Shove the stove
6:02 PM on Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Had an extremely unpleasant experience with cooking gas agencies in Bangalore today. The leading gas distributors in the area seem to be keen on exploiting the shortage of cooking gas supply as of now. Just this week the distributors began issuing new gas connections after a gap of 3 months....
Whether this gas shortage was temporary or not is not known.... so (understandably) everyone is keen on getting a connection immediately before they miss the bus and have to wait again (or pay for more expensive private gas supplies). The result: the distributors claim that he/she must sell the connection 'with the stove'. There are nice posters in the room which inform the customer that he is in no obligation whatsoever to take a stove from the distributor.... but who cares? You are promoted to a preferential customer the moment you agree to pay double the normal expense (for only a cylinder) and take a stove even if you don't need one (because you already own one!) You get the cylinder, regulator, stove et al within 5 minutes if you take the 'package deal'.
On the other hand, if you are amongst the few people who'd rather not take the stove and want only the cylinder.... one gas distributor frankly and politely asks you to try elsewhere. The other tries to postpone giving the connection itself till he is sure he can not sell the stove with a new connection any more:
Distributor: 'Sir, a technician must inspect your stove before you can get the connection'.
Me: 'I just purchased it last week.... and it has an ISI mark (Govt approved quality) on it.'
Distributor: 'Still sir.... we need to check.'
Me: 'Okay.... can you send a technician with me to verify? I have taken time off from work to do this within your office hours'.
Distributor: 'All technicians are out.... We'll send one tomorrow.'
Me: 'But I won't be at home.... can you call before you come?'
Distributor: 'Yes.... he'll call.'
Me: 'So.... after that, I can get my connection? I've been in the waiting list for a month now....'
Distributor: 'Depends....'
Me: 'Can you give a date by which I'll know?'
Distributor (visibly agitated): 'If you keep asking he'll not come tomorrow. He'll come after that!'
End of story. For once, I did not know what to do.... I took the connection from the polite distributor. I know I did not do the 'right thing'.... but after 3 weeks of waiting for a gas connection and after 3 hours of haggling for the same in office hours, I am more disappointed than ever. Guess I will ponder on the morals some other time.
Anyone want a stove on discount?
Whether this gas shortage was temporary or not is not known.... so (understandably) everyone is keen on getting a connection immediately before they miss the bus and have to wait again (or pay for more expensive private gas supplies). The result: the distributors claim that he/she must sell the connection 'with the stove'. There are nice posters in the room which inform the customer that he is in no obligation whatsoever to take a stove from the distributor.... but who cares? You are promoted to a preferential customer the moment you agree to pay double the normal expense (for only a cylinder) and take a stove even if you don't need one (because you already own one!) You get the cylinder, regulator, stove et al within 5 minutes if you take the 'package deal'.
On the other hand, if you are amongst the few people who'd rather not take the stove and want only the cylinder.... one gas distributor frankly and politely asks you to try elsewhere. The other tries to postpone giving the connection itself till he is sure he can not sell the stove with a new connection any more:
Distributor: 'Sir, a technician must inspect your stove before you can get the connection'.
Me: 'I just purchased it last week.... and it has an ISI mark (Govt approved quality) on it.'
Distributor: 'Still sir.... we need to check.'
Me: 'Okay.... can you send a technician with me to verify? I have taken time off from work to do this within your office hours'.
Distributor: 'All technicians are out.... We'll send one tomorrow.'
Me: 'But I won't be at home.... can you call before you come?'
Distributor: 'Yes.... he'll call.'
Me: 'So.... after that, I can get my connection? I've been in the waiting list for a month now....'
Distributor: 'Depends....'
Me: 'Can you give a date by which I'll know?'
Distributor (visibly agitated): 'If you keep asking he'll not come tomorrow. He'll come after that!'
End of story. For once, I did not know what to do.... I took the connection from the polite distributor. I know I did not do the 'right thing'.... but after 3 weeks of waiting for a gas connection and after 3 hours of haggling for the same in office hours, I am more disappointed than ever. Guess I will ponder on the morals some other time.
Anyone want a stove on discount?
2:08 PM
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
9:09 AM
Why does this sound familiar to me? Did you go to the Indiranagar Indane gas agency by any chance? :-)
2:00 PM
casting aside all the political correctness shown in the actual post, I shout out.... Bingo!! :)
2:10 AM
I love the big stove specially because i like to cook all kind of recipe, how ever i prefer to have a reasonable place. Actually i saw a beautiful stove in a house that was published in costa rica homes for sale it was big and beautiful, i think i will go there because it catched my attention.nesti
11:07 PM
You have quickly thought up such matchless phrase?