Fire, Safety, and Brand Value
This is a series.
My Split Home Air Conditioner broke down and I had to call Voltas Air Conditioner service engineer to my house. Here onwards everything went downhill.
We will discuss a few crucial points on hazard, safety, and brand equity.
Fire and Safety of Electronic Home Appliances
Almost, everyone has a split home Air Conditioner these days. Exploiting you by the authorized service center with the desire for profiteering is just one aspect. Alongside this, the growing probability of fire and electrocution incidents spirals.
A proper servicing, and repair of the Air Conditioner to safely use the Consumer Electronics Home Appliances is a primary requirement.
The news of fires breaking out in homes, apartments, and commercial complexes due to defects in home appliances has become an everyday affair. That is why any negligence or exploitation in the assessment related to Air Conditioner installation and repair should be taken seriously.
Brand Value
it is a matter of serious concern if Voltas Air Conditioner authorized service technicians are found to be involved in misdemeanors like negligence and misleading the customer. It’ll put the brand’s credibility in the dock.
The original product manufacturer is the customer’s first choice for repair services. The product company recommends this to maintain the parts’ warranty. Unlike third-party repair services, government regulations are strictly followed by the original product manufacturers. It is universally recommended to receive the product servicing and repair from the original service provider which is often the retail product company.
It is extremely unprofessional for the service provider to deliberately display incompetence in manipulating, deceiving, and exploiting the customer by faulty assessment of the Air Conditioner with the expectation of profiteering in return.
Who do we expect to approach for Voltas Air Conditioner servicing and repair if not Voltas Air Conditioner Customer Care and Authorized Service Centre?
Right to Repair Act
When the authorized service center deceitfully charges exorbitant prices, the customer is forced to get the work done from third-party unauthorized local service centers. In such a situation, the Right to Repair Act becomes meaningless. Its existence or non-existence is the same.
How does profiteering through unethical business practices by servicing companies render the Right to Repair Act ineffective? Generative AI provides a fairly standard answer. (Link)
Despite the implementation of the Right to Repair Act, if the authorized service center is profiteering by charging excessive amounts from customers devising exploitive tactics, then this is a fall of the foundational spirit of the Right to Repair Act.
Unauthorized local service centers do not follow the safety rules set by the government meant to minimize the risk of fire and electrical hazards.
What kind of parts are they using to repair the device? Are the repair parts genuine or not?
All these things cannot be confirmed in the unauthorized local service centers.
Neither in the present times, such expectations can be kept from unorganized unauthorized local service centers, given the conditions in which they operate, nor can they be regulated so easily.
In the upcoming posts, we will discuss in detail the complications of the Right to Repair Act in a country like India.
The previous post in the series lists the essential details. Voltas Air Conditioner’s Deficiency in Service and Profiteering. (Link)
The next post in the series is Cumulative Planned Obsolescence Drifting Over Economic, and Political Cycles. (Link)
Last edited on 21 Jan 2025.
