How Flipkart.com Got My Respect

"Flipkart kar lena" - a line a lot of use at times or hear it from someone around us. When one is buying anything and isn't sure - to check, to compare price, to check availability or for instant purchase - one tends to hear or say this! 

Flipkart started its operations in 2007, I made my first purchase from it - in 2008 - and have been a fan of the website since then. Being an avid reader - I had many unknown, rare books stuck in my head which I would never find anywhere but at Flipkart. The time when online shopping was seen with lot of skepticism in India - people would ask me "Do they give first hand books?", "Is the book original?", "Isn't it more expensive?" and blah blah... 

Despite all my own apprehensions in early days.. my heart was won by seeing my favorite memories arrive neatly packed with Cash On Delivery option! How could the website cheat me... I spread so much good word about the website - that at one point, I thought they should pay me for advertising! Jokes aside, over the years  - due to my hectic work and lifestyle, and with boom of various websites in India - I added quite a revenue to online sites. Flipkart became one of the sites where I would visit for books, checking for price and sometimes purchase from it, and sometimes not.

The "The Big Billion Day Sale" on 6th Oct 2014 - which was to emulate western concept of "Day After Thanksgiving" sale, frankly didn't interest me. I could not think of anything that would interest me and could be on a considerable sale. 

However, after Snapdeal started its humorous takes on flipkart big day - I thought - lets check, why not! and boy! I did find great deals on few things. Remembering Snapdeal ads - I decided to check the same items there to be sure! People who actually shopped on that day - will know that Snapdeal servers reacted far worse than Flipkart's did. Slow servers were a bother and nuisance on both sites. They failed to open, refused to load pages properly. Refused smooth checkout, volatile carts and payment process timeouts! Both need to better up here for handling volumes!

Post trauma of slow loading websites and my cart getting changed every five minutes - I was tired - yet happy with the deals that I had got. The moment the Big Billion Day Sale was over - the media was flooded by how the prices were shot up before sale and then right price was achieved by showing hoax discounts.

Well, Well, Well - if you think I am going to defend Flipkart on this... No. 

Yes, they did that! 

but not for all 100% stock but may be for something like 30 to 40% stock as per my observation.  

but does that help their case ... NO.. 

So, to be honest - anyone mentioned the sites name and said "Oh, but you love it.." I would Keep Mmmm. 

So, Why despite slow servers, bad online experience, and hoax discounts.. am I still their fan.. infact claiming that they have now won my respect! 

1. The Brave Letter: How many of us received an apology from the founders. No, am no snowman who will melt at one apology letter. I was taken aback by the sheer format! Neat, concise, and yet detailed. I am into online space - I know its not easy. Even for offline business its not easy to admit one's mistakes. Also - taking a chance that as an end user - I might not even know of other 3 problems mentioned in the mail. 

This means you take your customer seriously. Most of the businesses take their customers to be fools. (Trust me, I am battling with one world leading Indian online service portal in its space these days and they take you to be a fool.) By neatly defining areas Price Changes, Out of Stock Issue, Cancellations, Website Issues - I think its quite brave & smart to do the way they did the apology. 

2. Customer Support: They have a fantastic customer support and its no new news. One of the things I had ordered was cancelled by Flipkart within 4 hours despite full payment. I had ordered two quantities of same item and one was being cancelled. Customer Care gave me the funda of "equal opportunity". Due to limited stock, they would like to give equal opportunity to another customer who has ordered the same thing at almost the same time. How true that is.. or a creative query handler - I found it weird but was ok... with the reply and didn't pursue it further. The money reflected back in my account in 5 days. Cool enough! Move on.. I told myself. 

3. Handling Cancellations: Cancellation After a Week!!! After a week I receive a mail informing me that two items out from my order have been cancelled and money will be refunded. 

I WAS PISSED

Money back...I didn't want my money back.. I wanted my order. I didnt shop for those things as I had ordered them online, and now after so much time they tell me that order cannot be fulfilled. 

All goodwill, all smart apology letters - went right out of the window. I was pissed, irritated and didnt want to bother with the site anymore. 

and then the countdown began: Day 3 of receiving the cancellation mail - I receive an mail stating that they will be giving me e-gift voucher worth Rs 500/- valid on any product on the site! WOW.. for two cancelled items  - I get two vouchers - that is INR 1000/- when both my items didn't total up to an order of 1000 bucks, and their reverse payment is already back in my bank account. 

Not bad at all I think! 

I wait for the vouchers... Day 6 of receiving the mail - I get the gift vouchers. 

I go online to redeem them - and I can redeem both the individual vouchers on a single product! and vouchers validity is for one year!!!! Talk about customer delight!

I am blown away by the way they have handled the goof ups! At every stage they admitted "it went beyond their control.. was bigger than they expected" 

We all work, We all mess up... 

the point is how do we bounce back - how is the customer made to feel at the end of the day.

Here, I had my moments of irritation, disappointment - but also huge respect on how they have handled the whole mess. Hats off to them.  Good Work Flipkart Team. 

You continue to have me shopping on your site despite the Big Billion Mess Day.

History Bylanes: Nalanda & Bodhgaya

What would you do if you have a business meeting in Bihar - Patna that ends Saturday evening and your flight back home is only next late evening. My one and only trip to Bihar made me face the dilemma of spending Sunday in a boring (though) best hotel there! or head out to explore the city. 

Bihar is a place where at any time I found very few females out side on road, and a single girl alone was kind of rare. It could be a wrong observation or right... I decided not to take a chance of exploring Patna alone - but see if anything is close by. A little search on net told me of nearby Nalanda University and Bodhgaya. My eyes popped out on my search - as I never thought I could ever be anywhere near the ruins of Nalanda in my life.

A quick check with the hotel people told me it's doable - I can catch my flight in time only if I start early by 6 am. How excited I was! The feeling was similar to having a wish (you never imagined) come true. 

Along with my colleague, started early morning - the first stop was to be Nalanda. 

The distance was approx 80 km from Chanakya Hotel - however, the driver told us that it will take approx 2 hours or more to reach there. This was confusing as the terrain is plain - though we were made wiser once the journey started. The roads to such an important historical spot were full of pits, small narrow unkept roads...hence the time taken despite the less distance. Very disheartening! people from across the world come here and to have the driver tell us, that it is one of the good roads in the state!

At Nalanda Entrance

My fascination with Nalanda has been since childhood. Been brought up on stories of ancient India, Chanakya, golden era of Indian civilization - my mind had Nalanda as the ultimate, mystical destination for knowledge and learning. It has been mentioned in the writings of the Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang, acknowledged as one of the world's first residential university that flourished from 5th cen. AD to approx 1100 AD. Known for its impressive architecture and brilliant library - the university attracted students from as far as Japan, China, South East Asia, Greece, Persia, Tibet and many other countries. To more on this, please Click Here

Dormitories from top 

Walking thru the monastery.

What a systematic layout! Also as per Wikipedia - Nalanda had three main large buildings. One of The main building was Ratnadadhi, meaning the Ocean of Gems. It was nine stories high and housed the most sacred manuscripts. The towers were supposedly immense, bejeweled & gilded to reflect the rays of the sun! What a fascinating fact... stuff of what real good stories are made of!!

Stupa at Nalanda

This beautiful bell right outside in the gardens of Nalanda Museum is a Dharma Bell and is a gift from BuddhaDharma Foundation.

Thereafter, we moved to Bodhgaya - it was another approx 2 hr drive. At entrance of Bodhgaya, one doesn't feel one is in India - as everywhere you see banners of Japan Support. Wherever I turned I saw  - funded and aided by Japan flags / banners and no doubt the place was better kept than others in Bihar! Here the pavement, entrance was better, neater. Its now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



Bodhgaya is a site of pilgrimage and in the top four sites of importance to Buddhists. This is the place where Lord Gautama Budhha is said to have attained enlightenment. The Mahabodhi Temple as the guide told us was buried under layers of sand and mud, and was excavated only in late 19th century by Sir Alexander Cunningham - the same man who is also responsible for Harrappa excavations.


The entrance of the temple is marked by Ashoka Symbol - Emperor Ashoka is said to have visited the temple 250 years after Lord Buddha.

The weather had become cloudy and indicated rains when we reached there which was quite pleasant. The temple as you can see below is quite like a pyramid, typical of Gupta architecture. The place dates as back as 250 BCE, however, temple's current structure is believed as to be 5th - 6th Cen. AD construction. Many other structures like stupas, railing around the temple are older than that - dating around 1st Cen. BC or older. In 2013, the tip of the temple was covered with gold as gifted from the King and devotees from Thailand. (The pic was taken in 2011) The temple is completely made of bricks and is one of the oldest brick structure to have survived in India.





The main sanctum, as you can see, doesn't have the image of Buddha with folded hands. The right hand here is shown touching the earth - this pose is representative of the moment of his enlightenment. It is also known as "Bhumi Sparsha" Mudra - symbolic of determination, confidence and steadfastness.
Again as usual, it was difficult for me to get away from here. It's a place where you feel the peace and the history. Yes, the history too! the whole area has a pulse of ancientness that is hard to miss.

Inside the temple, there is a lotus pond, and the Bodhi tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment.

There was a Sri Lankan team of approx 100-150 people visiting when I was there. A single leaf of the tree is considered a relic by the devotees - one is not allowed to pluck the leaves, so one stands for hours waiting for the air to make one leaf drop!

Apart from the lotus temple, the temple has beautiful stupas around, walls inscribed with Buddha's life incidents, and a row of stones known as Chankranama, this is the sacred spot right next to the main temple, its believed that wherever Buddha kept his feet, a lotus sprung up. I tried matching the steps on the side, my colleague with me was around 6 ft. tall, he could match the steps but still fell short by few inches... so Lord Buddha had to be really tall!

Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira were contemporaries. Although as per history, they never had a chance to meet, the guide showed us a carving around the walls of the temple that shows Lord Mahavira seeing lord Buddha as a child. This is a recent drawing, and can be an artistic expression.

Thereafter, we headed to airport before making a final stop at 80 ft statue of Buddha. Due to rain, could only take one quick picture.

Bodhgaya and Nalanda are beautiful places - and despite there isn't much one can do in Patna - I would not mind revisiting it for going back to these places. Better roads and better infrastructure from government would have helped in making it a top tourist destination for historical enthusiasts. However, should you be around the place, take out time to visit the old lanes of Indian history.

Weekend Getaway: Jaisalmer!

Who would ever think that Jaisalmer could be a weekend getaway from Delhi! this bizarre idea wasn't mine but of my friend... We had 3 days to go anywhere (Sat, Sun, Mon) and she came up with this idea as she had been to Jaisalmer before.
In my head Jaisalmer was the other end of Rajasthan....very far! which takes ages to reach...
A suggestion that was just perfect... as despite my umpteen visits to Dubai - I haven't had the pleasure of walking through sand dunes.

So off we went in April end - we realized taking a train from Old Delhi Station is the best way to reach Jaisalmer. The flight to the nearest airport is followed by at least 4 to 5 hr drive - which takes the same amount of time spent in reaching the destination.

We left on Friday noon (half day from office!). The train doesn't have any pantry - so please pack up food. Comesum people come and sell food thalis before the train starts - but better to carry home food if possible.
Old Delhi Station also boasts of a McDonald right inside the station. Apart from pantry, its a comfortable train and usually follows the time table - which can be a rarity in India. More or less 90% on time - so no worries there.

On the way, my friend told me that Jaisalmer is also known as "Golden City" as all the houses there have a yellow-golden tinge to them. We also discovered that the whole city is now a World Heritage Site.

On the way, early morning the train stops at Pokhran. Pokhran famous for its nuclear tests - was a name which we were simply excited on seeing. The train stops here for a while and one can get tea and snacks here.

We reached the place Saturday morning and people from Suryagarh Hotel were there to pick us. If you thinking Jaisalmer - think of no other hotel. Its a delightful hotel - that's just 20 minute drive from the station.
http://www.suryagarh.com/

It was a delight to arrive at the hotel - built in shape of a fort, very pretty, fabulous architecture and tastefully done rooms. With just 2 nights there - I would have been happy to just lounge around the pretty hotel.

After few hours of resting and post lunch, we headed to the "Sam Dunes". The locals call Sam as Sum as in Hindi. Sam Desert is a part of Thar Desert and is the area where we see the dunes.

We did not book the Desert Safari with the hotel or any other company. We wanted to go there and explore the place ourselves. In hindsight it was a very good decision as a typical safari is marked by - camel ride, ethnic dinner and dance show with time constraints. We decided to explore the desert ourselves at leisure.

The hotel cab dropped us from where the safaris start. The place had a lot of camels and camel carts.
They charged us only 100 each for one camel and one camel cart till the sunset point. Before we could be happy we realized we have been made a fool - as sunset stop is just fifty steps away!!!
Well - once there we made a deal with the cart guy - that he shows us around the desert, all the points that make a safari at only 700 INR odd. We used the cart as the dumping site for our bags and ran after the cart exploring the sand dunes on foot. It was a pleasure and a good workout climbing the dunes and hopping from on to another.

Sunset over the dunes is majestic

If you see any artists roaming around volunteering to play for you while you sit in desert. Please stop them to play for you, esp if you see some one carrying double flutes. Its an art that is dying. The double flute or as its called "Algoja", "Alghoza" has a strong loud sound and is a sheer delight to listen to! After a little search I found that this instrument was also quite prevalent in Punjab, though this is the first time I came across it. and its loud sound was perfect for desert setting.

A clip sharing our experience on desert:

The artist playing for us told us that only a handful of people are left who can play this instrument as it takes 10 to 11 years of practice to master it and one has to start early in age. I do not know how correct or false this info is - but in case you like the sound and want to hear it more.. check Rajasthani Algoza

The next day started early with exploring the hotel. They have pet peacocks and birds which they leave in their gardens in morn. It was fun to view them with my friends daughter.

After breakfast, we started the day early to avoid the day heat - as the mercury was soaring up to 43 to 45 degrees during noon in end April there.
We started with the lake - which till a few years back the sole source of water for whole city. Its a quick visit - however, outside the lake we found another fantastic artist.

Sorry for the inverted image in Video:

He played it so well! I even bought a CD from him of his own work recorded in a studio. Wow, an artist selling his own work outside a lake... what talent we have in India. Again he had the same sad story - very few people left with this art. The instrument used is Ravanhatta, a very ancient musical instrument - considered to be used by the great Ravana to please Lord Shiva.

Thereafter we went to see Jaisalmer Fort - don't take any autos, just walk till the fort from the parking, its a very small place. The main temple inside is quite pretty. Apart from the fort, we saw Patwon Ki Haveli - a quick round there was good, after this we headed to Lodurva, the old capital. It has a beautiful Jain temple which I found quite exotic.

It's a new construction, as in has been recently rebuilt using bright yellow sandstone.

We were able to finish our trip through the city by noon, and in the evening we enjoyed a wonderful cultural evening organised by the hotel people. I wish I had the pics and the video of it to share with you all. It was a classical program and which the hotel does almost every evening. However, this became extra special as guests from Palace on Wheels were being hosted by the hotel. So, a lot of dance and fun marked the evening.

The next day it was time to bid adieu to the lovely place and head back to Delhi. One trip I remember as truly short & sweet.  

Best of Turkey In Eight Days

Turkey had been on my mind for quite a few years. Every year I would think about going to the place and then it would not materialize. This year I finally with a friend of mine - was able to pack the bags and head to my dream destination!

Days: The Trip was from 6th to 13th June - that makes it 8 days - one day was spent travelling - to save money - we did not travel by a direct flight that Turkish Airlines offer. One would ask - are these many days enough for Turkey? Yes & No - depending on what all you wanna see there. I would be covering all the places that I was able to cover in this much time - and also mention a few that are a must see but got left out due to lack of time.

A lot of friends asked on the cost involved in the trip. So, have tried to cover an idea of expenses as much as possible.

Flight: Turkish airlines takes 5 to 6 hrs for a direct flight - so if you plan ahead well in time - a round trip from New Delhi to Istanbul should cost you 35k INR with them. Since it was my last minute plan - my friend and I took Air Astana - and it costed us the same. We decided to choose 11 hr flight via Almaty over direct flight of Turkish airlines as it was approx 47k INR by then. 11 hr flight gets tiring - so I would recommend book well in time or even if late - take direct flight - saves time and energy.

Visa: Its fairly simple and can be obtained on arrival - if you have valid US / Schengen visa. We didn't want the hassle of any complication on arrival, so we applied at Turkish embassy - and ours came in 3 days. Costed us approx 5k per visa. They only need basic documents like bank statement, IT return, and photographs.

Communication: I found this website on internet - that gives tab enabled with internet to the tourists. The tab has hot spot facility - and it was a great investment. For 7 days - they charged us 3500 INR - that's just 500 INR for 24 /7 connectivity - we had our whatsapp, viber all working. 

Cannot rave enough about it. Please order from this site http://www.rentnconnect.com/

They have a pick up and drop box right at the airport. Super easy, fab services! 

Currency: Everywhere in Turkey - one gets 10% discount on payment by cash - 10% at every spot means a lot of money saved. Hence, please convert your money into euros or Turkish Lira preferably from your home country or simply withdraw from ATM once in turkey. Turkish airport currency exchange are private and not run by government and hence exchange turns out to be expensive. As an international traveler - I have found withdrawal from ATMs to be more cost effective - as they give better exchange rate. 

Istanbul: Starting at 11 am in morning from India, we landed at around 9 pm in eve. The hotel in Istanbul was booked by us already - from India - as we didn't want to look for an accommodation so late in night. First week of June apparently is peak season for them - and hence after going through a few 7 to 8 hotels and writing to them - we shortlisted on Dersaadet Hotel. 

View from Dersaadet Hotel Terrace

We took help from http://www.tripadvisor.in/  for finding these hotels. Stuck to top 20... Dersaadet  is a sweet boutique hotel and very neat, clean, warm and friendly. You can check my review on the hotel http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g293974-d294931-r210311457-Dersaadet_Hotel_Istanbul-Istanbul.html

The room costed us approx 115 Euro per night - the area is dotted with hotels - one might get a hotel at as less as 60 Euro - however there seems to be a lack of space in Istanbul - as at this rate the rooms are even smaller. So best go with this or in same range. 

Places To See Here: There is Blue Mosque, Sofia Hague, Grand Bazaar, Taksim, The various pubs in Taksim, Topkapi Palace etc. This is as per individual choice what one wants to cover. 

Blue Mosque was 5 to 7 minute walk from our hotel - so we spent our time exploring around - and then the famous grand Bazaar - more than grand Bazaar  - I liked Arasta Bazaar and then right next to Dersaadet hotel - there is a shop called Cocoon - this shop has lovely stuff. Expensive but we ended up buying a few tokens. They have quite a few shops in the area http://www.cocoonchic.com/cocoon/page/43/shops/ go to the one at St. No 15 - and you sure wont be disappointed.

In the noon - we had our black sea and Bosphorous cruise arranged through IBO tour and Cruise - they charged us 45 Euro for the trip which included pick up and drop, lunch and tea light snacks. Am sure this could be bargained better - we simply forgot to ask for a discount! In turkey everyone gives a discount - if you ask strongly - though usually its the discount if one pays in cash. 

After the cruise, we walked through the streets of taksim and walked from the square to our hotel in Sultanahmet - which was quite nice. Good exercise and got to know the city. 

Day 3: We sorted our travel to Cappadocia by booking the bus tickets and hotel, we refused to take any tour packages - as they were very restrictive and bound one to a schedule. Hence, self bookings get better deal and hotel and comfort.
Buses are quite cost effective in Turkey - one overnight journey ranges from 1500 - 2000 INR, flight one side within Turkey is around 5 to 6k INR, and trains really didnt have connectivity where we went except for our last stop and they for approx 300 km charge 500 INR. 

After exploring Taksim, we traveled overnight from Metro Bus to Cappadocia. The bus terminal in Istanbul is huge and messy. One has to work a bit to find ones way around it. Best is company people dropping you to terminal - however, even after reaching terminal - you need to find your way around and figure which bus you need to take, Once that sorted, its fine - they serve food and water on board. The bus stops quite a bit on ways - and takes one till Goreme - that is the hub of Cappadocia. All hotels are 5 minute walk from there and they pick up complimentary from the bus station. 

Our hotel there was http://www.kelebekhotel.com/ 

Please see my review at http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297983-d298402-r210312840-Kelebek_Special_Cave_Hotel-Goreme_Cappadocia.html

Book this hotel as this hotel also serves vegan breakfast in Kings Valley to its guests complimentary. 

Breakfast in Kings Valley

Hot Balloon is not to be missed while you in Cappadocia, apart from that there are lot of ancient churches to explore. I particularly liked visiting Bazaar 54, a weaving center. 

Do not forget to visit here http://www.cappadocia54.com/ for a carpet weaving workshop. 

                               

                       

Rest we hiked, explored underground city. There's lot to do and then on Day 5 evening - we moved in bus to Pamukalle.

Day 6: Here we did a mistake, instead of taking services from Pamukalle Bus, we took Metro Bus. Metro Bus outlet in Pamukalle sucks.. sorry there isn't any other word for it. We were tired and wanted to get to our hotel - and they made us wait - as being a small place the owners had asked the bus people to drop us to their hotel. In that 2 hour wait - they only sold us packages on checking Pamukalle and leave in eve. Since we had already done one night in bus, we didnt want to travel again even if for just 3 hours in the eve to our next destination.

Anyways - the bottom line is avoid Metro Bus station at all costs from Pamukalle - the office has so many sweet talkers or thugs would be the right word. 

In pamukalle we stayed at Sinter Terrace Hotel.

Pamukalle is beautiful - looks exactly like it does in movies and pictures. 

Sacred Bath

Traventines

Day 7: After staying overnight at Pamukalle - we left early in morn by train to Ephesus. Its again a small place and we had a chance to visit the amphitheater and Temple of Artemis there. 

For some lovely food in Selcuk - stop here.

My review for this place: http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g293976-d1162342-r210320834-St_John_Cafe_Shop-Selcuk_Izmir_Province_Turkish_Aegean_Coast.html

We covered all the place on foot in 4 to 5 hrs and were able to catch our flight back to Istanbul. All flight service providers have free shuttle service from Selcuk to Izmir.

Reached Istanbul by 7pm - checked into Dersaadet Hotel.

Day 8: Strolled around Taksim and took our flight back to India in the eve at 10pm.

TIPS

- Do not use the word complimentary - if you wanted something discounted, extra value, use the word 'free'

- Do not forget to have Turkish Tea

- Avoid Metro Bus services to and fro from Pamukalle

- Bargain in Bazaars, Hotels might be fixed on rate - but in markets they reduce price

- Carry Cash for more discount

- Avoid Package Tours 

- There is a bit of eve teasing - so be on guard in main city Istanbul

Places That I Missed Visiting

- Visit Perga / Anatolia

- Kas - was one place I really wanted to visit but missed due to lack of time

Rest I can go on and on, on beauty of places I visited or things to do there - if you need specific details on anything - please let me know. Hope I will be able to help.

Its a beautiful country and do visit - you will come back with bag full of memories and photographs!