Mar 12, 2011 11:48 AM
2819 Views
Ah, and I thought i'd get online and spew some venom on DTDC, India's top courier when it comes to blacklist!! But it says like everywhere in India, "You are in Quatar"!
Everybody has rated it 1 star, so I tried NO stars, but MS doesn't like people deriding a company that bad, I guess!
This one is short, crisp and just data... no senti, no emotions, pure unadulterated hate at a group of clobs who call themselves "Courier Services"..
If they only hadn't added the 'service' bit, they could have avoided this piece!! :)
Well, a small envelope with a letter goes from Bombay on Day D to an area in New Delhi, 2 km from the Airport! Apart from the full address (whatever gets normal post delivered is what was indicated. My fault that I forgot to add the addressee's date of birth, dietary preferences, vest size and pet peeves, which would have aided faster delivery!!!), I added a mobile and landline number at Delhi. Not to rest on mediocrity, yours truly also wrote down his own full address, landline and mobile numbers and birth and anniversary dates (OK OK! The last bit was exaggeration!!). And then it was put in a bottle, corked and thrown in the sea, off Juhu Beach!!! At least, THAT might have reached faster, if only Delhi had a C-shore! Since it didnt, I sent it by courier, and my chap who went out to do it (IT refers to sending the courier, in case there are still naughty minds roaming at large on Mouthshut, as used to while I was a major virus around hereabouts 2-3 years ago)!!!
Well, and like they say in the novels, I travelled far and wide, on duty.... that was about 3 weeks from Day D +1.
And I was travelling such that I was not on mobile/email coverage all the while.
Aah, in case I didn't specify, the contents of the envelope were not my latest literary creations for Mouthshut or The Tribune, but an important document for a home loan to be cleared on critical speed. Assuming a delivery to happen between Bombay and Delhi in 2-3 days (Driving there took me 2 days, a train took 20 hours and by air took 2 hours for air travel, 2 hours for air loitering over airports and 4 hours at airports), I went my way at peace, basking at India's rapuid GDP growth and the crests of the SenSEX!
Only when I returned did I hear the horror tale from my wife, who suddenly transformed to god-like proportions before my eyes, for having solved the issue!
Having heard from Delhi after 5 days that it still hadn't reached, she checked online. It said "Consignment returned to Mumbai". Telephone calls followed emails (they didnt know they had an email account!!!), to reveal that actually it was "being traced". To cut a long story short, the thingy went to Delhi, was returned to Bombay citing insufficient address (3 other couriers had been delivered to the same address in the past month, once by DTDC and the others through Speed Post and Blue Dart). Then it languished some at Bombay as they didn't know whom to contact and how!! Then when my wife got in touch with them, they said "We sent it back to Delhi". At the end of it all, in 13 days (D+13), it reached Delhi. All this, despite all phone numbers provided for either end!!!
I wonder which chicken brain (no, chics have as good brains as any cokk (no pun!) now in the age of gender equality!!) sent it to Bombay when they could have asked for directions on phone at the Delhi number indicated. That would have cost 50 ps (No idea? Then get IDEA!), rather than doing 3 trips for the cost of one...
But why do I complain? They charged me only for one trip and gave me 2 free... and the consumer still cribs!! These Indian consumers, you know!!!! Phooooo!!!
Well, that was all I experienced with DTDC. Until the 9th of March again! The loan was sanctioned and the DD was sent from Delhi to my dad at Kerala. And did you guess that already? It was sent by DTDC! Not intentionally or to check their 6 Sigma process! But just that the bloke who sent it at Delhi asked his office boy to send it and he sent it from the closest outlet!!! It was sent on 9th. Online it says since last afternoon that it has reached Kochi (hopefully by air!). It should reach my dad today or on Monday, as Kochi to my home is 300 km and even on a bicycle people have done that in 26 hours!!! So 2 -3 days should be OK, since the Railways and KSRTC run on Sundays too! Yes, even in Kerala!!
So that was my run-in with DTDC... twice at a trot! The moral.. The next time, I will either send stuff myself, or, tell the guys to send it even by a pet pigeon, if they can't find a courier or speed post... but NOT DTDC!!
But it wouldn't make any difference to their offices (rather, pigeon holes), since they have TVs there.. and the World cup will be followed by IPL 4!!! Did you say Customers? Aah, yeah, we are tracing them!!!!
India shining? no, it's Blazing, folks!
If you want to get the crux of the whole story above, and if you came directly here, guess you are CEO material!! It is...
STAY OFF DTDC... Speed Post, Blue Dart, Piggy back (no thats not happening! They killed all the pigs for the banquet at the Leela for the launch of Ranbir Kapoor's GF's next film!)....... anything, but NOT DTDC!!
Nahin toh, band baaja baaraat (Won't be just a film!)....
