100% Refund after LG India Cheats Loyal Customer

Summary: Finally managed to make LG give me a 100% refund.

LG swindles loyal customer with pathetic service. LG Employees complicit in planned cheating. Refurbished 100% dryer Inverter based Washing Machine sold as new for Rs. 50,000 plus. No service in spite of 5 yrs AMC. Machine required service every 6 months. In 3 yrs Motor & Water pump failure. Hot Air pathway rusted with big hole in 6 mths and Drum developed a hole leaving it irreparable; no spares. After 45 days and hundreds of calls and messages Regional Service Head Vinod GR & Sonali Karenjekar agreed to 100% refund of machine and prorate for AMC. Collected original documents and promised Cheque in 10 days. Been further 2 mths, they don't even lift calls. I have call and sms recordings. Never buy LG.

#LG, #LGWashingMachine, #LGservice, #LGIndia

Detailed Facts:

• I have saved, WhatsApp, SMS, Email and Recorded voice call conversations to back all that I mention below:
• Bought LG’s Top End “Washer Cum 100% Dryer” Inverter Machine “F1496ADP24” with 2 yrs Standard warranty and 10 years Motor Warranty on 20/01/2015. Yes there are such high end single unit machines and I took a bet on LG since I have been buying multiple LG devices ranging from Flat Screen TV’s, to Washing Machines to Home Theatre Systems to their Flagship Phones.
• The Machine had a MRP in excess of Rs. 51,000 and I bought it under a sale for Rs.41,000. I got a Rs. 500 discount for exchange of my 12 yrs old working Samsung Top Load Automatic machine - A machine that developed no faults in 12 yrs and was replaced by me just to go in for newer and better 100% drying technology. The LG machine was used daily for washing just 2 persons clothes.
• 6 months later the Machine developed a fault that stopped the 100% Drying aspect and left clothes damp. The fault was identified to be a rusted component in the Hot air pathway system which resulted in a 1 Inch Diameter hole. This is a metal component and major rusting just 6 months on made me think that they may have sold me a refurbished machine. This component was replaced and did not rust a bit even 2.5 yrs later and that raises a question about how this could happen in the first 6 months unless it was a refurbished model sold as a new unit.
• About 15 months on I had to again ask for the machine to be serviced since the design is such that lint gets accumulated in the air exit pathways and it is not something that a user can clean up. This is a design flaw that requires one to call service engineer every 6-12 months.
• About 21 months on the “10 yrs warranty motor” failed (again raising doubts about the machine being new). This was replaced under warranty and forced me to buy further 3 years extended warranty and AMC to make the total warranty period 5 years. I had never bought a washing machine that failed so many times in the first couple of years, and this is quite unheard of in modern times.
• The AMC bought for Rs. 9282 again under discount was taken on 17/11/2017 and is valid for 5 years from the purchase of the machine.
• About 34 months from the purchase of the machine it again failed and this time the technician identified water pump failure (Was it a refurbished machine). But he asked me to continue using the machine.
• Around 20/01/2018 When the technician came to replace the water pump he informed me that the Plastic Tub that is outside the metal Tub has a big hole in it. (Again raising the refurbished machine question).
• I then again strongly raised the issue of major issues with the washing machine in a very short life span. I asked LG to replace the machine or give me a full refund. They maintained that they would repair the machine.
• I asked for a replacement machine in the meanwhile till they repair the machine. I was told they would send me a temporary top loading automatic machine. I was instead sent a semi automatic machine - something which I have not used in the last 35 years. I was forced to ask them to take it back. Do bear in mind that here we are talking about a defect in a machine that does not require even hanging out to dry and assures us of 100% drying facility and they did not have the courtesy to send even a normal automatic machine which even the technician who visited mentioned to me is normally done.
• In the meanwhile I was informed that the machine cannot be repaired at all and the part is not available. They offered to pay me depreciated value. I told them that machines are bought with a lifetime of minimum of 10 years in mind, even they offer 10 years warranty on the motor.
• I literally had to call the call centre 100+ times and go through the same conversation multiple times, escalate the issue multiple times.
• Finally they agreed to Refund the Machine cost 100% including the AMC. Voice calls and sms records would confirm this. A woman by the name of Sonali Karenjekar handled this conversation.
• However when the technician / person came to get documents signed they backed out and agreed to only give prorated value for the AMC component. This followed another round of discussions with her boss Vinod GR and they agreed to refund Rs. 5600 for the AMC and 40500 for the Machine. (Refusing to refund me for the machine that they took in exchange when the machine was bought.) This again is recorded on Voice Call and SMS. They insisted that Original Invoices need to be submitted and the cheques would be received by me within 10 day at most.
• I was forced to agree to avoid the inconvenience and effort involved in going to the consumer court and they collected my original Washing Machine Invoice, my AMC / Extended Warranty Invoice and a cancelled cheque. But this it seems was only a ruse to get me to surrender the original documents. (I however have signatures of the person collecting the documents “Ramesh” on copies of the invoices.).
• I have been following up since almost 2 months since collection of the documents with Vinod GR the person who was mentioned to me to be a senior regional head of service and who could take a call. He was the person who along with his colleague Sonali Karanjekar (who first informed me of 100% refund and then later backed out).
• The last communication from Vinod was that “In a meeting for your case there is slight calculation changes Because of which cheque is getting delayed, pl wait i will call back by 5 pm and confirm by when u ll be getting the cheque” This was on 11/04/2018 post which he has again never reverted.
• Frankly even if LG management asked them to mislead a customer the way they have done how could Vinod GR and Sonali Karanjekar behave in such a manner. Is telling management that what they are doing is morally wrong and not being a part of it a part of the job?
• On 24/04/2018 after the threat of going on Social media I was approached by but he too attempted to convince me that full refund is not possible though they had agreed to it earlier. He was to get back to me within 24 hrs and asked me to hold off going on Social media but has not yet reverted.
• I have been forced to use a maid service to wash clothes since 3 months and of course pay extra for that. I finally bought a Siemens 100% drying washing machine that meets my expectations and exceeds LG specifications.
• I used to be an avid advocate of LG but frankly all have been very poor experiences. The other LG Washing machine at my parents place stopped working due to PCB issue in 1 year and was repaired after a lot of follow ups. The home theatre stopped working in 13th month and was not repairable at all. The phone G4 needed screen and PCB replacement in warranty in 6 months and is in its 4th battery in 3rd year. No more LG for me. In fact am sure people who know me well will all also avoid the brand. This is not how you earn a positive reputation. In fact it comes across as a company of crooks at least in India.
• #LG, #LGIndia, #LGWashingMachines, #LGservice