When Debarshi Dasgupta’s Whirlpool washing machine stopped working last month, he called the company’s customer care centre, sure that the problem would be sorted out soon as it was still in the warranty period.

“They sent an engineer, who told me that the main drum was faulty,” says Dasgupta. “I was asked to wait a few days since the drum wasn’t available in Calcutta. But I never got it.”

After spending two weeks trying to get some response from customer care, Dasgupta did some digging on the Internet and managed to contact a Whirlpool executive. To his amazement, the executive told him that since the washing machine’s drum was not in stock, he would have to go for a “bailout” option. “I was asked to choose from a list of Whirlpool washing machines. I would have to pay 30 per cent of its price plus transport charges.”

In other words, even though his washing machine was less than two years old and was still covered by the warranty, Dasgupta would end up paying a hefty amount to get his problem attended to. Incidentally, the so-called “bailout” option — which Dasgupta was forced to go for finally — was not mentioned anywhere in the company’s warranty contract.

“This is the company’s policy when we can’t provide spare parts,” insists Chet Ram Soni, territory manager, Calcutta, Whirlpool. “If the machine is nearly two years old, our policy is that we cannot give a free replacement for the whole machine. The 30 per cent price of a new machine is to cover the appreciated value of new machines in the market.”

But surely, says Dasgupta, he ought to have been told about this “company policy” when he bought the washing machine. “How is this fair to the consumer,” he asks.

Dasgupta is not alone in feeling cheated by the customer service policies of manufacturers of household appliances. Indeed, consumers encounter a range of problems when it comes to getting a machine serviced or repaired. Many a time, say aggrieved customers, the problem arises because the manufacturers outsource the after-sales service to third party entities. The latter often persuade the customer to enter into annual maintenance contracts (AMC) with them and then don’t live up to their end of the contract. What’s worse is that the manufacturer may change the service provider in the interim without the customer knowing anything about it.

Take the case of a woman from Bombay, who does not wish to be named. When her washing machine stopped working recently, she called up the service company she had an AMC with. The techinician examined the machine and announced that the motor had burnt out and would need to be replaced. “He said it would cost me Rs 3,750, plus Rs 300 for transportation charges. He said I would have to pay this as my AMC did not cover this part. But I knew it did and said so,” she says.

After a quick chat on the phone with his boss, the technician said that since she was an old customer, the motor would be replaced for free. But she was now informed that the PCB (printed circuit board) too would have to be replaced, and since that was not covered by the AMC, she would have to pay for it.

That is when the woman decided to call up the manufacturer’s customer care directly. It turned out that the company she had signed the AMC with was no longer an authorised service centre for her washing machine. And yet it was still sending invoices and receipts in the manufacturer’s name.

Most manufacturers insist that even when they outsource post-sales service to an authorised service dealer, they do maintain strict oversight on their operations. Says Whirlpool’s Soni, “It’s standard practice to outsource the service to third party companies. But we do supervise them closely and make sure that they do their job properly.”

However, others beg to differ. “We are almost an independent operation,” says the owner of a service centre based in Mumbai, who wishes to remain anonymous. “Unless a customer escalates the problem with our parent company, we generally do not have anyone monitoring our operations.”

Tejashree Shah, an English language trainer in Ahmedabad had bought a Toshiba laptop last year, and it started giving trouble almost immediately. “I took it to an HCL service centre, since they handle Toshiba’s servicing. After they repaired it, the laptop worked for a day or two and then stopped working again. This went on for a couple of months. The last time I sent the laptop to them was in November 2010. I have not got it back since then,” says Shah.

Repeated calls to HCL were of no avail. Finally, Shah went to the Consumer Education and Research Center (CERC), Ahmedabad, which took up her case. After some initial dialogue, the service centre stopped answering CERC’s calls as well.

Unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done about these companies, says Preeti Shah, senior director, CERC. “So long as your product is under warranty, you are forced to rely on those companies that your appliance’s manufacturer recommends to you. Doing otherwise would void the warranty.”

Shah also stresses the need to read the fine print before signing up for an AMC. “Always find out which parts the contract covers. If it covers critical components, then it’s worth going for it. If it doesn’t cover critical components, ask how much it would cost to replace these parts, and how much time it would take to do so.”

R. Balaji, the owner of Priya Electricals, an independent service company in Bangalore, also urges people to read service contracts carefully. “Before you sign anything, read the whole contract, see what they will provide and if there are any hidden costs,” he says. “Will there be 24 hour servicing, and will you be able to back out of the contract if you are not happy with the service?”

But if you still end up being duped do not hesitate to go to the consumer forum for redress. “There are consumer courts and groups who are there to help you. Don’t feel helpless, assert your rights, and pursue your remedies,” says Shah.

After all, you have nothing to lose but your worthless service contract.