The Cracked Mixer Jar and Three Watching Customers
A customer, Mr. Bansal, walks into a small appliance store with a mixer grinder bought 22 days ago for ₹2,850. The jar has cracked while he was grinding dry masala; he has the bill but not the warranty card. The store's printed policy says replacement only within 15 days for manufacturing defects, and free service for one year. Mr. Bansal is speaking loudly, and three other customers are in the shop. He says his neighbour bought the same model and got a replacement after a month. The store's margin on this model is ₹310. The authorised service centre is 14 km away and takes 7–10 days. The salesperson who sold the unit is on weekly off. The store maintains a complaint register but no record of the demonstration given at the time of sale.
1. What should the salesperson on duty do in the first two minutes, and why does that sequence matter?
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Minute one – move, do not argue. Invite Mr. Bansal to the end of the counter or the service table, away from the three customers, and offer him a chair and water. An audience rewards escalation; a private setting lowers volume without anyone losing face. Never debate policy in front of other customers – the damage is to the store's image, not just to this sale.
Minute two – gather facts in a fixed order: the bill (22 days confirms a genuine purchase), the jar itself, how full it was loaded, how long the mixer ran continuously, and whether the masala was dry. Look at the crack: a star crack radiating from the base coupler suggests overheating from long dry grinding; a hairline at the rim suggests handling or a fall. Check the rating label – most 500 W models specify dry grinding in bursts of 30–60 seconds.
Then commit to a process, not a promise: 'I can send this to the service centre at our cost and give you a decision within 48 hours.' A definite route and a time beats a vague apology, and it is something you can actually deliver while the original salesperson is away.
2. Assess the claim against the store policy and decide what the store should offer.
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Policy position: the replacement window closed 7 days ago; the unit is inside the one-year free-service period. So replacement is not owed as of right, and the neighbour's case is not evidence – it may have been within the window or a different batch.
Cause matters more than the date. A cracked jar from dry grinding is usually overload or misuse, which the manufacturer's warranty does not cover; a pattern of identical cracks at the base coupler points to a batch defect the brand will often accept.
Options, in order of preference:
- Free inspection at the service centre, transport borne by the store, and a free jar if the brand approves it as a defect. Cost to store: transport only.
- If it is judged misuse, offer the jar at cost plus a small handling charge. With a ₹310 margin, the store can absorb ₹200–250 on a ₹2,850 lifetime customer and still be ahead – the lifetime value, not this bill, is the calculation.
- A loaner jar for the 7–10 days if one is available, so the customer is not without the product.
Do not simply hand him the service centre address and turn away. That converts a ₹2,850 customer into a story told to the whole lane.
3. Draft what the salesperson should say, and state what must be recorded and changed to stop this recurring.
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What to say (short, specific, no blame): 'Sir, the bill shows 22 days, so replacement under the 15-day rule is not possible. But the machine is under one-year service cover. I will send the jar to the service centre at our cost today and call you within 48 hours with the decision. If they accept it as a manufacturing fault, the jar is free; if they say it is overload damage, I will still give you the jar at our cost price rather than the counter price.' He leaves with a date, a phone call promised and a floor under the outcome.
Record in the complaint register: date, bill number, model and serial number, fault as observed, likely cause, option offered, transport handed over, staff name, promised callback date, customer signature. This is the only defence if he escalates to a consumer forum.
Prevent: (a) demonstrate at the point of sale – run the jar with 50 g of masala for 30 seconds and show the burst limit; (b) stamp and hand over the warranty card, and print the care line on the bill; (c) a 7-day courtesy call on appliances above ₹2,000; (d) note on the shelf tag that dry grinding must be done in short bursts. All four cost almost nothing and remove the argument before it starts.