8 Super smart tricks to resolve your consumer complaint?

tricks to resolve your consumer complaint

Why do you need smart tricks to resolve your consumer complaint? I am sure you must be thinking.

Raising a voice against injustice will not fetch you any results, if you are just a common man in India. Indian consumers face a lot of struggle in getting their issues resolved as there are still no strict laws for defaulting brands.

You purchase a TV and if it does not work as advertised, then there is very less help available to you. Once you have purchased an item, the sales guy may even refuse to recognize you or may direct you to some pathetic helpline number of the company. After this, your nightmare starts.

You will be put in long queues and your ear may get pain listening to pre-recorded “waiting” messages. I am sure everyone of us has experienced this. It is a very common experience in India for customers and sadly we all have accepted this mistreatment being a tolerable Indian. 

In this article we will talk about 8 super smart tricks to get attention of the company to get resolution in your consumer complaint. It will tell you how you can build pressure on the company and literally compel it to resolve your complaint. Keep reading this article to know smart tricks to resolve your consumer complaint:

Tricks to resolve your consumer complaint

1. Presales pressure
Before actually buying any product or service, convey a strong message to the salesperson that you have doubts about the after sales service of the company and so you do not trust them completely. You should ask him, in case of any problem who will solve your issue?

Tell him that you hate running to the support center or being in queue. This presale strategy may not fully work but this will put enough pressure on the sales guy. In the process of convincing you, he may give his own number or something extra, that can make you feel “special” later. 

2. Over React
Assuming you have purchased the item and something is not working within the first few hours or days as it should have been. Now, is the time to over react! Yes, you have heard it correctly. Over reacting on a small defect may put enough pressure on the seller or company to resolve your complaint quickly. It is one of the best tricks to resolve your consumer complaint.

Just remind the seller that you were already aware before buying the item that this would happen as you do not trust the brand. In such situations, normally he will do everything to make you comfortable.

3. Talk like a Lawyer
If all the above tricks to resolve your consumer complaint have failed then you should start talking legal, even if you do not know anything about consumer rights.

Ask the company or its support executive to furnish every detail about the customer support process of the brand. Get details like company address, distributor name & address, company officials, nodal officers etc.

4. Contact Support & follow up
Lodge a complaint in the call center of the company for support and properly note down the date and complaint ID. Ask the support agent what would be the expected turn-around time for such complaints.

Do not follow up before the expiry of that turn-around period. If they do not resolve the issue within time, then you should call customer support again and update your complaint saying this is the second time you are calling.

Please note that updating the same old complaint ID is very important. Usually the customer agent will insist on closing the old complaint and creating a new complaint ID. But you should insist on updating the same old complaint with new details.

Repeat calling & updating your complaint till you get relief from the brand.

tricks to resolve your consumer complaint

5. Shout without doubt
In my opinion this strategy is one of the best tricks to resolve your consumer complaint. If repeatedly updating your complaint and calling them again & again does not resolve your issue then you should start over-reacting once again on the support call. Start yelling and showing that you are frustrated enough to take strict action against the company.

But remember, do not curse the agent but curse the company!

Once you have put enough pressure on the agent, ask him to connect you to his supervisor on the phone.

In most of the cases, the agent will deny connecting you to supervisor and will tell you that there is no supervisor available at this time. But don’t get fooled by this. Keep on insisting that you need to talk to his supervisor.

Also, before starting this pressure game, tell the agent that you are already recording the entire conversation on your phone which can be produced as evidence later. This would be enough pressure for him to connect you to the authority.

6. Reach higher
If you are dealing with telecommunication, banking or insurance companies and if registering your complaint with the Supervisor does not fetch the desired results then your last resort in customer support would be to contact a higher authority like Nodal officer in your region.

Generally you can meet a Nodal Officer personally or contact them through phone or email. However, the phone number of these Nodal officers will almost never work and you will never get connected to the officer.

So, you should try sending email instead. It has been seen that sending a complaint through email to a Nodal officer generally gets some attention.

But please note that the Nodal officer will not entertain your complaint if you have not tried other support channels first.

Recently, Government of India has mandated all eCommerce companies to appoint a Nodal Officer to ensure compliance with the new rules on consumer protection as per Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020.

So very soon you will be able to reach out to Nodal Officers in the eCommerce stores also, if you are not satisfied with the progress in your complaint.

7. Start legal action
When all the tricks to resolve your consumer complaint have failed and if you are still not satisfied with the resolution provided by the Nodal officer, then the probability is that your complaint is complex and you may have to further pursue it to get better relief.

At this stage, you can send a well drafted legal notice to the company through your lawyer. The legal notice is usually sent to the company’s registered address.

When you send this notice through a lawyer, it puts enough pressure on the brand and conveys a message that you are seriously considering other options.

Usually, you will get some response (positive or negative) after sending a legal notice to a company. 

8. Go Court
If even sending a legal notice does not work then there is a strong possibility that the brand is not ready to hear your complaint and is not interested in resolving the issue.

The only option left for you now is to approach the Consumer court or consumer forum in your matter. You can approach consumer forum online and file a case here.

When a case is filed in a consumer forum, it sends a very clear signal to the company that the consumer is willing to go the extra mile to get resolution.

Nobody wants to waste time & energy in fighting a case in court and the same is true with the company as well. So, mostly the company will try to settle the dispute out of the court which puts you in a better position to negotiate.

Please note that it is not required to hire a lawyer to file a case in the Consumer forum and you yourself can represent your case in the forum. But there is no doubt that in spite of knowing these smart tricks to resolve your consumer complaint, hiring an experienced & qualified advocate will get you better results.

If you do not have time to follow these tricks to resolve your consumer complaint yourself, then there is Voxya who can help you to get resolution in your consumer complaint. You can file a complaint and get resolution in your complaint easily.

How to report unauthorised transaction in SBI?

report unauthorised transaction in sbi

state bank of India complaintHow to report unauthorised transaction in SBI?

Have you ever gone through the trauma of getting up in the morning and finding unexpected transaction messages in phone from your Bank saying that some amount of money has been deducted on account of buying something you didn’t purchase!

You don’t understand what has happened and how? Your world starts to fall apart as it was your hard-earned money.

Such instances have become too common in India, not only in SBI but almost in all the leading banks. According to a report by Economic Times, there have been 52,000 bank fraud or unauthorised transaction cases in India between March-December in 2019.

state bank of India complaint

Obviously, the figures are quite alarming, right?

What is a fraud or unauthorised transaction?

A fraud or unauthorised transaction is when a transaction is performed using your banking details, but you did not perform it.

Recently CSITE (Cyber Security & Information Technology Examination) released a worrisome alert that over 1.3 million debit and credit card data of Indians is available for purchase on the dark web.

However, soon after this, RBI has informed all the major banks of India to tighten the security to minimize these fraud transactions.

What should you do when an unauthorised transaction happens in your Bank account?

If an unauthorised transaction happens in your bank account, you must follow the below mentioned steps:

Step 1.  Inform your Bank immediately
Inform your bank within the three days of fraud. You can inform them via SMS, email, toll-free number, customer care, visit their website, or simply by visiting their closest branch.

Step 2. Analyse your Account activity
This step will be essential to analyze that where did you compromised your information and to keep a keen eye on the bank transactions in the statement.

Step 3. Change your Passwords & PINs
Without wasting a second, immediately change your online passwords and pins to prevent further fraud.

state bank of India complaint

How to report unauthorised transaction in SBI account?

State Bank of India is the largest and oldest public sector bank in the country, with over 41 crore saving bank accounts and 50,000+ ATMs pan India. If you have noticed any fraud or unauthorised transaction in SBI account, then here is what you have to do:

1. Firstly, call SBI toll-free numbers 1-800-11-2211 and 1-800-425-3800 and report unauthorised transaction in SBI account.

2. Secondly, visit your SBI branch and inform them about the fraud in writing.

3. Thirdly, register an online complaint.

Here is a step to step guide on how to register an online complaint to report unauthorised transaction in SBI Bank:

Step 1. Visit the SBI website.

Step 2. Login with your net banking credentials.

Step 3. As soon as the home page opens, you will see the customer care option right on the top, click it.

Step 4. When it opens up, you will find a ‘click here’ option to report unauthorised transaction in SBI. Click it and lodge the complaint.

What are the common types of Banking frauds?

Unauthorised transactions are carried out in the following ways:

1. ATM Fraud: ATM frauds refers to fraud, where the fraudster uses the innocent user’s card details to withdraw the funds using the ATM pin for the transaction. ATM frauds can happen in the following forms :

i. Card Skimming: Card skimming is a fraud where electronic card data is stolen and then is used to produce inauthentic cards to withdraw the money.

ii. Cash Shimming: A foreign device is installed on the ATM to steal the data from the chip of the withdrawer’s card. The main target is to capture the data contained in the card.

iii. ATM Malware/ Jackpotting: A malware that takes control of the ATM functions, thereby allow fraudsters to take out the cash.

state bank of India complaint

2. Credit Card Fraud: Credit card frauds happen when a fraudster steals the credit card information to make an unauthorised transaction in the name of the card beholder.

Fraudsters get their hands on the credit card information in the following ways:

I. Fraudster digs through the trash files to find the old receipts or statements that will include all your banking information and then will use the information to perform the unauthorised transaction.

II. A fraudster will take you to an unauthentic website where you would fill up your card details and then later would use the information to perform the fraud.

III. When you swipe your card at a store, your credit card details may get exposed, and you later notice an unauthorised transaction. You might wonder what happened? But by using cedit card skimmer, a frauduster can steal your information.

3. Phishing: Phishing is email trap where fraudster sets an email trap in the name of the bank or government asking for credentials. Later on, these credentials are used to penetrate your bank account.

4. CNP Fraud: CNP or card not present fraud happens when a fraudster uses your card details such as card number and expiry date to perform the unauthorised transaction via email or phone call.

5. Account Takeover: Account takeover happens when you mistakenly share your account details or your computer / mobile session with the stranger, and then they use the information to make a purchase online.

No matter what kind of fraud has happened but please report unauthorised transaction in SBI immediately. As per RBI guidelines, State Bank of India can only help if you act in timely manner.

state bank of India complaint

Conclusion

It is advised not to share your bank details with anyone because the government and bank officials would never ask for the same. However, if something unfortunate happens with you, then do not hesitate to report unauthorised transaction in SBI immediately.

But if you are unable to get any resolution from Bank even after informing them about fraud or unauthorised transactions then you should File a Complaint at Voxya.com to take legal action and approach consumer forum.

file consumer complaint india

Online Legal Advice in India

online legal advice india

During these times of locked down, we all are staying indoors. So, we wanted to know the options of getting online legal advice in India. As due to this unprecedented situation, many legal complexities are emerging around us for which we have no one to consult as even legal experts are not available.

To give you an idea, people are facing issues with their employers regarding salaries, travel agents for flight cancellation or refund, broadband service providers for speed, ecommerce stores for deliveries etc.

Thank God, there are still few online platforms working in India to provide easy access to legal consulting services and that too at very affordable prices. Today we are going to compare these online legal advice platforms and will tell you why you should use them.

So, let us jump on the list of online legal advice websites.

Top Platforms providing online legal advice in India

1. Vidhi Karya

Vidhikarya provides online legal advice via phone, email, video and chat. It is a good platform for doing discussion with a Lawyer before engaging him in your case. The service is free but you have to pay lawyer’s fee in order to get genuine legal advice.

Actually, you have to post your case details and then lawyers will reply with their advice. Though they have good number of lawyers available at their platform but sometimes it may take some time in getting responses.

There is no direct option to pay and speak to lawyer quickly. You have to first post case details and then wait for lawyers response. Their website has many sections but it looks poorly designed. One good thing is that if you do not wish your name to be visible, you can post anonymous.

https://www.vidhikarya.com

2. Kaanoon

Kaanoon can help you to set up phone consultation with a lawyer. You can talk to a lawyer on the phone and get legal advice for 30 minutes quickly. Their website is nicely designed and has a good user interface.

Also, it looks that they have good number of lawyers available at their platform but their prices looks a way too high as they charge Rs.1200/- for a 30 minute legal advice on phone.

Overall a good option to get online legal advice in India if you have budget and want a quick one-to-one phone consulting with an advocate.

https://www.kaanoon.com

3. Legistify

Legistify is an online platform where you provide your details and they will send the profiles of most suitable lawyers according to your legal issue, location and budget. Once you are satisfied with the profile, you can book consultation with any specific lawyer by paying Rs.1000/- for a 30 minutes phone session.

Though they claim large network of lawyers but it looks their portal is somewhat old and not fresh with contents. Also, the price is too much if you quickly want to get legal advice on any petty issue.

https://www.legistify.com

4. Vkeel

Like all other platforms, Vkeel also provides quick legal consultation for its users. The consultation is called Insta Advice and costs Rs.999/- for a 30 minutes telephonic session with a verified lawyer.

You can also book in-office-meeting consultation to get legal solution face-to-face. They also have a mobile app and the user interface of both – the website and the app looks great. However, they have limited number of active lawyers at their platform, which makes it less popular option for getting online legal advice in India.

https://www.vkeel.com

5. Path Legal

Path Legal provides online legal advice within minutes from its legal experts. Though the prices are at par with other players but their process is little different. They charge Rs.1000/- for a 45 minutes consultation but they have in-built Escrow system through which the amount is paid to the lawyer only if you are satisfied with the phone call.

You are required to submit your case details and pay upfront for phone advice. You will then get a payment id and the lawyer’s contact detail to talk over phone. If you are satisfied with the call, then you have to release the payment to the lawyer. Otherwise, you can request refund within 4 days after the payment.

https://www.pathlegal.in

6. Law Rato

If you want legal advice from your home, you can share your legal issue with Lawrato to get connected with expert lawyers. Their representative will get in touch with you, understand your need and will identify which lawyer can assist you.

You can go through the suggested lawyers profile and can call them directly for consultation at mutually convenient time. Though it looks like a very safe way of getting legal advice but there is no quick & direct connection with lawyers.

https://lawrato.com

7. Law Tendo

If you need a quick consultation, then use Lawtendo’s quick consult option to speak with a lawyer immediately at a small fee of Rs.600/- only. Though the price looks affordable but frankly the quality of their service can be easily guessed from their website which is poorly designed and looks outdated.

Also, it is not known how many lawyers are available in their network, which again is a weak point in their marketing. But since the price is low, you can surely try them.

https://www.lawtendo.com

8. Voxya

Last but not the least, Voxya provides a very quick & convenient way of connecting with a lawyer. Though Voxya is mainly a Consumer complaint platform but they have a separate service called Online Legal Advice, where you can send your contact details and a Lawyer will call you within few hours time.

The best part of the service is that it is very affordable. You can quickly get legal advice in just Rs.389/- for a 10 minutes session. It is very useful in cases where you just want to clear your doubts on some legal matters.

They also offer 20 minutes session with lawyer and the price is only Rs.499/-, which again is very reasonable.

https://voxya.com

Conclusion

There are many options available to you if you want to get online legal advice in India. You can easily get one-to-one private session with an experienced lawyer via phone call. If you want to play safe then you can use Path Legal’s escrow based service and get legal advice.

But if you want to get quick legal advice from lawyer directly, then go for Voxya.com as their prices are really affordable.

So if you need any legal help, then do not wait for lockdown to get over and use these platform to connect with lawyer.

Ecommerce stores could face penalties if they violate Consumer Protection Rules

consumer complaint against Tata Sky

Currently, the ecommerce services in India are not subject to any standards and rules and hence consumers have to suffer a lot as they do not have proper knowledge and remedies available for them. But this is going to change very soon as a new section is being added for penalty in the upcoming Consumer Protection Rules.

As per the ministry of consumer affairs, the new section will be added for penalty which will cover issues of misleading advertisements, unfair treatment to consumers and several other things. Once this new addition is complete, Ecommerce stores and their vendors could face penalties if they violate Consumer Protection Rules.

The definition of Ecommerce is also being expanded in the new rules to include almost all kinds of online services as provided by big & small ecommerce players like Zomato, Yatra, Ola, Uber, Swiggy, and UrbanPro etc. But Business-to-Business services and goods will be excluded from this new section.

However, we wish more such sections should be added to protect the interest of consumers. Almost everyday thousands of innocent consumers are duped due to ever increasing ecommerce fraud that needs to be stopped firstly. Currently there is no minimum legal requirement for starting a web/ecommerce store, which is the root cause of these fake ecommerce stores. At Voxya, we educate & help consumers to stay away from these fake stores and extend our services to get relief if they have been victimized. You can check our Latest Scams page where we regularly update the list of fake ecommerce stores in India along with Scam phone numbers who will call you to cheat & extract money from you.

Overall, adding new section in the Rules is a good move by Government and it will definitely provide relief to innocent consumers in India who are struggling to get justice!