Would like to let other potential customers know my experience with Sony India.

I am in Mumbai and had purchased a Sony charger/rechargeable batteries combo package from Sony World. (BCG-34HE4C EU8). This product was not readily available at Sony India ( as it costs twice as much as the regular popular charger models). But as i needed a Good high capacity charger/rechargables, I placed an order and purchased it. However, with 4 or 5 days I realized that instead of getting almost 500 shots ( from my digital camera), I was getting hardly 70 to 80 shots. Mails to their helpdesk remained unanswered, although an automated response was received every time I lodged a complaint.

Interestingly, the Sony India website mentions absolutely no other contact except the helpdesk details. Personnel manning the support contact numbers direct you to the service centre and the service centre askes you to contact these service support numbers if you are unsatisfied. This makes you go round and round in a loop without the problem being solved.

So I am stranded with a charger worth Rs 2000 and four 2500mAh rechargables which do not retain charge over 3 days whether you use them or not. The service center maintains the batteries are fine and the support-contacts maintain that this is expected behavior of the batteries.

Ordinary alkaline batteries ( non-rechargables and of lower capacity ) of Panasonic, Duracell etc available of-the counter anywhere , work absolutely fine and I can use the camera normally on these ordinary alkalines, and give me over 120 shots. ( My camera is a Canon camera ).

All requests for any contact details of anyone else in Sony India are promptly rejected. So , as a customer, you have absolutely NO choice but suffer this loss and keep quite.

I am posting these details for anyone who reads to know that at least as far as the chargers and batteries that Sony India are selling, please beware and avoid purchasing these. If these malfunction, Sony India's stand is that these arn't covered covered under warranty, so they have no obligation to solve the issue, and you end up with a defective and unusable purchase.

I located the contact email id of of the Sony CEO's secretary from the Ministry of Commerce website. Have sent two mails to her regarding the need for Sony India to at least have a mechanism whereby ordinary consumers can escalate their issues in case the service centre responses are unsatisfactory. No response or even an acknowledgment has been received from her either.

Regards

Sanjay Madan
Mumbai