How to avoid becoming a victim of consumer appliances after sales service frauds

Recently published survey reports state that India witnessed a relatively high rate of tech support scams at 69% – among the highest globally, 31% Indians lost money through a scam. And increasingly number of such scams are being faced by customers looking to service their home appliances.

For every chore at our home today, we have an appliance – from dishwashing to laundry, from cooking to cleaning. Our trusted refrigerator, washing machine, dishwashers, microwave ovens, air conditioners and more – keep our lives running smoothly. One can easily imagine the inconvenience caused when appliances break down. Or on the flip side, we buy a new appliance wishing to use it immediately. It is not surprising therefore for consumers to seek out ways to get the fastest possible after sales service. In the internet age, this typically translates to a few quick clicks on popular search engine. In most cases things go well – we book a call at the company service who promptly send their authorized technician and we get the installation or service done. But there is also an increasing number of customers who become victims of easy frauds.

Here is how most such cases transpire: Fraudulent service centers pose as authorized service centers for popular brands, then put up their own numbers on search engines. Customers in a hurry mistake this to be company service number and book a service request. Post this, they can fraudulently charge money and do not provide any service, or they can sell fake spare parts, send incompetent technicians who are not able to solve the problem but charge the consumer for the visit, and instead of fixing the machine they damage it further. Customers also risks safety by inviting unscrupulous agents into their home and sharing their mobile number, address etc. Meanwhile, the company warranty of the machine does not hold valid anymore because the consumer has used a third-party service. On part of reputed brands, there is continuous legal action being taken against these fraudulent agents but the easy anonymity that search engines provide becomes a key barrier.

To avoid falling into the trap of such fraudsters, Godrej Appliances shares some simple tips for consumers to protect themselves.

Look for brand’s authorized service centers: Instead of searching for after sales service numbers online, first look for the brand’s service contact number on the product itself. Nearly all reputed companies mention tollfree service support numbers on their products and have active call centres in multi-languages to provide its customers greater convenience. Keep the official tollfree number/WhatsApp number saved in your phonebook or download the brand’s official mobile app which can help you reach out to the nearest authorised service provider. Despite this, if you must search online for the service number, then stick to searching on the brand’s official website only, and don’t rely on results thrown up by a search engine.

Reputed brands invest heavily into delivering service excellence– this involves training the technicians, investing in IT infrastructure, setting up a network of service call centres and authorised service providers etc ensuring easy reach, faster resolution and importantly, delivering service with safety for customers. Performance of the appliance is greatly impacted by the quality of installation and service, and consumers must skip the temptation of cheaper or faster service promises and opt only for the brand’s authorised service, for their safety as well.

Pay attention to details: Most consumers fall prey to scams because they do not notice minor discrepancies. These set ups often dupe the customers by creating fake websites trying to replicate brand names, sometimes using the brand’s logo and divert the call to their own numbers. Being observant to errors can help consumers identify phishing websites. Firstly, customers should do spell checks for authenticating the information link, be wary of any distortions and tweaks in the brand name spelling and be suspicious if you see a site with poor communication. Check domain name, ensure the website URL mentions ‘https’ (not http) and must have a lock icon.

If you contact a reputed brand’s service centres, you will receive details of the visiting technician which you should verify with technician’s ID card. Before letting the technician in your home, ask for his id card. Also, observe if the visiting technician is wearing a uniform. Most brands also provide spares with branding or logo, packed in branded cartons to showcase genuineness.

Beware when asked to pay upfront: When you are asked to pay in advance for any service or repairs by non-branded or unknown service persons then you must be careful of becoming a victim of a common scam. Similarly, consumers need to beware of fake phone-calls that mention annual product servicing is due and ask for money upfront before the visit. They might claim that a trained technician will visit to resolve the issue after you have paid some fees. If you end up paying in advance, they could take the money and disappear. When you pay any amount to an authorised brand service centre, as soon as the amount is deposited at the service centre, it is entered in the system, and you should receive an SMS from the brand giving details of the amount you paid. On the other hand, authorised service providers issue an invoice for the service provided and take the customer’s signature post completion of their services, which gets recorded and tracked in a timely manner by the brand to avoid any discrepancy. Some of them also provide a code or feedback link post service. In case of any discrepancy, you can connect and get it addressed.

It is important to be mindful of the above aspects, because once you fall prey to any fraudster and make payments, it gets extremely difficult to get redressal. Such cases have been seen to happen in both larger cities and smaller towns and damages a brand’s reputation in consumer mind who blames brands for poor service, but more importantly, jeopardizes the safety of consumers. So be smart and alert, as these simple precautions can go a long way in ensuring your family’s safety.

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