I had given some post dated cheques as instalments. They never presented any of them in the respective months for at least 2 months. Then I started getting worried. If they present all the cheques in one go I need to have balance in the account. If I were an organisation it would have been ok, because my accounts department would have updated the balance available amount in my account reducing it by the amount in cheques issued. So effectively I would not even know that so much amount is there in my account.
But as an individual, I will start adjusting available amounts to other matters! Well it may be a systemic failure on my part, but still I fought it with my suppliers and ultimately in a meeting with the GM, where their legal officer participated, the legal officer was fired and dismissed before me! Mr. Mathivanan Elangovan reading this post was witness to it.
My point is, that the customer is more powerful than the supplier, and even if the fault is partly on the side of the customer, by fighting systematically and peacefully (peacefully! that is important) customer can win.
Let me tell how.
When I observed that they had not presented two instalment cheques, I started calling them over phone. In each phone call, I asked the name of the person again and again till I could write it on a paper without spelling mistake, along with the date, time and duration of the call. These telephone attenders speak just like the caveats in equity related video advertisements. You won't understand a word of it! So just ask "I did not get your good name, can you repeat it please?". They will repeat it again in a way that you don't get it. So again ask "Can you spell your name kindly, so that I can right it on a paper in case I need to escalate this complaint to higher authorities?" That's it.
Finally someone explained the problem to me. You can make out the problem from a letter that I sent to them. Look at the style, numbered points, language, tone etc. of that letter. I couriered this letter to them and kept a proof of delivery. (a slip courier fellows give you back with the signature &/or seal of the receiver. Interestingly nowadays courier companies don't give this. I am too old to take such fights now, otherwise I would have made them give receipts today also; just as I got a compensation of Rs.150 from a courier company for having delivered my envelope only after 5 days!! That story, I will give in another post).
I sent this letter to Skycel and a copy to my bank from which I had given dated cheques.
But as an individual, I will start adjusting available amounts to other matters! Well it may be a systemic failure on my part, but still I fought it with my suppliers and ultimately in a meeting with the GM, where their legal officer participated, the legal officer was fired and dismissed before me! Mr. Mathivanan Elangovan reading this post was witness to it.
My point is, that the customer is more powerful than the supplier, and even if the fault is partly on the side of the customer, by fighting systematically and peacefully (peacefully! that is important) customer can win.
Let me tell how.
When I observed that they had not presented two instalment cheques, I started calling them over phone. In each phone call, I asked the name of the person again and again till I could write it on a paper without spelling mistake, along with the date, time and duration of the call. These telephone attenders speak just like the caveats in equity related video advertisements. You won't understand a word of it! So just ask "I did not get your good name, can you repeat it please?". They will repeat it again in a way that you don't get it. So again ask "Can you spell your name kindly, so that I can right it on a paper in case I need to escalate this complaint to higher authorities?" That's it.
Finally someone explained the problem to me. You can make out the problem from a letter that I sent to them. Look at the style, numbered points, language, tone etc. of that letter. I couriered this letter to them and kept a proof of delivery. (a slip courier fellows give you back with the signature &/or seal of the receiver. Interestingly nowadays courier companies don't give this. I am too old to take such fights now, otherwise I would have made them give receipts today also; just as I got a compensation of Rs.150 from a courier company for having delivered my envelope only after 5 days!! That story, I will give in another post).
I sent this letter to Skycel and a copy to my bank from which I had given dated cheques.
I sent a stop payment instruction to my bankers as follows:
However Skycel, chose to present the cheque after sometimes.! The cheque bounced!! According to IPC it is a criminal offense!!! So their legal officer sent me a legal notice which is mandatory within 15 days!!!
I wrote a letter to their legal officer as follows, with POD, got the POD with their sign and seal.
Nothing happened! I got one more letter after some days, bearing the same date as this one again about cheque bounce. But read my reply to it and you will know what kind of Manager-Legal some companies have!!
Is it not great?!
Guess what they did? The deactivated my SIM. So I sent them the following letter.
See how I corner them without even leaving breathing air, by sheer strength of systematic, structured, descent and proactive communication?
By this time I had reached a state where, if the receptionist tells me "Sir the GM is in a conference and cannot talk now. Please call after 2 hours", I would tell her "My name is Nandakumar. Put me on hold, tell Ms. Sumathy (that is the GM you would have noticed from the letters) that I am holding the line and let her decide whether she wants to take the call". Ha! what audacity! But you know what? The GM will come on the line within seconds, whether she was actually in a conference or not!
Ok, back to the story. The Manager Legal called me and fixed an appointment. Mr. Mathivanan my team mate at Infosys knew all the story and wanted to see how I handle the case and came along with me to see what happens.
I reached their office 5 minutes before the fixed time. The receptionist requested us to be seated. We waited for 5 minutes. At the fixed appointment time I went to the receptionist and asked what is going on. She said the GM is in a meeting and it will take half an hour! I gave her my visiting card and said "take this to your GM and say that I am waiting and tell what she tells". From my voice she understood that I mean business. Immediately took the card and went into a conference room. Within seconds the GM came out of the conference room running and that was our first meeting.
She sat behind a seat. I and Mathivanan sat across. She referred about the cheque bounce case. I said I had stopped the payment due to violation of contract and had informed you. She got surprised when I showed the letters. "I have not seen these letters." So I showed the POD with the Manager-Legal's sign and seal!! She called the manager legal. Same dramatic scene. His each denials were refuted by me and the GM was watching. Finally she asked her Manager-Legal to clear the scene.
She: "Sir, what will we do now? I understand there were lapses on our side"
Me: "Madam, I agree that I have to pay you all these amounts as the cost of the instrument, but this is not the way you handle a customer! Return all the post dated cheques and dismiss your Manager-Legal. I will clear the full amount in two cheques. But now you need to give me a discount because you have put me to all these problems."
She: "Ok sir"
They worked out a discounted amount. I gave them two dated cheques. We shared good bye.
That is the end of the story.
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