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| Grofers.com - Screen Grab |
"Interesting story"
Honestly I love to try new products and services specially from enthusiastic startups. Startups with great vibe. If I can recollect, I came to know about Grofers on twitter when they were not even operational in Pune. Grofers looked vibrant and eager to change things around. The aura and presence created their twitter handle was great. It was enough for me to install and see what was grofers like. I liked what I saw. App looked fresh and easy to use. Thats was an extension of aura created on twitter. The only thing that I had to wait was actual experience. They promise delivery within 90 minutes which is reasonable and good to start with. I am in a way comparing/competing them with my local kiryana store guys who gives me free home delivery. My local guy is 99% efficient and I have to call him for what I want. No apps or any technology involved just simple calling him and order what you want. If its available, it's gonna land at my place in 15-20mins. If its not available then try another kiryana/grocery store or move your ass to go and buy from a store near you.
So Grofers was launched in Pune as well. This August ( 2015 ) I decided to order Loreal Hair color which was available and was deliverable in my area. Ordering was simple. Find your brand with the exact color you want and place an order. Within 90 minutes it should be delivered to address. No calling just a few taps on the screen. This is how it should be. Unfortunately it turned out otherwise. The delivery was suppose to happen at 3:30PM so by 5PM I started getting impatient. I decided to check status with Grofers twitter team as I was not in a mood to call and check. Anyways if I had to call and check than it totally defeats the purpose for me to use Grofers. Twitter team responded to me in 5 mins but had to wait for 45mins before they could actually give me any status update. Anyways I assumed the things might have started rolling behind the scenes. The twitter team apologized and assured that the product will be delivered asap. The delivery guy finally reached at around 7:30PM but with a wrong product !! It was loreal hair color but color code was not the same which I had ordered. Boom ! I waited for 4hrs. The delivery guy looked and sounded courteous which was good. He promised to be back with right product. Meanwhile I updated about the product status at my end and re-checked if they are still delivering. Team was sounded enthusiastic and was still up for the game. Finally I got my ( right ) product after 9PM. Although my first actual experience was not so good or rather bad. But I thought it was one off case and I had still positive thoughts about the Grofers. Surely I had not written them off. I was going to try them again.
"Nail in the coffin"
Fast forward to October ( 2015 ). I decide to order same product with same color code at 11AM. Firstly there was no option repeat the order with single click. Anyways I searched the product and ordered again. Guess what ? I got the same replica experience. Starting with missing the 90mins deadline and then sending product with wrong color code again. The twitter responses, delay and apologies everything was exactly same. Shared my feedback with the Grofers twitter team and yes I was really pissed off this time. They were not able to trace the product/delivery guy for the entire day. At 8:30PM, delivery guy shows up with wrong product was certainly testing the patience. I knew they cannot deliver this today. I felt quite weird as if I was helpless and did not know why I had ordered the product from Grofers. I could have easily drove to nearest store and bought it. I felt as if Grofers was trying to make a point that How lazy and dependent we are on such apps. Moving on, at around 9:45PM, Neal Sinha from NCR Grofer support team call me up and "apologizes" for the blunder and delay. After a sweet talk, he promised me the delivery next day by 11:30AM. He shared his direct contact number and told me to reach me out if I need any help. Next day at 12:45PM, a lady again from Grofer NCR calls me if I was still interested in buying the product. I checked the status about the 11:30AM delivery which she had no clue. Interestingly she was asking me exact sku number of the product I was looking for. Certainly it was not amusing as I am find it now while writing. I had to explain her that I am not carrying SKU number with me all the time. Moreover I placed the order on app so you must be having exact details !! darn logical ! Did I give it up ? Nope.. I requested for 2:30Pm delivery which she happily agreed. Fast forward, its 4:30PM, I called up Neal Sinha. I asked he had promised a 11:30 AM delivery ? what is the status ? He sounded so cool in saying that if it has not been delivered than Grofer must have cancelled the order. Wow ! Guess what he was right. There was no update on my app. No one bothered to inform me.
"Slippery Founder "
Grofers managed to create a nice vibe on social media but could not capitalize on with providing a similar experience. Being a founder and present on social media can be a slippery experience. But if you have decide to be available then we as a consumer assume you know what you are doing and why you are there. Grofers co-founder Albinder Dhindsa , like many other modern startup founders, can be seen CNBC, Bloomberg, ETNow gushing on how they are excited about the company. He is like other new age twitter savvy founders. They are usually quick to retweet appreciations but are numb about bricks thrown at them. If you react to positive responses on twitter, its logical to expect a response on bad experiences shared directly with you. If you anyways feel overwhelmed about twitter/social media responses, why not stay neutral. tough ?
"Feedback"
Dear Grofers, expanding into maximum cities in short time can be a good idea on paper specially with a confidence backed up by VC funding. But execution is where everything fizzes out. People would be happy to wait more so that they can experience your awesome service. Certainly you are not prepared for Pune otherwise I see no reason for committing same mistake twice. People on social media mainly on facebook and twitter are complaining about similar experiences. Free mangoes or umbrellas are good but not good enough if you lack in basic service which is the crux of your existence. You committed the same mistake twice and you lacked in proper process and technology to track and estimated the time of delivery. If you cannot deliver in original estimated time, you ( or your app ) should be smart enough to update me. I don't want a traditional website experience on your glorified and beauty without brains app. Don't forget you are at the end of day "Delivery App" and you cannot falter on that.
Written by Navdeep Soni
Started this as a photoblog initially but now using it as a blog to share my thought and experiences.
1 comments:
Hello,
This is regarding Order#GR249976052
I have place the order on 01 Sep 2016 and i got the delivery on 02 Sep 2016. I have order 4 pack of diaper which contain 34 pcs diaper each.
When deliver completed and i check the product i got 6 pack of diaper which contain 17 pcs each. means 34 diapers are missing and also wrong qty of pack is deilverd.
When i call to customer care they hold me for 2 minutes when we reach to seller but its tooks 12 minutes and your customer care executive said that seller is not contactable. So this is second day of since i place the order.
Third day when i try to contact grofers same thing happens like they put my phone on hold for 12 minutes and when i force to conference with seller your executive are ready and i talk with seller on conference call and he promised me to replace the items and give missing items before day end.
This is now forth day since i place the order and still same is not resolved and seller not came for replacement or deliver missing product.
When i call to seller he said that i will deliver before 4 PM.
and now this is 5:00 and seller is not deliver or replace damaged product. when i call to your customer care they said seller will deliver product tommrow as he is busy. i said i dont want your product please initiate refund and your executive said return is happends only tommrow as seller denied to come today.
I said i suffering from 4 days and i think i am victim of your application i paid money but i did not received the order this is pathatic.
I deciced to call seller as seller is call me yesterday for deliver the order when i call to seller he said we are not free for you undersatnd we have so much order. I said why you listed your name in gorfers if you are not satisfied with customer needs. They said it none of your business and shut the phone on my face.
This is height of irresponsibility . When i call to grofers now they said if return is not done from the seller we are not responsible now i feel like cheated customer and big victim of your company.
If you are not responsible for anything why don't you shutdown your company now ?
I raise the cancel request order and same thing is happends now seller is denied to come today he said i will reverce pickup tomorrow and when i ask if reverse pickup is not done who is responsible then your executive said we are not responsible if reverse pickup is not done and we will not release money if seller not pickup the product.
Please suggest on this and please inform you are going to shutdown because i am surprise with service i never had any issue with bigbasket and other companies but you are doing business like this then please share with us so we will beware in the future to orders with company like you.
Thanks
Shankar Gidwani
9978108960
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