This is not a rant, but an expression of consumer dissatisfaction. A part of an effort to prevent other unsuspecting customers from being cheated by unscrupulous e-commerce websites.
It has been SIX MONTHS today since I ordered some gifts for my niece and nephew from Seventymm.com and there is no trace of delivery and also no followup to my repeated contacts with them.
If there was any record category for delayed delivery in the Guinness or Limca books of records, I would’ve nominated Seventymm for that infamous record.
Following experiences with their clueless customer service, who tend to put you in an unending loop, I have stopped contacting the company over the phone and instead sent them periodic emails.
Emails are at least kinder on my hair (I have a strong urge to pull my hair out when talking to Seventymm’s customer care executives), on my hard-earned money and my time. None of which the company seems to have any respect for.
Initially I would occasionally, following an angry email, get a call trying to assure me that the delivery would happen in a few days (that, of course, never did). The calls have long stopped. It’s now only one-way communication – from me to Seventymm.
All that they did, that too four-and-a-half-months after I placed the order, was to deliver a free gift that was supposed to come with the orders that I had originally placed.
They also do not seem to care much for consumer’s account security either. I had exposed in a previous blog post of how shoddy their password retrieval process was and therefore anyone could access other user’s accounts.
Some may suggest why don’t I just take a refund and let the matter end? Yes, I want my money back but refunding money is the easiest way out for an errant service provider. Also I don’t want to end the matter. Also Seventymm hasn’t even officially offered to refund my money. I demand adequate compensation for all the trouble that their incompetence has caused me.
I have also lodged a complaint against Seventymm and its CEO Mudit Khosla at a consumer forum. I am waiting for some developments at that end. In case if all fails, I shall seek succour through other relevant legal channels.
The money involved is not large, but the issue is. Companies such as Seventymm.com seem to take their consumers for granted (search online for Seventymm complaints or read through the user comments on their Facebook page to know what I mean) and this needs to be changed. There is also a Facebook page for Dissatisfied seventymm customers (Yes, I ‘liked’ it).
@seventymm also seems to have abandoned its presence on Twitter (the last update is from August 2011) in the face of an onslaught of negative tweets.
Instead of spending so much on advertising, had they invested in better customer service, it would’ve helped both the company and the consumers. But they insist on taking us for a ride. So it is up to us to to hit them where it hurts the most, their reputation (or whatever there is left of that).
As if not satisfied with subjecting us to their sub-standard services, Seventymm.com has let loose a torrent of spam SMSes upon its users. I have registered a number of NDNC complaints against the company, but the messages just do not stop. My service provider (Idea) says that they can’t do much as Seventymm.com seems to be using some excuse of being a website service provider. I am going to dig deeper into this.
Seventymm isn’t doing us customers any favour and is also doing a great disservice to India’s burgeoning e-commerce industry. A Seventymm experience may be enough for a user to stay away from online shopping altogether.
I am sending a link of this post to the people at Seventymm. Hope they don’t like what they read and are prompted to act.
