I have a 6 Kg capacity top-loading fully automatic IFB washing machine since more than two years.
First, there was a recurring problem of the errors "E1" and "E2" appearing during operation right since the beginning. This was reported to them many times. However, it remained even after their technician would attend, and since we noticed that by switching the machine off and then on the error would usually go away, we accepted it as inevitable and even stopped reporting it.
Now the machine is out of warranty. In June 2014 the IFB Co. called to say that a free service & check-up scheme is on, & that their technician will attend our machine for a free checkup, to which we agreed. After every few weeks we would then get a call from their Goa factory if the checkup had been done, & when we would say "No", they promised to send the techn soon. This happened between 20 to 30 times and no techn came. Eventually in about Oct 2014 our machine stopped working and we had to book a complaint for it, which we did, reminding them also that a free checkup was promised so please not to charge any service charges. They said OK. But when techn came & repaired the machine, he said we have to pay the service charges(about Rs.300/-), which we grudgingly did.
After a few weeks, again their Goa factory called asking if our free checkup was done. This time we got angry & told them to stop phoning. But in 2 days, two very young trainee technicians came and spent about 1 hour opening and examining our(now already working) washing machine. It seems they were on a learning mission. When we used the machine after this, there would be a loud grating sound when it spun. i.e. these young technicians, who were being sent to learn about different machines to the customers' houses under the garb of a'free checkup', had actually spoilt the settings of our machine. They had created a problem that was not there before they came.
Well, we took even this in our stride and used the noisy machine as it was, till eventually we began using the washing machine less and less - after gap of a few days or even a week or two. And this led to the machine becoming dead again - it stopped working altogether.
Coincidentally, again around July this year, we were offered a free checkup by IFB. We said OK. Again this year, they kept promising, then reneging on the promise, then calling to confirm, and then promising to send someone soon. So after a few months, eventually when a techn came, he declared that the clutch assembly(which spins the machine)(and which had developed that ugly grating noise after the two young boys fiddled with our machine in the previous "free checkup") was dead, and needed to be changed. This would cost a few thousand rupees, he said.
So being taken aback, we asked for some time. In the meantime, after a few days we got a call from IFB's Goa factory asking about our free checkup. I told the lady our entire experience, including how their two young trainees had spoilt our machine, and asked for time to think if we should opt for repairing this machine, or buying a new one with buy-back of the old one. She said we could buy a new IFB machine and the IFB Co. would give us a good buy-back for the old one.(Remember, our machine was the TOP LOADING type.) After inquiring with her senior she said this would apply ONLY if we purchased the FRONT LOADING model(which is a very expensive model with a few features like inbuilt water-heating which we did not require). But I insisted on the toploading model and we got into an argument which ended in my asking her never to phone me again and that IFB had a very poor policy on customer service. She also angrily said "OK, we will close your pending case."
And would you believe it? In a few minutes IFB sent me an SMS message saying: "Dear Customer, after your confirmation on closure of the issue up to your satisfaction, we are closing the Incidence E76273 in our Escalation Channel System."
I had even tweeted about this on Twitter. But IFB was least interested.
I had bought IFB washing machine with high hopes of a quality product, AND after sales service. I was even prepared to buy IFB again on buy-back when their customer service executive offered this option. But their service leaves much to be desired and is a big(HUGE) disappointment. It nullifies any advantage their product may otherwise enjoy.
IFB seriously need to consider this.
Meanwhile, I'm stuck with a dead IFB washing machine.
And I believe IFB's own trainee techns are largely responsible for it.
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