Yes we are back this time with a WATShow with Sulekha Director of Brand and Global Marketing on Sulekha.com’s focus, local commerce, userbase demographics, on their competition and also on their expansion plans. He also speaks about the recent tie up with Career Builder.
Also note his reference to Asklaila a prospective competitor which he denies is of any significance.
Check out the WATShow below:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM4eM_LKkwU
Hope you enjoyed this WATShow.. Do check out the others..
“Tell Majnoo, Ask Laila”… haha that’s quite a statement.
Sulekha.Com (Mumbai) shaken on 26/05/2011
——————————————————————-
It was a genuine attack on the credibility of Sulekha.com Malad Office (Mumbai) not by a
terrorist but by a genuine person who felt cheated by their representative or rather
representatives.
(Since this is a real story, all the names are real as well)
The real story began on 13/05/2011 when a sales representative of Sulekha.com (Alok)
visited an office in Bhayandar and tried to convert his lead into sales. He showed multiple
plans to lure the customer (Mr. Deepak) and get the lead service started. He made many
false committments as well just to get the business and he succeded in catching the prey,
might be due to target completion pressure from his boss. [What Alok promised was
Standard Plan with minimum 2 business leads per day except sunday. The lead campaign
would start by wednesday (i.e. 18/05/2011). Also a refund of entire amount without
deducting any charges whatsoever, if the customer is not satisfied with the service.
The cheque got cleared on Monday and there was a verification call to the customer from
Chennai on Tuesday or Wednesday where the customer has narrated the entire promises
made by Alok. Since Alok made false committments with the customer, the verification team
did not approve for the campaign, but at the same time the customer was not informed
about what has happened.
On Wednesday when the lead did not start, the customer complained Alok on his mobile
number and he told that he will look into the matter and get it started immediately (again a
false committment). Thursday, there was no call from Alok or Suleka.com. The obvious &
curious customer wanted to know the reason on Friday, but then Alok is not receiving calls
on his cell phone. The customer was annoyed and thought if he does not do anything now he
may lose the money paid to Sulekha.com and also may lose on leads as the campaign has
not started for some reasons. He then called Kunal the tele sales guy who first convinced the
customer to meet with Alok. Kunal actually then told the entire episode that went wrong at
their side. The customer got angry and wanted Alok to meet him immediately. But look now
Alok is not interested in this customer as he had already made the sales! He is avoiding
calls of this customer and is not even replying to his SMSes. Look at the kind of sales guys
these days.
The frustated customer calls the customer care and talks to Vijay. He gives the contact
number of the Mumbai Branch Head Clyde. The customer (Mr. Deepak) asks Vijay if he
could provide some complain number to him, but he is denied of that by saying that they
don’t have any such kind of system prevailing at their place. Shame on the company which
boast of being a multi crore “SERVICE” company and having no proper CRM system at all in place!!
Mr. Deepak then narrates the story to Clyde for getting it resolved asap. He connects a
concall with Alok and orders him to visit the customer that day. Alok assured Mr. Deepak that
he will definitely visit him that day. But he was in no mood to listen even to his boss nor is he
now interested in the customer as he had already made the sales.
Again next day Mr. Deepak calls Clyde after repeatedly calling Alok who was not answering
the calls, but in vain. Mr. Deepak then decided not to deal with Sulekha.com anymore and
would go for a refund. He called Kunal for a refund but he assured that the services would
soon start within a couple of days and the customer may not regret his investment. But Mr.
Deepak was firm on his decision, so he let another sales guy Anil talk to him. Mr. Deepak
was not ready to talk to any other sales guy as he may again do the same, so he insisted on
refund. Anil requested Mr. Deepak to let him know about the issue as he may try to resolve
it. But by this time Mr. Deepak was very much frustated of narrating the same story again
and again. He told Anil to ask about the issue with Alok. To Mr. Deepak’s surpise, even Anil,
one of the seniormost sales person in Sulekha.com – Mumbai told a sheer lie that Alok has
left the job and is no more with the company. Shocked Mr. Deepak laughed sarcastically
and told Anil not to tell a lie just to make sales as he had a talk with Alok on concall when
Clyde connected him. To add to it, even Kunal supported Anil that Alok has resigned from
the company, whereas the truth was completely different.
Mr. Deepak warned Anil & Kunal to refund the money taken from him immediately otherwise
that may not be good for them. He also told them to get the cheque prepared immediately
and deliver it by the next day or else he may come to their office and if he comes, he would
not go without the cheque. Again, it didn’t turn their deaf ear.
Next day (i.e. 26/05/2011) Deepak was in Sulekha.com office around 11:20 am. to meet
them and get his refund cheque. He met Kunal first. Kunal introduced with another sales
person called Prasad. Prasad tried to convice Mr. Deepak but Mr. Deepak had already
made up his mind to get a refund and would in no way ready to deal with a company whose
employees are telling lie and making false committments to customers.
When Prasad could not handle the situation, they might have thought lets put some female to
sort out the issue. A lady introducing herself as Sunita (deisgnation – Complaint Call
Attendant as told to Mr. Deepak). Mr. Deepak respecting her narrated the entire story again
and requested her to call Alok (as he knew he must have not resigned) so that there should
not be any misunderstandings. She told that Alok is on field. Kunal was there and his lie got
caught by his own colleague. Kunal admitted that he had to tell a lie as his senior Anil told
this to Mr. Deepak for the first time. Sunita could not face this and left talking on her mobile
phone. During her conversation with Mr. Deepak she also told that if he is intending for a
refund, they will issue the refund cheque but the process will take about 6 months. Mr.
Deepak thanked God that he didn’t give a cheque of INR 10 Lacs to Alok in the name of
Sulekha.Com. Had he given that, it would have been a great loss to him and that too for 10 Lacs
without any interest.
Mr. Deepak was then taken to Clyde’s cabin. Anil came from his call and faced Mr. Deepak.
On asking why did he tell a lie that Alok has left, he answered he had no option other than
telling that Alok has resigned as without that he would not get 1 week’s time to resolve the
issue. What a clever reply to fool the customer for something that they could not do!
Mr. Deepak was in no mood to talk to anyone regarding getting the services activated after
looking personally at such a mess in that company. He was firm on his decision to not to go
ahead with Sulekha.com anymore even if this company could provide leads generating his
business worth in millions. He does not wanted to deal with a company that cheated him.
Clyde, then met Mr. Deepak to convince him further, but even he could not. Mr. Deepak was
not ready to move from the office premises till he is provided with the refund cheque of the
entire amount. He was then told by Clyde that the process of refund would take
approximately 90 days as mentioned in the contract form. But Clyde was not knowing that
Alok has already cancelled & signed that clause in the contract form. He raised his hands
and told Alok & Kunal to deal with the matter as they had made false committments to
customer. Poor fellow Kunal was sandwiched as he didn’t know what to do. He was a new
comer to that organisation and was not told that he will have to pay to the customer if the
customer is not satisfied. He said, had he been told, he wouldn’t have joined the
organisation. Maybe that was an emotional way to convice Mr. Deepak, but that failed even.
Mr. Deepak gave them another option (as he no more trusted Sulekha.com and its
employees) as they could not give him the cheque immediately. He told them to write that
they will issue a cheque of the entire amount of Rs. 8824 on or before 16/07/2011 on a Rs.
50 Stamp paper and give it to him. But even that was denied by Clyde.
Later on Megha tried to convince Mr. Deepak, agian she failed to do so. Then a funny
character Mr. Samir tried to enter after all of them failed. He calls himself as a multi-
designated person (Hr/Admin/Accounts) He should be the highest paid person in that case
as he handles 3 jobs!! As per him there is no cash or cheque/dd/po dealings from that
Malad Branch. On asking how do they pay to their chaiwala then, this funny character tells
Sulekha.com is a Pvt. Ltd. Co. centrally administered company and even the Rs. 50 cheque
comes from Chennai and they have no petty cash nor any cheque there. Also there is no
signing authority. Wonder, how such private limited company works without any cash or
cheque. Maybe the directors of the company know that their employees in Mumbai are not
trustworthy!!
In short: Sulekha.com Mumbai team is doing business by making false committments and
telling lies as the need arise to the genuine customers and when the customer asks for a
refund, they use the money for 90 more days and then return without any interest, that too if
they wish to return the money, otherwise “Customer jaay bhaad mein… Let us enjoy!!”
Other links of the same complain….
http://www.grahakseva.com/complaints/10355/sulekhacom-is-making-money-by-cheating-people?source=gaw
http://econsumercomplaints.in/?ptype=preview&alook=1&qid=22689