Customer service not a level playing field

IT'S NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE IF IT ONLY APPLIES TO THE CUSTOMER WHO KNOWS HOW TO COMPLAIN

- Charles Assisi

At what point does a customer cease being a customer and become fair game? I've been writing about technology long enough to know that pricing isn't always rational. But this episode left me rattled—not because of the money involved, but because it exposed something quietly corrosive about how companies treat the people they claim to serve.

Here's what happened. My daughter dropped her two-month-old phone. Sometime later, the screen blanked out. These things happen. But we had been reassured when we bought it that the warranty would cover some kinds of screen damage. So off she went with her mother to the authorized service centre.

They were first told the screen repair was covered under warranty. A little later, a call came. This time the voice at the other end said there was "physical damage," and that wasn't covered. The cost: ₹6,800. Estimated wait time: five days.

I paused a work call to take this one. The quoted price felt off. I told them to hold off, not pay, and bring the phone back. But the front desk was insistent: the phone had to be left behind before any estimate could be generated. Reluctantly, I gave in. Leave it, I said.

Later that evening, I made a few calls. Within 30 minutes, I had sourced a brand-new screen replacement, same model, for ₹5,300. A generic version was available for ₹1,400. Either option could be delivered in under 3 hours. Something didn't add up.