Product DescriptionTough Customer is the 'Aam Aadmi's' guide to consumer awareness.
The forces of liberalization, privatization and globalization, while leaving the Indian buyer spoilt for choice, have also put him in a spot when it comes to issues of customer service, defective products and unfair trade practices. Who can he turn to for advice? Negotiating the legal minefield is a nightmare for many.
In this book, author and columnist Vandana Vasudevan defines your fresh identity as an Indian consumer in a whole new way. You should rapidly learn to transform yourself, she tells us in no uncertain terms, into a 'tough customer'. The book begins by outlining the rights that Indian consumers have, illustrating them with daily-life examples from packaged food, telecom, airlines, banking, vegetable markets, domestic maid agencies, amusement parks, cosmetics and many, many more areas. The section on the decline in the fine art of customer service is sure to resonate with you as will the part that shows how well-meaning laws have failed to protect our interests.
The onus is no less on us. The privilege of consumer rights comes with the duties of being a responsible consumer, she cautions us. Thought-provoking, enlightening and at the same time entertaining, this book is for you, the regular Indian buyer. Written in an accessible, jargon-free style, Tough Customer is sure to make you sit up and think about the choices you now have in the market.
Best of all, there is a toolkit at the end of the book that will be a ready reckoner for daily reference.
About Author
Vandana Vasudevan is author of the book 'Urban Villager: Life in an Indian Satellite Town'. She studied economics at Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, and is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. She worked for several years in leading corporates, and in parallel, has been a writer for several newspapers, most notably for the business daily Mint where she wrote a column on urban consumer experiences called 'Tough Customer'.
