Rediff, and the myth of online shopping - II
Posted by venky :) | Filed under General
This is a follow-up to my blog posting on 08/03/2008. I wonder if folks at Rediff.com work with fraudulent courier services, or if they are incapable of tracking their deliveries.
In fact, when I first realised they claimed to have delivered my books, I also left them feedback ‘Where are my books?’. No response. They just don’t seem to care.
Here’s a screenshot of what my dashboard says. Lies, lies, and lies…now, who is to blame?
All I can think of is that Rediff is burnt out, with a set of people who don’t know what to do next.
Rediff, and the myth of online shopping (in India)
Posted by venky :) | Filed under General
It’s been three weeks to date. On January 21st, I decided to shop online, at Rediff.com. I’ve never shopped online in India till date, and I wanted to know if it works that way it is meant to be.
I was warmly surprised to see that the site not only shipped books for free, but also allowed it’s customers to pay on delivery. Excited, I picked three books, and placed my order. They also confirmed my order and showed me ways to track my order through an SMS service (57333) and the Website. no fax faxless cash advance payday loan,advance cash faxless loan,faxless cash advanceadvance cash line loan,budget line cash advance,advance cash on lineadvance cash loan loan paydayadvance cash day pay,cash advance until pay dayadvance america cash loan,cash advance america,advance america cash advance center incadvance cash faxing no,1000 advance cash faxing no,no faxing required cash advanceinstant approval cash advance,advance approval cash instant secure,instant cash advanceadvance cash faxing no payday,no faxing cash advance,advance cash faxing loan no paydayadvance america cash advance,advance america bank cash,ace advance america cashadvance card cash creditquick cash payday loancash advance payday loancash until payday loaneasy fast cash advance,fast no fax cash advance,fast cash advanceadvance cash check credit no,cash advance no credit check,advance cash check credit no onlinecash advance servicepay day cash advance,advance cash day pay,advance cash day pay untilinstant cash advance online,online cash advance,cash advance online no faxingadvance cash overnightadvance cash loan payday service,world wide cash payday loan,cash loan paydayfirst cash advance,first time cash advance,first cash advance houston txbusiness cash advance,business cash advance loan,cash advance business opportunityallied cash advancesame day cash advance loan,same day cash advancecash advance till payday,payday cash advance,advance cash payday ringtonecash loan payday untilcash advance nowloan oneclickcash paydaypayday payday loan cash advance loan,advance cash loan payday,advance cash cash loan loan payday quickinheritance cash advancecash advance new yorkadvance cash loan overnight,advance cash overnight,overnight cash advancepay day cash advance payday loan,pay day loan cash advancecash fast loan paydayadvance bad cash credit loan loan,cash advance for people with bad credit,bad credit cash advanceadvance cash fax no,advance cash fast fax no,no fax cash advancecash in advance loan,advance cash loan personal,cash advance loan idahoadvance advance america cashadvance cash lawsuit pre settlement,lawsuit cash advance,lawsuit settlement cash advancecash loan payday tiladvance cash cashing check springfield,springfield,check cash advance,advance cash cashing check gainesville,gainesvillemagnum cash advance,advance cash faxing magnumace cash advanceadvance cash day loan pay0 advance card cash credit,no cash advance fee credit card,cash advance credit cardadvance cash check credit nocash advance loanpayday cash advance,business cash advance,cash advanceadvance cash loan payday softwareadvance cash company,scams on cash advance company So far so good.
Khatam! That’s it! I haven’t heard from them since. I’ve since used the 57333 service twice, paying Re 3/- each time I sent my query, and I keep staring at the Web interface.
I see that one of the books is shown as ‘dispatched’, the other two are ‘pending’. But as far as I am concerned, I have no clue what’s happening and when I will get my books. I am off, out of station soon and I don’t care what happens in my absense.
Now, I’ve tried to fish out a contact number at Rediff who can address my problem, but they seem to like playing hide-and-seek, and I have no intention of spending an hour searching for a page with a number, if they have one such.
My conclusion so far.
1. Pathetic delivery model
2. No call-center/support (if any, not promoted well)
3. Unconcerned of time to deliver
4. Inefficient (what happens when I am not around, will the courier company return the books to Rediff?)
It’s sad to see that Rediff’s not figured out online commerce yet. And it’s been around for donkey’s years now! It’s pathetic…must be having dinasours on it’s payrolls.
Bingo! IITs slight ‘Dow’
Posted by venky :) | Filed under General
Today’s CNN-IBN report.
…over a thousand IIT alumni, students, professors and technical staff are protesting against Dow’s attempts to recruit engineers from the IITs..
On October 25, IIT-Madras cancelled pre-placement talks by Dow Chemicals. IIT-Bombay followed suit on October 28.
Dow did not get an invite for placements at IIT-Kharagpur and even their sponsorship for a college festival stands cancelled.
And in IIT Kanpur, students are demanding that the institute refuse Dow sponsorship for a big international seminar in December…
Now, I am not particularly fond of the average IIT graduate. They’re smart, no doubt about that. But brains without a purpose is pointless. Then again, there are times they rise and make a statement. Highlighting an issue like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy being one.
Reduce Carbon Emissions? Why?
Posted by venky :) | Filed under General
It is not acceptable altogether
What a statement! And, made by India’s Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, rejecting the UN Development Programme (UNDP) report that India should reduce it’s carbon emissions by 20% by the end of 2050 to tackle the issue of climate change.
Now, we do, as a nation, have the right to defy anyone bullying us, especially on matters such as carbon emissions. And as he rightly pointed out, no one, including UNDP has the right to make any recommendations in matters of such ‘national’ importance! Well, sort of.
What was UNDP doing when the West did it? Now that countries like India, and China have joined the bandwagon, they cry foul! The Germans, the Dutch, the English, the Spaniards, got to do it. The Russians and Americans continue to. For all the moral platitude, the West, has exploited this planet for over a century in the name of progress, industrialisation, packaged food, energy exploration and exploitation.
What’s funny is the mention about China. The report states that Chinese are the largest emitters on this planet. This does sound skewed. I think one should look at the consumption side as well, and not the production side alone. Most of what the Chinese produce is consumed by the West. They are just the smoking kitchen, the dirty laundry room! So, where on earth have the West reduced their emissions? They have just moved their garages to China. And, that’s easily explained by China’s trade surplus that seems to be doubling every year! In the first 9 months of 2007, they’ve soared to over $ 187 Billion. And, despite startling human rights abuses, no one dares speak against it, but that’s for another day.
Shouldn’t the focus be on consumption, and not just production? True, thanks to Western influence and eroding Indian values (which I believe is environment friendly at it’s core), we are living in times when every Indian feels ‘Entitled’. True, that this also means we are spending, consuming and contributing to the mess at a startling rate. Then again what could one have expected. You take a country that’s dated Socialism for long, and have it wake up to free markets, capitalism, shopping malls, and multiplexes. People are are too busy experiencing it all, to be bothered about rights and wrongs.
And, when it comes to making commitments to reduce our emission levels by 80%, it’s wrong timing! We are just about beginning to consume! If push comes to shove, we will use statistics. It’s simple. We have over a billion people. Only a small percentage of Indians have the wealth to splurge, hence the ability to contribute to emissions. So, the ‘average’ Indian will never be able to out-emit the average Westerner.
Coming to think of it, as long as we have a good number of ‘have nots’, the smaller percentage of ‘haves’ can continue to drive gas guzzlers, and sip soda out of aluminium cans sans guilt. And, as long as we do not make a fuss when the West decides to drill for oil in the Arctic region, we can all pretend like everything is just fine. In truth no one’s bothered about the environment. No one’s bothered if we move people in to whatever little we have left of our forests and pillage it all. No one’s bothered about the tiger! I’d say, let’s just finish off with it. Why pretend to care!
Viva styrofoam cups and plastic bags, it’s time to get rid of this greenery we have around us. The new mantra should be chop-a-tree-a-day. We have enough carpet grass dotting road dividers around a couple of neighbourhoods in every city. Let’s rid this country of any sustainable practice it has left in it. This needs some more effort, as we are culture that isn’t as unsustainable as the West. And, our desperate attempts to ape their urban lifestyle isn’t just good enough. We need more two car garages and air-conditioners for every urban family. We are making great progress on that front, so that’s good news. We’ve got to keep course and hold on to the right to indulge in our whims, now that we got our chance.
It’s ironic that we highlight a toothless UNDP report to tell us what is right. Suddenly, the West become a benchmark for conservation and sustainability for countries like India! That they are being more sustainable today with their policies and consumption is a flawed argument, as long as they have a Chinese laundry. Why then should you even react to such a report. It’s a pity that you have to make up for stupid politics! Right?
n00b on wheels!
Posted by venky :) | Filed under General
Yay! I just gifted myself a new Trek 1200 (2007). 
Ironically, it’s as good as it gets in this part of the world. While I do love my pick, I am quite aware that I’ve been ripped off. Most imported (foreign brands) goods in India are sold at a premium. And, while Trek’s foray in to the Indian market has a few takers in the form of software chaps making enough money to enjoy a geek fad for a few weeks, it’s assortment of bicycles is a disappointment for someone who knows his bicycle and wants choice. What is worse, the average Firefox dealer has no f*&king clue on calculating body measurements to suggest the right bike frame! Just goes to prove that Trek has no real agenda in India.
I guess, I am fine with the lack of choice. Neither am I paying for a Titanium frame, nor am I a seasoned cyclist. I’m just a n00b trying to find my way around on a new pair of wheels. And, what I have is good enough to start with.
