Philips Customer Service: What I think of it
If there is one customer service with which I've been very happy, then its got to be the Philips guys. More specifically, the Philips water care division folks. Simply fantastic after-sales-service!
It was not once but thrice that I had to contact them in the last few months. First, my water purifier started leaking and after trying what little I knew about plumbing, I had to resort to calling up the experts. They promised to come in a day, and within a particular time (6:30PM - 8PM). And they did. I didn't have to call them twice to ask where they were or when they were coming. They came, fixed and went - all for free (covered by a two year warranty). The service left me pleased - here was someone who respects the importance of the customer's time, I thought.
Second was when my Pure Protect Lock came into play and would not let water flow since that is how these purifiers are designed. So I had to call them up for a filter replacement.. Again, a time was promised for the next day. But to my amazement, that same evening I got a call from one of their many service centers asking directions to my house. Pleasantly surprised, I gave them directions and within 10 minutes they were at my house, exchanging the filter. Not only did they exchange, they cleaned the machine and set it up properly. What was supposed to happen the next day happened on the same day and that, to me, was a first from any customer service person.
Just yesterday, my purifier again developed a snag and it again started leaking water. Again, I called them up and again, as promised, the person came to my house in the scheduled time given. In fact, I was given a time after 8PM. You wouldn't normally expect a service person to come to your house so late, but these guys amazed me once again. At 9:30PM, the service guy came, fixed the alignment of the water pipe and went back - again everything free as it was covered under the warranty. It was simply great!
With three very good experiences as a consumer, I am pleased to say that I am thoroughly satisfied and happy with their response and their appreciation for their consumers' time. It is not often that you get to see this in India - I know a few customer service places where I had to literally beg them to come even after formally lodging a complaint! Besides, one of the better parts of these Philips service people is that they come with a feedback form with them. And based on their performance, you rate them then and there. This feedback is given to Philips and my belief is that is how these service centers are rated internally and given work (which translates to business for the service center people).
Some might think that the product itself must be poor since it developed so many problems in the first place! Well, tell you what - I have had this purifier for the last one and a half years, and not once did it show any sign of malfunction in that entire period. Only in the last two months did I have to undergo the above mentioned incidents. So all in all, I think the product is reliable and a pretty good value for money.
So if you are looking to buy a Philips product but don't know if their after-sales-service is reliable, take my word for it: It's fantastic!
It was not once but thrice that I had to contact them in the last few months. First, my water purifier started leaking and after trying what little I knew about plumbing, I had to resort to calling up the experts. They promised to come in a day, and within a particular time (6:30PM - 8PM). And they did. I didn't have to call them twice to ask where they were or when they were coming. They came, fixed and went - all for free (covered by a two year warranty). The service left me pleased - here was someone who respects the importance of the customer's time, I thought.
Second was when my Pure Protect Lock came into play and would not let water flow since that is how these purifiers are designed. So I had to call them up for a filter replacement.. Again, a time was promised for the next day. But to my amazement, that same evening I got a call from one of their many service centers asking directions to my house. Pleasantly surprised, I gave them directions and within 10 minutes they were at my house, exchanging the filter. Not only did they exchange, they cleaned the machine and set it up properly. What was supposed to happen the next day happened on the same day and that, to me, was a first from any customer service person.
Just yesterday, my purifier again developed a snag and it again started leaking water. Again, I called them up and again, as promised, the person came to my house in the scheduled time given. In fact, I was given a time after 8PM. You wouldn't normally expect a service person to come to your house so late, but these guys amazed me once again. At 9:30PM, the service guy came, fixed the alignment of the water pipe and went back - again everything free as it was covered under the warranty. It was simply great!
With three very good experiences as a consumer, I am pleased to say that I am thoroughly satisfied and happy with their response and their appreciation for their consumers' time. It is not often that you get to see this in India - I know a few customer service places where I had to literally beg them to come even after formally lodging a complaint! Besides, one of the better parts of these Philips service people is that they come with a feedback form with them. And based on their performance, you rate them then and there. This feedback is given to Philips and my belief is that is how these service centers are rated internally and given work (which translates to business for the service center people).
Some might think that the product itself must be poor since it developed so many problems in the first place! Well, tell you what - I have had this purifier for the last one and a half years, and not once did it show any sign of malfunction in that entire period. Only in the last two months did I have to undergo the above mentioned incidents. So all in all, I think the product is reliable and a pretty good value for money.
So if you are looking to buy a Philips product but don't know if their after-sales-service is reliable, take my word for it: It's fantastic!
Nice to know, a good review, I have always loved Phillips products, I have had good experience with their home appliance products. Hope they do better and regain their position on the market!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anant!
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