of Marriage, master?"
And he answered saying:
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when white wings of death scatter your days.

Aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together:

For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

Happy Women's day.

8th March, 2009.

I keep three women close to my heart.
The ones who inspire me,
whom I look upon at,
and whom I look upon to.

Amma
Ah, so I can hear you saying another stereotype. I'd love to stay clichéd here. I CAN NEVER be as patient as her, as giving, forgiving, unconditionally loving, diplomatic, fun-filled, lovable, intelligent, up-to-date and totally adorable.
Everytime she gives us (my family) an emotional OR technical suggestion, she makes me awe! I strongly feel that she donned the homemaker cap and the country lost another scientist/psychoanalyst.
If there's something that I wanna be, that would be the impossible - "Being my mom!"

Ammai (Maternal Grandma)
Absolutely adorable lady with strong roots in tradition, who marveled at the art of story-telling and cooking. With 7 children, she managed to resolve all the conflicts within them SO well and that dazzled me.
(On the other hand, my P-Granny managed to split up ALL her 7 children.. later the children realized the role of their mother and tried patching up).
Relationships are like a vase, once broken they can be patched up. But they are never as good as before.

Mrs. Vasumathy.
My Chemistry teacher and the lady who taught me to own my mistakes. In a class of 40 students, we had to read out the answers to the assignment that had 40 questions. Those who did not complete it lied that they did not bring the book (say abt 10 students) and she sent them out. I walked up and told her I haven't completed. She asked me to sit in the first bench. then, my classmate had to answer a question, unfortunately she hadn't written that ONE question. She reprimanded her for not telling it beforehand (like me!)
That day, I learnt to be straight forward!
Love ya ol'lady! :)
I owe it to her, all my education and frankness.

P/s I was writing this out as a post, and thought these women should be a part of my blog!