Forget the Government, now Indian’s are not even worthy of a quality corporate service – Private sector’s new degrading benchmarks!

Is, India steering itself towards a mode where only ignorance can answer the displayed complacency? Till yesterday if it was by the govt. departments today even the private entities are not shying away from competing with the govt. officials in displaying their non-professionalism.

This was witnessed during my interactions with the ICICI general insurance, today (29^th Dec) around 11:15 a.m. as I entered their office space.

Oh, I forgot to introduce the issue. Earlier this month I renewed my Car insurance with ICICI, though I received several calls from other insurers, being a loyal customer to ICICI, I went with ICICI for 5^th time in a row. Whatever premium was shown on the website, I made the payment for the same. I received the cover note and the policy document in few days everything was seamless. But one fine day, I received a letter from ICICI general insurance, which stated in a professional rudeness mimicking the style of government notices and in entirety it meant - “Since you haven’t paid for the No Claim Bonus, you will not be entitled for any claims, if you do not make the remaining payment within 15 days of receipt of this letter”.

Q.1: I paid whatever premium was calculated by the ICICI general insurance website, then why was this NCB amount not updated?

Fact is, they take 2 -3 months to update their databases! So, if there are any recent claims you have to face this issue.

Q.2: So, it’s a clear mistake from their side, how can a letter stating that customer has not paid, would be sent?

Signals to send the PR and Communications team of ICICI general insurance for training in communications?

So, as I entered the office with bit of anger and feeling funny about myself for visiting ICICI office 3^rd time for the same issue! It took me not long to see people around equally furious and may be in a lot higher intensity. And one of them said out, what I was thinking inside “Is it a govt. office? Why cant you people serve the customers?” then some one said, “Why is there a board stating – ‘May I help you’, when you cannot help?” other gentleman who looked as if he would burst out any moment, demanded, “I want to see the manager, will not leave without seeing him!”

It was 12:15 and I was still standing there for them to take notice of me and take the payment from me! While everyone was in queue eagerly waiting for his or her chance, another gentleman landed who looked and talked as an NRI he was there to pay his home loan. After some 20 min’s, we heard the same statement from him, “It’s weird here I have come to pay 38,000 and no one is bothered to take the Cheque from me!”

Then to kill some time, I looked around to find the posters with messages as –

‘Jho Chaho click click karo’ – weird for this one feature I called them several times requesting them to provide me a way to pay this NCB online.

‘Sensitivity’ – We now know how sensitive the letters can get and it would be mentioned to drop at our door and make the payment but it will not be mentioned that they remain closed on Saturday’s and Sunday’s, we should assume this. I failed to assume this and wasted one of my Saturdays!

‘Now one number for all your insurance needs’ – When I call them and say, “I drove 20kms to reach your office and your guard rudely replies, its closed!” I get a funny reply, “Sir, can you stay in Hyderabad for 2 days?” Please some one teach him that, driving 20kms doesn’t mean I am not from Hyderabad!

‘Responsive’ – Yes, it’s responsive when you stand there for 30 – 40mins and none attends you and bothers about you. And when you try to ask something pat comes the reply  “It will take time, Sir!”

‘We keep you going’ – True, by making us to visit an average of 3 visits and a minimum of 30 mins each time to solve one petty issue. And with parking as bad and small which would be blocked all the time by some random 2 wheelers or a wooden log. And the building parking has same exit and entry point with steep slope mind you. Twice my car got saved from a speeding car and a bike coming down the slope! If I visit one more time for sure I might have to make a claim!

‘Transparency and at your service’ – I mailed this sad state of mine after the second visit to the customer support email id. Today I am done with the payment as well but I am still awaiting their reply. And if I were to believe the people out there, they are waiting for the email and call response for days together now! Another incident happened in my second visit when an ICICI person rejected to handle my payment when the help desk asked him to, saying NCB it’s a headache. What! Right in front of the customer you decline, I just cannot get this any day!

I am sure after reading all this, you might have felt that I visited and interacted with a government department but no, you have to believe me its ICICI General Insurance.

Where they have to pull the strings:

1: PR & Communications

2: Reduce the latency in updating the database

3: Customer Support – you cannot have single lady handling all the angry pouring in customers every minute.

4: Well-behaved and well-groomed individuals right from the security guard, parking guard, customer support through calls and also at the help desk.

5: Equip the center with responsive and quick decision makers

6: Monitor the customer feedback queues whether it’s in person, email or phone.

7: Concentrate on serving the existing customers that would automatically get in the new acquisitions. Now, I guess more concentration is on new acquisitions and little or no concentration towards the existing customers.

This post was to make people aware, especially the ICICI management to pull up their strings before its too late. Also, I hope this complacency doesn’t creep into other corporates.

‎100% Success rate in all my Political Analysis from PRP launch to the recent No-Confidence motion in AP...

On the day of the PRP launch – Aug 30 2008, I wrote “Its like a over hyped movie which may not run for long” and on Feb 6 2011 PRP got dissolved and merged into Congress.

Sep 14 2009 – I wrote about Telangana, “I want to warn that if these situations are not handled gracefully and with respect even the greatest National leaders couldn’t stop the Nation from being divided even though none had the intent to partition. So, even this situation unless and until understood to the core and handled accordingly none and even the greatest powers cannot stop the happening!!!
I sincerely and ardently hope that it doesn’t…. “

Nov 29 2009 – KCR gears up for Fast-unto-death, starting Telangana agitation again after the1969 agitation

Dec 9 2009  (mid night) – Telangana was declared

Dec 10 2009 (around 2-3 am) – I wrote, “The govt. has announced that initial step would be taken but no time limit has been framed for the final step. So, they can work on it on their whims and fancies and might actually not even work on it. Nothing has been talked about Hyderabad, which has become the main concern for the people and leaders of all regions. Was this done deliberately? So that the separate statehood can be stopped again citing this as a reason once this issue catches fire!”

And now we know this exactly what has been happening till date… as Telangana still burns..

Aug-Sep 2011: CBI takes Y S Jagan to task.

In a week: My fb status was “Y S Jagan will not be arrested”

Till now he is not arrested.

Dec 4 2011: I wrote, “Govt. will surely win over the no-confidence motion and Jagan will not get arrested atleast till 2014. In 2014 congress would likely form a coalition govt. with YSR Congress party”

Dec 6 2011: Govt. actually sailed over the no-confidence motion!

Happy that, it’s a 100% success rate in my political forecasts till now.  


Now the question remains will my forecast of Congress + YSR congress coalition govt. in 2014 will come true?

 +

In 2014 Elections, this might happen...

Jagan Mohan Reddy, would he ever be brought to justice by the CBI?

This question lingered among many politically active brains of Andhra Pradesh for many days and may be for months now, which still remains to be an unanswered question. While there was a wide spread news about the CBI raids on Jagan, I was to write this article but my daily business never allowed me to and got delayed. But today when I see news channels brewing news again and again about the no-confidence motion in the AP assembly against the government. I found it to be silly…. Read more to find out why!

So, is everyone so serious about it? May not be! Every political party in AP now wants to avoid elections until they can, as they are uncertain and far from claiming their win. A futile situation, were they are apprehensive about their future and quite happy with the status quo. Then why was this No-Confidence motion moved to shake the status quo? Many would have probably already understood that in today’s AP politics you would be out of the game if you don’t make enough noise.

TDP being a seasoned political party very well understands this and though while it was being time and again targeted for not justifying its main opposition status it maintained its calm. But as today it is very well aware that if it passes a no-confidence motion, government is in a very good shape to withstand it and have no threat of falling apart, since congress MLA’s who used to support Jagan has dwindled in numbers and the ones who even now present a bold face in front of media supporting Jagan are not that strong inside and certainly not enough to be a threat to the government. A more bigger reason why TDP choose this is to test its own MLA’s who have jumped borders and who are feared to jump and if they jump now, they might loose their MLA status, which I am not sure any day any MLA would want to.  At times I wonder how will these MLA’s would have survived had they were not MLA’s, are they skillful enough to do any other work without using un-law full means? Now, I feel god saved us by making them the MLA’s or else we never know what they would have become!

Similarly, even Congress is happy to have this No-confidence motion, as it provides an opportunity to test and threaten their MLA’s too from jumping the borders into the YSR party and the TRS. So, it’s a win-win situation to both TDP and Congress. And who is at a loss? May be Jagan or TRS or Chiru? Lets see. Jagan – has an opportunity to negotiate with the congress high command, though he will support the No – confidence in the public eye, since he doesn’t have enough numbers to threaten the congress so High command wouldn’t mind and would be happy to negotiate and most likely even if the Jagan congress supporters vote against the government, congress will not initiate any action against them, it gives them an opportunity to show a brave face in public that congress is democratic. TRS – it will be happy to have any opportunity to say Jai Telangana, as its well aware that Telangana will not happen in coming times and till the time Telangana happens their jobs are secured, so nothing else would worry them. Chiru, is the most happiest man; his dream of becoming the king maker will be full filled and so will his demands with congress.

Is this a rocket science to understand? Certainly not! Everyone who has some political understanding would have understood this. Then why is the media so obsessed with it that it see’s nothing else than this, no prices for guessing even Media needs some noise to stay in competition.

Now, coming to a bigger question, “Will Jagan ever gets arrested?” No, certainly not before 2014 elections! Simple logic to this is Congress needs him to keep TDP at bay. No one can debate on this, that who ever congress needs, it will not crucify him. Or, else there is no other reason for not arresting Jagan even now, when you have all the reasons and proofs to arrest him. When Gali Janardhan Reddy was arrested in haste, why not Jagan? Congress doesn’t need Gali it certainly needs Jagan!

So, why commission a CBI enquiry on Jagan when there was no intention of bringing him to justice? You guessed it right; you need a whip to control any one who slips out from your control. And CBI is a good way to bring him to the table of negotiations. Today, I forecast, though all the other CBI enquiries might come to an end or to come conclusion but Jagan’s case will be dragged till 2014 elections. Though Jagan’s image got tarnished with all these but still he has a high mass appeal probably no one else in the state presently has this appeal and its certain that he will garner a good number of seats for the YSR party. And congress the king of negotiations will invite him for a coalition rule in the state. I certainly fear that congress again will continue its haphazard, selfish, corrupt government post 2014 too. So, now we know whom to vote out apart from the congress!

Thus our entire question’s got answered? Well ok then why an enquiry from CBI was commissioned onto Chandra Babu Naidu? One straight answer to this, is if you smear color on others face, others will not remain silent. The other not so outright answer, TDP was cruising away with the limelight of nailing the KCR nexus with the contractor of Polavaram, which certainly was a threat for the Congress. And Congress obviously is a master of using government departments to its political advantages. And it also very well knows where to stop it; this makes me remember a famous dialogue of a Hindi epic movie Waqt – ‘Jinke ghar seeshe ke hote hai voh doosron ke ghat par pathar fekha nahin karte’. But our politics is different, every party certainly knows how to throw the stone strategically that it makes enough noise in the eyes of the common man but it will never break the glass and our media is obsessed with only the noise!

I End this boringly interesting article, flop article with –

“Why this kolaveri kolaveri di…..” a song dedicated to the AP Politics!

- Harish Bheemarthi