A Collection of Reviews - 1

Here are some reviews - of good and not so good experiences in dealing with businesses in India, specifically in Bangalore, unless noted otherwise.

The good experiences first.

A. R. Electricals: Run by A. Rafi. This man is a rare personality - polite, respectful and knowledgeable. His prices are fair - and he often obliges when requested for a discount. His store is adjacent to Book Paradise, in 4th Block Jayanagar, near the Post Office. Highly recommended.

Dakshin Honda: They've improved their service. I had visited them recently for fixing a punctured tyre, and they swiftly got it done in about 15mins while I waited. The Service Advisor I interacted with, Raghavendra K. R., was polite, and helpful.

Nature Nirvana (near Chikmagalur - around 250 kms from Bangalore):
We visited in June 2006. We practically had the entire bungalow to ourselves, and had a good time there. That being the monsoon season, there were occasional light rains - we got bitten by leeches on one of our hikes - interesting experience. The atmosphere was green everywhere - cool, serene, and relaxing - and the service was good. Mr. Kutty, the manager there, ensured that everything was arranged and organized for us. He took us out on nature walks, and a drive up a hill which once had a castle (koté). A simple, sincere man - we liked him. The pricing is on the higher side though. One thing we didn't like was the attires and appearances of our cooks - those ladies didn't look like they took a bath everyday - atleast not in the mornings. But their creations were eatable, though :)

Grange Resort (in Yercaud, near Salem - around 240 kms from Bangalore):
This is a surprisingly low priced resort - with independent cottages. Beautiful place in the midst of an estate. Quiet, serene, refreshing place. The service and the food was good - didn't get to see the cooks though. We were reluctant to return home to dusty and noisy Bangalore after our relaxing time there.

And now, the not so good experiences.

Paparazzi Restaurant, run by the Baljee Group (Royal Orchid Hotels) - formerly named 'A Pinch of Jazz', at the Manipal Centre: I had a very unpleasant experience with them - they were shockingly unprofessional. I had made reservations for a table for two, for the evening of a special occasion - 3 weeks in advance. And then, on that special day, I called them in the morning, and they confirmed the reservation. It appeared like everything was set. But then, out of the blue, I got a call from them at around noon time, with this guy saying lamely that my reservation for the evening is not possible since the restaurant is "closed". I was furious, and demanded to know the reason for this sudden closure. He then reveals that a large group has made a booking, and he needs to take away my reservation to make room for them. How crass can it get?

Asian Computers, at #73, 8th Main, Jayanagar 4th Block: I had purchased a USB data transfer cable from them, and the guy in the store assured me that if it does not work for any reason, I could return the item and can have the price adjusted against any other product (with the same or a higher price) in his store. The cable did not work because its software did not install successfully (it sucked) - and I took the product back.

The guy changed his tune, and said he can only replace the product - and not adjust it against anything else. So he gave me another unit of the same product - and this, as expected, had the same problems. I took it back to him again, and he said that it was my problem, and he couldn't do any exchanges. On persisting, he offered to take the product back, but return to me half of what I'd paid for it. I decided to keep the product than give him the opportunity to sell it again at full price (which he would've surely done). I had effectively lost my money on a hokey product, which I'd purchased with a false assurance of exchange.

Shell Station, on Hosur Road, near the Goldhill Square office complex: I usually purchase my fuel at the Bharat Petroleum station at Lalbagh West Gate. But I thought I might try this new Shell that's opened on Hosur Road enroute to my workplace. I drove in there and this attendant came up to me with a fake-looking Namaste, his palms joined. I asked for a full tank of regular Unleaded, and he said that the Regular pump was not working, but the Super Unleaded pump was working fine. I then asked if any other pump island had the Regular pump working, and he said No. Since I was in a hurry to get to work, I decided to not spend any time on verifying his claim, and asked him to start pumping in the Super fuel, which he did.

To my surprise, a car pulls up into an island next to mine, and an attendant comes over and starts pumping in the Regular fuel for him. That was not good - I had just paid a premium of over 50 rupees for this Super fuel which I didn't really need. I summoned the manager, and expressed my displeasure at what had happened. He was apologetic, but promised to instruct the attendant who'd lied to me. This just shows... you teach your staff how to greet customers (with namastes and smiles) - but have they been given a basic lesson in honesty?