I must admit that i am a deal / value seeker as i strongly believe that every rupee saved is rupee earned. Recently while going through Offers section in HDFC Net Banking, i came across “Food Fiesta Offers”. Under this offer HDFC Bank Credit / Debit / GiftPlus / FoodPlus / MoneyPlus cards customers will get discount of upto 10% – 15% in participating Dining outlets across major cities. This offer is also listed on HDFC Smart Buy website under “Bargains at Shop” and is valid till March 31, 2014. To check the offer CLICK HERE
HDFC Smart Buy is an exclusive program for HDFC Bank Customers. HDFC Smart Buy website list down offers available across merchants for HDFC Bank card users. I quickly searched for my favorite restaurant on HDFC Smart Buy Website and was quite delighted that 15% discount is being offered under Food Fiesta offer. Normally i am wary of such offers as there are lot of strings attached to such offers specially at retail / dining outlets. Though online offers are honoured but participating Retail / Dining outlets refuse to honor such offers. To check Terms and Conditions of Food Fiesta offer from HDFC Smart Buy CLICK HERE
After fulfilling all the eligibility criterions of offer, i marched to my favorite restaurant with my family on 15th Feb and enjoyed my dinner. As per Terms and Conditions of the offer, i informed the billing counter both at the time of arrival & before billing regarding HDFC Smart Buy offer and 15% discount on Bill value.
Now when we finished the food, the Restaurant Manager came to me like a Confused Child in Topless Bar (One of my favorite Siddhuism) & enquired about the offer requested by me. I explained him entire offer and showed him on his desktop that i am entitled for 15% Discount on Bill value under HDFC Smart Buy Offer at this Restaurant. Unfortunatly, the Manager refused to honor the offer & told me that they don’t have any information regarding Food Fiesta offer from Restaurant’s Head office. My wife was looking at my face and i could make out from her face that it looks very down market to ask for offers at star rated restaurants. But now it is my job to identify such nuisances for the benefit of my readers.
Anyways i cleared the Bill otherwise for whole night i would have been cleaning utencils in restaurant’s kitchen. I have registered a complaint with HDFC Bank regarding HDFC Smart Buy offer not honoured by this particular restaurant. I am awaiting revert from HDFC Bank on my complaint. Being a consumer activist, now its a prestige issue for me as i want to prove to my wife that as a consumer you can force the Bank / Dining outlet to honor such offers whereas my wife thinks otherwise.
If this offer is not honored then it is as good as cheating the customer in Broad Daylight and i will agree with the recent study by Brand Finance that HDFC bank has lost 0.4% Brand Value in 2014 compared to 2013. HDFC Bank has slipped to 133 position in Global Banking Brand compared to 126 position in 2013. Take it as a pinch of salt from my end :) .
UPDATE: On Mar 13, 2014 i received a call from bigcity[dot]in. I was informed that HDFC Smart Buy offers are outsourced & managed by bigcity[dot]in. The bigcity[dot]in executive apologized for inconvenience caused to me. As the offers are managed by 3rd party therefore there is no accountability to honor the offers either by HDFC Bank or bigcity[dot]in. As expected and anticipated, I received following revert/mail from bigcity[dot]in executive
“I would like to take this opportunity to once again apologize for the inconvenience caused , you can go to XXXXXX outlet in Bangalore and avail a one time discount of 20 % on the total food bill.”
Copyright © Nitin Bhatia. All Rights Reserved.
It is indeed very surprising on HDFC Bank’s part. You have genuine reason to be upset..
Hi,
I have booked some air tickets from hdfc smart buy website and after a while I have cancelled those flights and I haven’t got any refund on my credit card so far i already have mailed smartbuy for the same but no response so far I also had an word with the merchants to whom smartbuy purchase there ticket from they have cancelled the tickets and initiated the refund for more than 10-15days not i have the confirmation mail from the merchantsand the Airline for the refund but i have not received nothing so Far:
Following is the email i have sent to Smartbuy :
Mohit Arora
Jun 20 (4 days ago)
to support
Hi,
Following are the Smartbuy ids on which I have Cancelled my Flight from the Travel agent. they told m to send the Mail to Smart buy as they have Already Initiated the Refund from there side . Kindly Refund the Amount to my Card for the Following 11 Bookings Which I have got Cancelled
Smart buy ids
143367259266333
143367296966346
143367311766350
143367388666372
143367497366400
143367510766404
143367522066407
143367532566409
143367622166434
143367645666439
143367686666450
Email id of smartbuy-support@smartbuyoffers.co
Customer care no which always goes on waiting: Customer Care: 1860 425 3322
My name Mohit Arora
email id mohitarora007@gmail.com
phone no +919899915474
You may follow up with the airline for refund
Same happened with me. Smartbuy sucks a big time . I am waiting for refund for last one month. My ticket was never confirmed through smartbuy but amount got deducted from my account and they promised to refund the money within one week but did not heard anything from them. I am following up with them on daily basis but didnot get any response from them.
You may register complaint or raise a dispute on charge if payment is through credit card.
Thanks a lot Sir.
But i am just wondering where I can submit my complaint.
Any specific website.
I have checked Smartbuy website and there is no tab for complaints or raising a service request.
If possible can you help me with the website
Regards,
Asif
You may complain to consumer forum.
I have submitted a complaint in NATIONAL CONSUMER COMPLAINT FORUM.
Will that help.
I don’t think so.
Anybody here knows the escalation contacts of Smartbuy that can help to speed this up.
I would really appreciate it.
Thanks in Advance
There is a separate team. You may submit complaint on their micro website.
i have called up smart buy customer care around 20 times , but they are disconnecting the call , i want to lodge a complaint my below booking got failed du e to smart but error , but these people are not replying mails ,
i request hdfc bank to credit my 1966 , i am customer of hdfc from 10 days , but these people dont bother at all .
amount – 1966
HDFC Bank SmartBuy Ref No : 1445013995354103
Cleartrip Ref Number:Booked on :16-10-15Status :Failed
You may submit Charge Dispute Form.
Dear Sir,
SMARTBUY offers company is the most HARRASSING and CHEATING COMPANY , as I am the sufferer for the last 3 months, I have called around more than 200 times, people either disconnecting the call or telling lie very boldly, that you will get REFUND by end of the day, but already two months passed , the airlines company already REFUNDED the money and amount is lying with SMARTBUY so I am REQUESTING YOU ALL, kindly raise a complaint to consumer FORUM against this company and I am also REQUESTING to HDFC TEAM, KINDLY REMOVE YOUR TIE UP IMMEDIATELY TO SAVE YOUR IMAGE AND NOT GET PENALISED BY DOING FRAUD BY SMARTBUY… DEAR FRIENDS, I AM LODGING A COMPLAINT WITH CONSUMER FORUM, SO KINDLY ALL OF YOU WHO EVER IS SUFFERER OF SMARTBUY , KINDLY BE UNITE WITH ME AND GET YOUR MONEY BACK , WE WILL WIN THE MATCH, AS TRUTH ALWAYS WINS, HOWEVER IT MAY TAKE TIME IN INDIA. AND WE ALL KNOW, UNITY IS STRENGTH. SO, PLEASE BE UNITE AND HELP ME IN PENALISING THIS SMARTBUY FRAUD COMPANY IN VERY BIG WAY, SO THAT OTHER INNOCENT PEOPLE CAN NOT GET HARASSED IN OUR WAY.
JAI HIND , JAI BHARAT.
YOURS, SANTOSH KUMAR