Renovating a house is like a big deal, you know? It’s not something you do every day, so you gotta make it count. And when it comes to picking brands, you want the best, even if it means shelling out some extra cash. So, when we were revamping our crib, we decided to go all in with Parryware for our faucets and flush buttons. We had high hopes that these babies would last us a good long while, especially with the company hooking us up with a sweet seven-year warranty. Fingers crossed, right?
We were thrilled to commence a long-term partnership with the company. My family (including myself) exemplifies brand loyalty, whereby a satisfactory experience with a particular product prompts us to remain dedicated patrons of said company for a lifetime. Therefore, we eagerly embraced the opportunity to foster such a relationship in this instance as well.
Read on to know how this became a trap instead of a relationship.
First three years
During the first three years, it felt like we were using great products. Faucets were working perfectly, flush buttons were looking great and were doing their job well. In that phase, we were patting our backs. We were thinking, we did the right thing by installing parryware products.
In the fourth year, we started facing minor problems with our faucets. Since they were manageable repairs, we were still happy with the products. Then it was a turn of flush buttons, one stopped working and the other one was leaking. This time, we decided to test the company’s after-sale service as the products were in warranty period. The service guy came and repaired them. It happened again in the 4th year but it was repaired by the company representative as it was in the warranty period.
Expiration of warranty in 5th year
It became a regular affair in the 5th year. The same flush buttons started getting damaged every 2-3 months. And after a couple of repairs, we were informed by the company that our warranty expired. Only Parryware knows how and on what basis.
After the warranty issue, when the service guy came to repair it, he told us that salt water was the reason for the damage and we believed him. The second time, our usage was the reason. We paid for the service twice without asking any questions thinking it was a genuine problem. When it happened for the third time in the 5th year, we called our regular plumber and not the company guys. He simply opened the flush buttons, cleaned all the parts and fit them again. The problem disappeared. For the next year or so, all the flush buttons were working fine.
In the 7th year, during Diwali, the whole house was getting cleaned. In that process, one of our maids pushed the flush button with a lot of force. Thus, it was broken from the inside and the water leakage started.
This time, we called the company guys as the problem was serious. They came in my absence so my mother attended to them. They changed a part and told my mother that it has a warranty of one year so don’t worry, it won’t happen again. My mother was satisfied and paid them without asking for a bill.
Same mistake again and again
Next month the same problem occurred. This time, the button was pressed normally. We called the authorised service centre as the part was under warranty. The service guy came and charged again saying that the damaged part was different. Again, he neither gave us the damaged part nor the bill.
Twenty days after that repair, again there was leakage in that flush button. This time, the washroom was not even used. By this time, our regular plumber was back in his village. So for the third time in three months, we called the parryware authorised service center.
It’s not a service It’s a loot
This time, we were told that it would be done free of cost as the part is under warranty. The guy came, repaired the part, came out and asked for the money. I was present at home this time and asked him, “money for what? you guys said that it will be done free of cost.” He replied, “I have not repaired the part, I have replaced it.”
He repaired the whole thing in front of me, he didn’t use any part. Thus, I asked for the damaged part. To that, he said that it is inside the washroom. There was nothing in the washroom so I asked him to find me that part in the washroom. When he realised that he was caught in his doing, he started searching for it in his bag. After searching it for a good 2-3 minutes, he gave us that part from his bag. There was no damage on the part he gave us. He probably unwrapped the new part to save his ass.
No way out
When he realised that now there is no way out, he started making us realise how fast and ethical his service is. First, if he was a man of ethics then he wouldn’t have kept the part he replaced in his bag. Second, when we asked for the bill, he asked for double the amount stating the service charge and the actual cost of the product is higher. I even agreed to pay the double charge in exchange for the bill. To that, he said, he hasn’t brought the bill book and hasn’t even lodged the official complaint yet. Imagine the level of loot.
Now, we are also in a no-way-out situation because to change those fittings, we have to change the tiles of our washroom. All we can do is never call the parryware authorised dealer again and find a good plumber who can repair these faucets and flush buttons.
