“LG Best Shop” is now “LG Worst Shop”

If i remember correctly, Brand LG was launched in India in 1997. LG has done a commendable job in last 15 years & is now market leader in most of the product categories/segments. In any Business, the biggest problem is when you grow out of proportion in short period then it becomes difficult to manage the operations. Those who are able to manage this phase, they are surviving and rest are resting in peace..Currently LG is also going through this phase (This is my personal observation).

My family (including me) are a big fan of LG brands from the day they launched in India becoz of their superior product quality and the service provided to the customers…All the Home Appliances bought by my family in last 15 years are from LG only. Be it Refrigerator, Washing Machine, LCD TV, AC etc.

Recently, i decided to upgrade my Refrigerator and Washing Machine, As usual only brand revolving in my mind was LG. While purchasing any Home Appliance, the biggest worry in any customers mind is that he/she should not get Demo/Second’s/Repaired unit. Till date, no one knows rather there is no clear policy what the brand does with Demo/Second’s/Repaired units. I know that IFB brand is very fair in this regard and they sell Demo/Second’s/Repaired unit at heavy discounts by informing customers that its a Demo/Second’s/Repaired unit. Recently, one of my friend bought IFB washing machine @ 40% discount and it was 1 year old demo unit. As usual rest all brands, sell these kind of units to un-suspecting customers @ the price of new.

To rest this doubt, i decided to buy Refrigerator and Washing Machine only from LG Best Shop in Bangalore not from any other showroom. If you are buying from authorized exclusive showroom of LG then u don’t expect any kind of cheating or fraud. Before visiting the showroom, i did some basic research on net and I decided on models to be purchased. In Bangalore, LG Best Shop is run by Adishwar India Limited and just to add that Adishwar Electro World is famous retail store in South India (Owned by Adishwar India Limited). Whenever i buy any product, i ensure that it is directly delivered from Company Warehouse to ensure that unit is brand new. The LG warehouse in Bangalore is in Nelamangala and Adishwar warehouse is in Peenya.

On auspicious day of Dhanteras, i purchased Washing Machine and Refrigerator from LG Best Shop and at the time of purchase, i cross checked & confirmed from store manager 100 times that i will get, Recently Manufactured + Box pack unit and both the units will be delivered from LG warehouse in Nelamangala. I was promised next day delivery but it was delivered on Diwali i.e. a delay of 1 day. I was expecting a delay of day or two due to diwali rush & it is acceptable during festive season. Secondly, in LG Best Shop i was expecting a Bill  directly from LG becoz its an exclusive LG showroom but i was provided a bill from Adishwar India Limited.

When i received the delivery, i told the delivery boy to open the packing of refrigerator. At 1st look, It was not looking like a brand new piece. When i checked the manufacturing date, it was of April’12 i.e. 9 months old unit. Normally manufacturing date is of last 2 months for any consumer durable goods becoz of running inventory. Only other scenario is that there is NO SALE of LG Refrigerator in Bangalore in last 6-7 Months (Highly Unlikely). Also the product was delivered from Peenya Warehouse whereas it was promised to be delivered from LG warehouse in Nelamangala.

I got suspicious and when i checked the refrigerator closely, i observed that it was a used unit i.e. 2nd hand unit. All the packing material like protection tape etc was removed from inside and outside the unit. The back panel at bottom was badly damaged. Infact to my surprise, 3 screws were missing from back panel which implies that unit was repaired one i.e. someone opened the back panel for repair. The back panel was not aligned properly while closing. There were strains & slight scratches on the refrigerator. In short, a second hand unit was delivered to me. I showed all this to delivery boys and they accepted that its not a fresh piece.

I called store manager multiple times but he didn’t picked up the call. I refused to accept the delivery and returned it back. I decided to visit the “LG Worst Shop”. The store manager gave me all the gyaan that he was not aware that its a demo unit and he checked the stocks before placing order etc etc…I told that its not a demo unit but a Repaired unit/Second’s unit…He accepted the fact as it was lying in his showroom only.

I told him to cancel my order and he accepted my request. My question is, if LG was not at fault then why they happily accepted to cancel the order. Answer is simple the Store Manager knew that they have delivered a second hand unit otherwise they don’t accept any request for exchange or refund at any cost. It is quite surprising and shocking to know that customer can be cheated even in Exclusive Showrooms like LG Best Shop…Its a clear case of cheating and fraud.

My sympathy and empathy for the un-suspecting customer, who will be buying the second hand refrigerator unit rejected by me…Now a days all automobile brands are selling second hand cars, i think LG has also made a back door entry into this business. Only difference is you buy second hand car from authorized dealer at discounted rate but in LG Best Shop u r paying a price of new to buy second hand products.

Now, my amount is stuck with LG and My only worry is how long they will take to refund my amount…Store Manager has promised me to refund the amount paid in 2 days but i have my own doubts (Today i.e. Nov 15, 2012 is 2nd day). I will keep my readers posted regarding the same.

Happy Shopping from LG Worst Shop !!!

Update Nov 15, 2012: Today, I received a call from Mr Rakshit Rai (Zonal Brand Manager of LG, Bangalore). He accepted that Refrigerator unit delivered to me was indeed a Demo unit though i still insist that it was 2nd hand repaired unit based on its condition . He informed me that like IFB, LG also has a policy to dispose demo units or Second’s unit. These units are sold with prior information to customers at discounted rates. Whether LG is following this policy or not, Readers can decide. He offered me to either wait for 15 days to get brand new box unit or opt for full refund of amount paid. I opted for refund. He also assured me that i will get my complete refund by Nov 17, 2012 (Saturday) through cheque.

Update Nov 17, 2012: Today, i received the refund cheque from LG Best Shop. Thanks to Power of Blogging !!! It is quite unfortunate and shocking that global brand like LG is cheating its customers by selling 2nd hand units / demo units & that too through its own branded stores like LG Best Shop. 

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