BigBasket - Numero Uno in Online Groceries Shopping!

BigBasket - Numero Uno in Online Groceries Shopping!

Tags: BigBasket Big Basket Amazon FlipKart Online Offline Retail Food Grocery Groceries Shopping Shop Niche Players Portals Website Stores Products Customers Convenience Affordability Choice Furniture Baby Care Fashion Cosmetics Eyewear Jewellery Auto Accessories Hardware Home Services Wealth Rich Money Price Amount Overheads Homes Needs Channel Chain Potential Opportunity Growth Experience Successful FabMall Aditya Birla Group More Supermarkets Marketplace Market Catalogue Categorised Desktops Laptops Tablets Mobiles Apps Android Apple Operating Systems Fresh Fruits Vegetables Rice Dals Spices Seasonings Packaged Beverages Personal Care Meats Brand Cater Choices Network Advantage Traffic Commuting Parking Troubles Purchasing Browsing Order Value Instant Special Offers Discounts Cashback Coupons Savings Fuel Refer Earn Family Friends Gift Cards Search Cart Design Lists Secured Leakage Confidential Information Payments Credit Debit Cards Net Banking Wallets Sodexho Cash on Delivery COD Fast Flexible Doorstep Delivery Schedules Issues Perishable Guarantee Reimburse Quality Return Refund Replacement Queries Complaints Toll Number Email Messaging Social Media Facebook Twitter InstaGram Google+ FAQs Infestation Policy Escalation Agents

In the world of online shopping, niche players and portals are growing progressively and making a mark for themselves by enabling customer convenience, affordability and choice. Apart from general online portals like Amazon and FlipKart, today we have niche players that cover furniture, baby care products, fashion, cosmetics, eyewear, jewellery, auto accessories, hardware and home services. These vertical portals are just a sample of the endless list of niche players in online shopping. One of the key segments is online grocery shopping. Typically, the general population spends a good amount of time in shopping for groceries on a monthly basis, if not weekly. As part of the process, they expend lot of time and effort in procuring their regular groceries for their homes by shopping at brick and mortar stores. Clearly, groceries from physical stores cost more for a variety of reasons including fixed overheads like establishment rent and staff costs.

Fortunately, for customers, the whole world of online shopping has transformed the shopping landscape. This is particularly true where niche or specific needs of customers are concerned like groceries. One of the key specialised players in the online segment for online groceries is www.BigBasket.com. Big Basket (Innovative Retail Concepts PVT. LTD.) is the largest player in the food and online groceries channel in the country. It was established in the October 2011 by its co-founders Abhinay Choudhari, Hari Menon, Vipul Parekh and VS Sudhakar. The portal has expanded exponentially since its inception in the online grocery space. And it has barely scratched the potential opportunity in the segment with a huge quantum of growth available to be tapped.

The portal has been wonderful to customers and it has proven itself consistently. Here are key facets of BigBasket.

1. BigBasket is backed by well experienced and trusted founders namely Abhinay Choudhari, Hari Menon, Vipul Parekh and VS Sudhakar who carry a wealth of experience in the grocery segment. They earlier managed the successful physical retail chain FabMall (a chain of grocery supermarkets) which was sold to the Aditya Birla Group and now captioned as More.
2. The website is quite well organised and categorised with a user friendly interface for customers making it absolutely a delight to shop online for groceries. The process of selection of products on the site is quite intuitive and customer friendly.
3. Customers can shop either on desktops / laptops or go in for mobile apps. The website offers apps for both Android and Apple Operating Systems.
4. The portal incorporates a wide range of food and grocery products for homes and is factually a one stop shop for customers. It has a spread of over 18,000 products in its catalogue and covers everything that customers look out for from fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Rice and Dals, Spices and Seasonings to Packaged products, Beverages, Personal care products and Meats (to name a few).
5. The portal has a rich variety of branded products mixed with in-house products to cater to the choices of customers.
6. While it is not available all over the country, yet it covers the top cities in the country with a network of over 30 locations.
7. The biggest advantage for customers of shopping on BigBasket is that they are saved the drudgery of grocery shopping from physical stores. Shopping online is wonderful. It saves time and effort that is often lost in traffic commuting, parking troubles, hopping from shop to another, long payment queues and carrying heavy bags after purchasing groceries needed for homes. BigBasket offers an easy and relaxed way of browsing and shopping for groceries from the comfort of our homes or offices.
8. Another key factor that weighs in on customers is that BigBasket offers huge discounts on the selected products going all the way up to 20% of order value through instant discounts and cashback. There are a variety of special offers and discount coupons usually available on the website through the year. Also consider the savings on fuel when we commute and buy groceries from physical stores. And of course, as the saying goes, "time is money".
9. The portal also has a Refer and Earn feature. Through this feature, you can refer family and friends and earn gift amounts to use for your own groceries.
10. Customers can also purchase Gift Cards on BigBasket for the purpose of gifting a BigBasket Gift Card to their near and dear ones.
11. If you are unsure where to find the products you are looking for on the website, then you can use the Search feature with generic name of the product. That will pull out all the branded and unbranded names for the product.
12. The Shopping Cart of the portal is designed with the customer in mind. Customers can prepare their grocery lists or add to shopping cart in advance and check out whenever they are comfortable.
13. The website is a highly secured website and ensures that there is no leakage of confidential customer information.
14. Customers have the option of completing payments for their orders through multiple channels such as Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Net Banking, Wallets, Sodexho and Cash on Delivery (COD).
15. The company offers fast and flexible delivery schedules to customers with doorstep delivery. We can choose the date and time that we need delivery of our selected products. This includes same day delivery as well and ensures that there are no issues with perishable products. 
16. The delivery cost is very low at Rs.20/- per order and is almost not noticeable.
17. The portal offers on-time guarantee of delivery of products. On rare occasions when delivery is delayed beyond the selected timelines, customers are reimbursed  certain amount of their order.
18. BigBasket is particular about quality of products. In the event that there are issues of quality, customers can return the products either for replacement or refund with no questions asked.
19. Customers can raise their queries or complaints, as the case may be, through a variety of channels like calling their toll number, sending an email or messaging on social media (Facebook, Twitter, InstaGram & Google+). Alternatively, the portal has a comprehensive FAQs section for the benefit of customers who are not well versed with online shopping of groceries.

Overall, BigBasket is an excellent portal that is a blessing for customers. From our own experience, it has saved us lot of time, effort and cost. We have mostly done away going to physical stores for our groceries. Of course, there are still times when we need to visit brick and mortar stores but that considerably come down without any compromise to our convenience and comfort. If anything, BigBasket has made our lives that much more easier.

However, there are times when there are clear quality issues with some of the products like Dals wherein sometimes infestation has been observed. Further, with some packaged items, we have noticed that they are delivered close to Best Use Date or Expired. The quality of vegetables and fruits has come down too. That is the reason we still do visit physical stores as and when required. To give credit to BigBasket, they do have a No Questions Asked Return Policy. Their delivery timelines are typically maintained. On rare occasions when there is delay, they reimburse certain set amounts to the customer.

One area where BigBasket clearly can use improvement is their escalation matrix which seems to go nowhere despite customers asking repeatedly for escalation. Their agents while fine with the typical issues are like robots when it comes to discretion or escalation and go by a set script which tires out customers. Perhaps, you can not have it all!

FirstCry - Online Retailer for Baby Products!

FirstCry - Online Retailer for Baby Products!

Tags: FirstCry Mahindra Group Venture Reputed Reputation Credible Niche Online Offline Portal Platform Segment Network Section Website Market Marketplace Retailer Stores Shops Shopping Enroll Registering Merchants Enterpreneurs Franchisee Customers Parent Baby Children Kids Care Ages Blog Parenting Guide Products Choices Price Pricing Purchases Order Placement Categorised Web Listings Pictures Zoom Domestic International Brands Collection Carter's Mattel Ben10 Pigeon Funskool Hotwheels Nuby Farlin Medela Pampers Disney Barbie Gerber Fisher Price Mee Mee Priority Vehicle Commuting Congested Jammed Traffic Parking Wastage Worries Anxiety Tension Competitors Attractive Offers Discounts Coupon Codes Loyalty Cash Facility Bookmark Wish List Search Tracking Free Shipping Quick Deliveries Secure Safeguard Data Information Payment Options Credit Debit Cards Net Banking Cash on Delivery COD PayTM Wallet PayPal UPI EMI Visa MasterCard Maestro Diners Club RuPay Wealth Channels Social Media Facebook Youtube Twitter Google+ Email Call Phone Contact Centre FAQs Queries Complaints Issues Resolve Opportunities Service Return Refund Policy

These days, the trend of online shopping is increasing by leaps and bounds. For those of us who value our time and effort, online shopping is just wonderful. Clearly, shopping online saves a lot of time that is otherwise spent on commuting through congested and jammed traffic - not to mention the wastage of effort hopping brick and mortar stores to find the products that we need. However, despite all this, it is not easy to find niche products through general online shops. This is particularly true if you are a parent and are looking for baby products. You can't afford the time and effort searching physical stores when your first priority is taking care of your children. And remember those parking worries for your vehicle! In such case, a niche portal for children like www.FirstCry.com comes in quite handy and convenient!

1. FirstCry is a joint venture with the well known Mahindra Group. 
2. It is a niche retailer and has a huge collection of products catering to kids of various ages. 
3. For the convenience of the customer, the portal has an app as well for both Android and Apple Operating Systems. 
4. The website sources products from reputed international and domestic merchants and makes them available to its customers. These include brands include Carter's, Mattel, Ben10, Pigeon, Funskool, Hotwheels, Nuby, Farlin, Medela, Pampers, Disney, Barbie, Gerber, Fisher Price and Mee Mee.
5. The portal offers pricing that is unique and quite reasonable. There are regular regular offers, discounts, coupon codes and card discounts on its website which makes prices quite attractive to customers. Additionally, if you are a new customer registering yourself, then you get certain special offers and coupon codes too. 
6. Further, for selective products, you get to earn loyalty cash for any purchases that you make which can be used to offset price of your future purchases. 
7. The products of the website are systematically arranged and categorised so that it is easier for customers to browse the portal. 
8. The web listings are propped up with product pictures and are fitted with a zoom feature. The listings are also detailed making it easy for the customer to make his choices. 
9. For those customers who know exactly what they are looking for, there is a Search feature to locate the products directly. 
10. One another feature of FirstCry is that you can have the products gift wrapped at the time of order placement if you wish to gift certain products to your near and dear. 
11. Unlike many of its competitors in the online and offline market, FirstCry is special since it has a presence not only in the online segment but also in the offline space. It has a network of brick and mortar stores spread across the country allowing customers a 'touch and feel' shopping. 
12. The portal offers free shipping and quick deliveries across the country though there are occasions when there are delays. 
13. As with any shopping portal, there is a tracking feature for customers to know where exactly their products are at any given point of time.
14. In case you are looking to purchase selected items at a future date, then you have the facility to bookmark or wish list your choices. 
15. Shopping online on its website is also a seamless experience. It facilitates multiple payment options to suit different classes of customers like Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Net Banking, Cash on Delivery (COD), PayTM, Wallet, PayPal and UPI. EMI facility is also provided. Further, it supports multiple type of cards like Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, Diners Club and RuPay.
16. For any online portal to be credible, it needs to be secure. FirstCry is just that - it is equipped with high levels of security to safeguard customer data and payment information. 
17. FirstCry also has a FirstCry blog and 'FirstCry Parenting' guide wherein there is a wealth of information for parents to care better for their children. 
18. Even with the best of online shopping portals, there are times when there are issues with the products. That said, for those rare occasions, FirstCry has an effective return and refund policy. 
19. The portal is also equipped with prompt customer service to address any queries or complaints that customers may address to it. You can email or call the Contact Centre of FirstCry so that your issues can be effectively addressed. 
20. The website also has a good presence on Social Media like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Google+ which can also be used as channels for customers to raise their queries or complaints. You can also prefer to look at their FAQs section which could potentially resolve most of your queries. 
21. Given that FirstCry is a marketplace, it provides opportunities to entrepreneurs to enroll on their platform or opt for becoming their franchisee.

From our own personal experience, the FirstCry portal is an excellent marketplace for baby care products. We have made purchases on it for our personal requirements and they have essentially turned out well. The pricing complemented by the discounts has been quite competitive vis-a-vis both online and offline competitors. It has an effective return and refund policy when customers are not happy with the products.

However, it must be noted that there are times when the prices of the products are falsely printed at higher cost and then a discount is offered thus misleading the customer to think he is getting a great deal (when that is not the case)! Once in our experience, we purchased a school bag from FirstCry around Rs.900/- post discounts which appeared to look considerable. Strangely, when we received it, we found a DMart label on it wherein the MRP was below Rs.700/-. This indicates lack of scruples in inflating prices, misrepresenting information and then misleading the customer. That is not a good approach to follow.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits/reviews

Pepperfry, Niche Furniture eTailer - First Mover Advantage!

Pepperfry, Niche Furniture eTailer - First Mover Advantage!

Tags: Internet Website Portals Platform Amazon FlipKart Pepperfry Online Offline Etailers Advertise Market Shopping Curated Products Brands Purchases Orders Free Fast Shipping Transport Tracking Rental Consultations Modular Solutions Kitchens Wardrobes Customised Studios Installation Services Home Needs Decor Furniture Electrical Goods Hardware Art Clocks Vases Planters Collectibles Candles Lights Fragrances Lamps Lighting Bed Sheets Blankets Quilts Table Linen Cushions Pillows Towels Curtains Carpets Mattresses Cookware Cookers Chimneys Blenders Beverage Sandwich Snack Makers Juicers Choppers Slicers Dish Washers Refrigerators Mixer Grinders Ovens Gas Stoves Water Purifiers Geysers Rates Prices Cost Amounts Coupons Discounts Offers Budgets Payments Debit Credit Gift Cards Net Banking Wallet Paypal EMI COD Secured Information Customers Experience Quality Positive Negative Feedback Responses Defective Problem Complaints Return Replacement Refund Policy Escalation Selling Merchants Program

The online segment is heating up these days with a variety of products aimed at customers. You name it and and you find it offered online on one of the many shopping websites. In this area, the furniture market is gaining prominence. It is now peppered with many furniture etailers. While there are many online portals dealing with furniture like Amazon and FlipKart, yet they are not niche players. That is where niche players are carving out a place for themselves. Pepperfry is one of the topmost brands now that has established itself as a niche furniture etailer! If you are looking for anything in furniture and home decor, then you will definitely find it on www.pepperfry.com. The etailer was one of the earliest startups in the furniture ecosystem that went into online portals.

Here is a look at what makes Pepperfry special in the niche online furniture segment.

1. Well defined website with user friendly interface. Images optimised and loads fast on a range of devices and varying internet speeds without any drag.
2. The portal has categorised its products systematically making it easy for customers to choose from a range of products.
3. It has clear presence in social media viz., Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Google+. The advantages of social media presence is that customers can bookmark their selections easily for later reference. Further, if you wish to provide positive or negative feedback, that becomes easier and faster as responses are also quicker.
4. For those who are comfortable using mobile devices, Pepperfry app is available for Android and Apple Operating Systems.
5. Quite a few of us are used to do window shopping and deferring our actual purchases to a later point of time. In such cases, the website has a user friendly feature to bookmark your choices or Wish List them in your online Pepperfry account. 
6. The website offers well known domestic and international brands on its platform at competitive rates that are not so easily available elsewhere.
7. While Pepperfry's core product line is furniture, yet it also deals with many other products other than furniture from a home needs perspective such as wall art, wall hangings, clocks, vases, pots, planters, collectibles, candles, tea lights, fragrances, lamps, lighting, bed sheets, blankets, quilts, table linen, cushions, pillows, towels, curtains, carpets, mattresses, cookware, cookers, chimneys, blenders, beverage makers, sandwich makers, snack makers, juicers, choppers, slicers, dish washers, refrigerators, mixer grinders, ovens, gas stoves, water purifiers, geysers, hardware and other electrical goods. The list is rather long but suffice it to say that you will find almost all of your home needs requirements here on Pepperfry.
8. In large number of cases, Pepperfry also takes care of your installation needs for any of your orders purchased through it though this feature is limited to only few cities and is not universally available. In locations where installation services are unavailable, customers will need to make their own arrangements.
9. Additionally, the portal also offers consultations for modular solutions for your home such as modular kitchens and modular wardrobes. Through this feature, you can get customised modular furniture for your home. Again, the only flipside is that it is available only in few cities.
10. Understandably, many of us still hesitate to purchase directly through online portals especially if the order value is high. While penetration of online shopping is on the increase, yet it still has a long way to go. For such kind of people, Pepperfry has the options of brick and mortar Pepperfry Studios that are located in key cities wherein customers can check their needs in person through touch and feel and make their purchases. Unfortunately, this is a feature limited to few select cities. For the rest of us, we still have to purchase online directly through Pepperfry or its peers or go to a brick and mortars store if we are not prepared to do so.

Pepperfry, Niche Furniture eTailer - First Mover Advantage!

11. Customers can avail of free shipping where their order value is a minimum of Rs.999/-.
12. One key differentiator between Pepperfry and its competitors is that it offers faster shipping.
13. There are also tracking features available for your shipped orders so that you are apprised of its movement.
14. The latest trend is to opt for rental furniture. This is gaining traction these days as it is targeted at people with high mobility who move frequently between cities on account of their work schedules and therefore, do not wish to purchase furniture as it will be a hassle to keep spending on their transport. For such groups, Pepperfry offers furniture rentals on selected goods. However, this feature unfortunately is limited to some cities only.
15. Offers range of discounts through the year and on special events suiting the budgets of different groups of people. In fact, there are deeper discounts if you are new customer registering for your account first time. You are issued coupons with limited time frame that you can apply on your selected products and avail discounted prices.
16. Multiple payments options are available for customers such as Debit Cards, Credit Cards, Net Banking, Pepperfry Gift Cards, Wallet, Paypal and EMI. A variety of Credit & Debit Cards are supported including International Cards. COD is available on orders basis certain parameters. The portal offers No Cost EMI as well. All the payments are secured so that there is no leakage of confidential information.
17. From a customer service perspective, customers can reach out to agents through eMail, Chat, Phone or social media. Sadly, call-in number is not toll-free and customers will be charged on their calls by their respective telecom provider. There is also no direct email address that you can address your complaints - instead, you would need to fill-in a web form. Apart from this, it has a comprehensive FAQs section on its website that customers will find very helpful.
18. The portal has a clear escalation matrix defined for customer complaints. In case there are any issues, customers can opt either for replacement or refund of the product to their original source of payment. 
19. If you interested in selling your products on the platform, then there is a merchants program on Pepperfry that facilitates and promotes merchants on its portal.

We have not yet made purchases of substantial amounts on the portal. However, we did have a smooth experience with the few purchases we made till date. The feedback we have received from family, friends and acquaintances has also been essentially positive. However, do remember that their return and refund policy on large value orders may sometimes get tricky. So please be cautious that your choices are well made. Further, a good number of features like Furniture Installation, Pepperfry Studios, Furniture Rentals and Modular Consults are limited to few cities only. So if you are not in those cities, then it is going to be a flipside for you.

Sometimes, we have heard that they are not very open to negative feedback. For example, it has been noted on internet that their products are not thoroughly curated in which cases what you receive may not be as it was advertised or may be defective or not qualitative. This becomes a serious issue when the orders are of large value. When some customers reverted to them, they were surprised that their feedback was not well received and their accounts were blocked. Also, be it noted that the price that is displayed on their website including coupon discounts does not include shipping cost (if any) and taxes. You get to know the final price only when you are completing the payment.

That said, every portal has its pros and cons. The trick is to be fully aware and make cautious choices that suit your requirements. From our perspective, Pepperfry has worked out for us as it has one of the most comprehensive product ranges in the online or offline market. Moreover, sometimes, if the order value is less and you have a problem, they are generous and they just refund the amount without even bothering to pick up the product. This is a rarity and we have not seen this with any other online shopping portal.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits/reviews

HTC Brand - Bad Customer Service!

HTC Brand - Bad Customer Service!

Tags: Products Multi-national Companies Domestic MNCs After-sales Customer Service Experience Complaints Quality Samsung LED SMART TVs REConnect Reliance Warranty TP Link Routers Chinese Brand Mobile Phones Smart Phones HTC Desire 820 Online Battery Memory ROM RAM Games Calls Camera Selfie Wireless Location GPS Auto Rotate Brightness Bluetooth Data Hot Spot Connect Flash Light Emails Handset Invoice

We are all conditioned to think and believe that sophisticated products from multi-national companies are good! When we draw a comparison with domestic products or those from other countries (though not truly multinational in nature), it is natural to feel that multi-national products fare better. While this is not completely wrong, yet it is necessary to challenge our preconceptions in the light of our own life experiences. We can tell from our own experience that not all MNCs offer robust products or good after-sales customer service or both. Similar is the story with domestic products.

The essential lesson for all of us here is to judge each product and company on its own merits without preset notions. In this blog, we write about the horrible customer experience we received from HTC company. However, before we do that, let us take a walk on quality of products and customer service vis-a-vis domestic and MNC brands.

Let us give a few examples. Take the case of Samsung LED SMART TVs. We were originally a loyal customer of Samsung - however, it was only later that we discovered it as one of the worst companies when it comes to quality of its products and customer service. You can read our earlier review here. On the contrary, RE Connect TVs from Reliance turned out well. They came with a 2 year warranty. To be honest, when we experienced certain issues with the TV after 1 year of usage and were frustrated, Reliance went out of its way to provide exemplary customer service. It allowed us to return the TVs for a full refund.

Another case in point is TP Link Routers. One would think that TP Link being a Chinese company, the products would be cheap in quality and their customer service would be equally worse. We were in for a thorough surprise. When the router we purchased from them was found to be defective, TP Link went the extra mile and replaced it with an advanced router that was priced in the market 3 times the cost of the router we returned. Further, it was not just about the price - it had astounding features! Of course, you will agree with us that features and pricing are useless if the product does not perform. We were in for a surprise there too. It has been around a year that they provided the replacement router. It has not had any complaints whatsoever and has performed brilliantly.

How many companies whether domestic or international would do that? We are sure that the numbers can be counted on your fingers. The good part is that companies like TP Link and Reliance though sometimes beset with quality issues, still made the effort to turnaround the customer experience positively! We must note here that getting the above 2 complaints fixed from Reliance and TP Link was not a cake walk but when we reached out to the Senior Management, they responded positively and quickly. It took us time, effort and several levels of frustration but at the end, it was more than worth the wait!

Now returning to the HTC brand mobile phones - we purchased one of their flagship smart phones, the HTC Desire 820 online from one of the online retailers. It was expensive but we thought it was worth it given its advanced features. Also, we are not fancy about switching our mobile phones every now and then. We typically use a mobile phone for at least 5 years unless it becomes completely redundant and obsolete as in "no longer usable". Hence, the money was spent accordingly with that timeline in mind.

Unfortunately, the smart phone developed defects within 1 year of warranty. Initially, the phone performed well and we simply loved it and were happy with our decision. However, the troubles began later. The model started exhibiting serious battery issues. The performance of the phone slid downwards and became laggardly. There were also severe memory issues relating to both ROM and RAM whereby the memory showed as full and that impacted performance of the phone further. We did factory reset, thorough cleansing of the phone, minimum apps, et al but to absolutely no avail. The phone even began shutting down abruptly.

To put the record straight, we do not use the phone for any games and our calls are usually short calls and not many in a day, by any stretch of imagination. We are not a fan of multitude of apps either and use only the absolute minimum required. Camera is used functionally as we are not the selfie type. Most of the time, we keep several functions of the phone off as they tend to guzzle the battery such as Wireless (during sleep / night time), Location, GPS, Auto Rotate, Low Brightness Levels, Bluetooth, Mobile Data, Hot Spot, HTC Connect and Flash Light. We keep the phone in battery saver mode too. Despite all this, the battery discharges too fast and gets consumed in matter of hours.

HTC Brand - Bad Customer Service!

We reported the issue to their customer service team and were in for a shock. Their customer service team was our worst nightmare. They do not even have a customer escalation matrix. Their team simply said they can't provide service free of cost and it is chargeable. We asked them the rationale since it was still in warranty. They stated that the warranty from retailer does not matter and they calculate it from the point of time they manufactured the device. This was absolutely weird. We got in to numerous telephonic conversations but they were not paying off. Finally, when we persisted, we felt we saw some light at the end of the tunnel. One of their managers asked for the invoice which was duly provided. He agreed that the phone was within warranty period per the invoice. He said he would revert once he checks with his technical team. When he did revert, it was the same old story again.

As per his update, the phone had been used before we purchased it as per their records. Hence, they could not provide as it lapsed. We debated that simply can not be the case as the phone was received at our end with company seal on it but HTC did not waver and simply blocked our emails and calls. When we used a different email id and telephone number and kept following-up, they finally relented stating that they would provide service for the phone at no cost and provide a standby phone in the interim. We thanked our stars and requested the procedure and time slot to obtain standby phone and surrender the defective handset at their service centre.

The nightmare then continued once again where the earlier Manager had left the organisation and their so called service manager went back on their commitment. We are now back to square One wherein on account of their own delay recorded on email, the warranty of the phone as per invoice has lapsed but due to no fault of ours. We have written to the email addresses of Head of HTC Ms. Cher Wang and Faisal Siddiqui, India Head of HTC but there is no response from their end either. Frankly, we do not expect any positive update on this complaint in the near future. However, we are posting our experience so that others can learn from it.

Always remember to research the product you are buying - the quality of the product and customer service provided by the company. The internet provides us ample opportunity to research anything. Use that before making a buy decision. If your research indicates something not so great, then do not buy. If you must, then keep your costs extremely low, not to mention your expectations.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits/reviews

Spencer's Retail - A Customer Story!

Spencer's Retail - A Customer Story!

Tags: Spencer's Spencers Retail Customer Service Complaint Feedback Story Store Shop Groceries Staples Food Ice Cream Fruits Vegetables Products Bakery Meat Wine Fashion Electronics Electricals Plastics Home Kitchen Furniture Games Toys Personal Care Refrigerator Freezer Goenka Billing Website

A few days back, we went to the Spencer's store where we shop regularly for some of our monthly groceries. It was renovated sometime back and it was looking far more spacious, organised and comfortable while browsing the products. New sections were also introduced like Diary & Bakery, Meat & Fish and Wine Shop - rather convenient for customers. They were even arranged appropriately so that it does not offend the sensitivities of certain customers - the design was quite thoughtful. The store belongs to the RP Goenka Group since 1989 and has a history dating back to 1863 when it was originally co-founded by John William Spencer and Charles Durrant.

Anyway, on one of our visits, we did not have the best of experiences. We had purchased groceries and ice creams for our family. When we went to the billing section, we noticed that around 50% of the counters were closed. It was not even lean hours or a lean day and there were good number of customers queueing up. Strangely, the counter operators were still there milling around the closed counters chatting with their colleagues but the counters were bolted so that customers could not stand-in for billing. Normally, some waiting at available counters would not have mattered so much to us but this time we were carrying ice cream. The store was not air-conditioned at that point of time and if we did need to wait good enough time, then we ran the risk of the ice creams melting and not maintaining its consistency, given it would also take some more time to get home before we put it in the refrigerator.

So we did the next best thing possible. We approached one of the operators at the closed counter and asked them to bill for us as we were carrying ice cream. While the operator was polite, yet he did not offer any help and instead asked us to approach one of the open counters. After that, he went back to chatting with his colleague. We waited a bit in the hope he would take notice and offer help but no luck on that. Left with no other option, we queued up and finally got the groceries billed. By the time we went back home and put it in the freezer, the ice creams had melted like we feared. In hindsight, perhaps we should not have bought ice creams at that juncture given the circumstances. We were quite disappointed and were wondering what to do. It then struck us that Spencers now has online e-shopping portal too. We googled and gave feedback on their website. That at least made us feel better.

To be honest, we were not expecting any further outcome, especially a positive outcome from the feedback we provided. We have seen most of the time that companies take the feedback in their stride, call up the customer (if they do at all) and apologise to them - that is about it! However, knowing that we at least did not let the matter rest and gave feedback to Spencers made us feel good. What followed next surprised us. We received a telephonic call from their Central Team profusely apologising and patiently hearing our perspective. Then the local Spencers store Manager called us, apologised and took our address details. When we asked the reason, he said he wanted to meet us personally and discuss our experience to avoid future recurrences. We thought that was very proactive though belated.

He visited at the agreed time, listened to us and promised to take action. This was interesting since we never pictured Spencers as a store that would take customer feedback seriously. Probably, misconceptions in our mind - most of the time, we associate such actions to high visibility companies and multinationals. We of course forget that even those usually do not bother about customer experience. Examples are Samsung and HTC. Anyway, this was turning out to be a pleasant experience after all. At least, the poor impression we received earlier was being replaced by the responsive attitude we saw in their teams.

And then came the Coup d'état or master stroke. Spencers handed over to us a complimentary hamper containing the ice creams that we had earlier purchased to make up for our experience. While this was not much, yet it went a long way in making the point that they took customer feedback rather seriously. This does not happen often with companies. Kudos to Spencer!

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits/reviews

Maggi Noodles: BigBasket & Nestle - Unhappy Customer Story!

Maggi Noodles: BigBasket & Nestle - Unhappy Customer Story!

Tags: Maggi Noodles BigBasket Big Basket Nestle Customer Experience Complaint Shopping Online Grocery Service Delivery Refund Vegetables Quality Discounts Credit Card Bill Pulses Shahrukh Khan Brand Advertising Feedback Regulators Government

For a long time, we had been shopping with online grocery major at www.BigBasket.com. When it was first launched in our city, we were elated and excited for many reasons. We could shop online in our own city with a reliable service provider and get our groceries delivered at our doorstep! If something were not in order, we could easily raise a complaint and get items either replaced or cancelled for a full refund! It meant saving lot of time, effort and transport costs, not to mention the fact that we can avoid the hustle and bustle of crowds in grocery stores. Of course, sometimes, it is relevant to visit physical stores just to keep in touch with the latest but not always, especially when we know exactly what we want! While we could still make one full visit to a brick and mortar grocery store every now and then, yet the rest of shopping could be online!

Further, during initial launch of Big Basket, one key feature was online shopping of vegetables! Their quality was good with reasonable pricing - so that helped too. It was also good from another perspective - the portal offered good discounts on credit card shopping to the tune of 20% in the first few days of the month. Who can refuse that when your bill gets lighter, time gets saved, effort lessens and fuel cost comes down? It was, in our opinion, a deal-maker or clincher! This entire model practically worked for us! We were happy. We were able to persuade our family to move to this concept successfully though initially it was challenging with few Senior Members of the family.

However, in recent times, the product quality and customer experience appears to have clearly gone downhill. The quality of vegetables, more often than not, is poor and we have given up shopping for them online through Big Basket portal. We also observed that sometimes pulses were pest ridden - this was not so in earlier times. It seems to us customers that Big Basket has moved away from its rigorous quality control model it had when it launched and is focussing more on numbers. It is interesting that they have signed up Shahrukh Khan for their brand advertising at high expense but do not feel that it is more important to ensure good product mix, quality control and proactive customer experience and mitigation. Perhaps, they have routed the budget in these areas to high expense advertising by Shahrukh Khan. Many a time, we have noticed celebrities advertising for brands irresponsibly but not assessing their quality! Anyway, that is another story.

Maggi Noodles: BigBasket & Nestle India - A Not So Happy Customer Story!

And now the latest experience - poor quality of Maggi Noodles! Maggi Noodles packets were delivered to us by Big Basket which were long past the expiry / best before date (BVZO-38696263-010118 - 2 January 2018). The contents themselves appeared to be scraggly and broken. The packaging looked dusty and not giving the appearance of new stock and edible food. So we requested replacement (EVZRO-38758086-020118 - 3 January 2018) when the customer service team requested us to give them another chance! We were however in for another rude shock when replacements came. This time the packages had micro holes and leaked pieces of dry noodles on the table and floor! God knows if they were also infested considering that packaging was not air tight and had micro holes! We were rather annoyed and returned them immediately. On both occasions, we took action in the presence of delivery agents of Big Basket. It is surprising that a follow-up action based on a serious customer complaint leads to another severe complaint. Normally, companies do take care it does not happen. So we are puzzled on how Big Basket can be so casual in their approach in resolving a customer complaint!

We are unsure whom to hold responsible and accountable for this bad experience - should it be Big Basket or Nestle? In the past, Maggi Noodles (a product of Nestle) had a very bad run with food regulators and were banned for some time. They are just now returning to form. The downturn in their sales took a serious toll on the bottom-line of Nestle. The company announced that it had taken a slew of measures so that such occurrences do not happen again. But here we are with a set of complaints! So definitely Nestle is responsible for quality control of its products as Big Basket is their agent. On a similar note, Big Basket is a stockist and therefore, it is accountable too for ensuring strict quality control of the products in its portfolio. If it encounters issues, its quality mechanisms should weed them out and revert feedback to Nestle rather than serve it to customers!

An email exchange followed with both Big Basket and Nestle conveying our serious disappointment and requesting connect with Senior Management. Unfortunately, both parties were not bothered and have not even properly responded or mitigated the bad customer experience, except to offer an apology! This is another disturbing trend of corporates offering apologies to customers and assuming that the matter is closed! It is like corporates feel they have done a big deal or favour by offering an apology to customers and therefore, customers should no longer bother them anymore thus considering the matter closed. Interestingly, we feel that it is part of a template / script that agents are given when they receive customer complaints. Their responses are rather robotic and automatic with no heart or real intent in it!

Maggi Noodles: BigBasket & Nestle - Unhappy Customer Story!

Well, the matter is not closed! As customers, we are still unhappy! We are not satisfied with just an apology that holds no meaning to our corporate friends unless they are backed by serious believable action that customers can see tangibly and appreciate! We were once loyal customers of both Big Basket and Nestle. We still shop with them but no longer with the same trusted mentality. We triple check what we receive from them as we are the end users and need to be doubly careful. It is a sad trend that companies these days are losing their value for corporate ethics, professionalism, quality control and positive customer experience. They apparently are concerned only with the sales numbers and nothing else. We customers also seem to be unduly tolerant of such errant malpractices - perhaps we are too trusting that companies will do us right!

These are the kind of experiences that turn customers away from brands when, firstly, they experience something bad and then there is no real follow-up action to thoroughly mitigate such experiences. For example - neither Big Basket nor Nestle have even connected us to an escalation point to impress on us that the matter is being taken seriously. Instead, they have just ignored it and brushed it under the carpet! When we specifically asked for an escalation, there was absolutely no response or we were simply flooded with scripted and templated emails. We are still following up but do not expect anything much. Best to keep expectations low since in our country, the concept of severe penalties on such defaulting companies is rather weak. It is high time that tangible steps and practical ones at that are taken by Governments and regulators to severely penalise such defaulting companies. It works in Western economies...

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits/reviews

Samsung HM 1700 Bluetooth Headset - Value, Functionality & Elegance!

Samsung HM 1700 Bluetooth Headset - Value, Functionality & Elegance!

Tags: Samsung Bluetooth A2DP Profiles Headset Models Brand Hands Free Handsfree Quality Clarity Sound Voice Audio Calls Dialling Mute Reject Talk Music Media Streaming Mic Noise Reduction Echo Cancellation Price Language FreeSync Application Power Adaptor Battery Rechargeable Standby Charge Time Device Mobile Phone MP3 Player Computer Podcasts Online Gamers Platforms Active Pairing Multipoint Technology Notifications Text to Speech Messaging SMS Email Movie USB Port LED Indicator Earhook Compatible Warranty

Recently, we wrote a blog on Samsung HM 1100 Bluetooth Headset which is one of the best budget friendly headsets in the market coupled with functionality. Unfortunately, the headset may no longer be widely available as it has been replaced with later models from Samsung. If you are out there looking for an alternative which is cost effective, feature rich and looks trendy, then there is Samsung HM 1700 Bluetooth Headset which could meet your specifications. It provides all that you may be looking for and more! You get value, functionality and elegance too! With this Bluetooth, you can keep your hands free while taking calls. This is useful when multi-tasking like driving to work or cooking at home. The Samsung HM1700 headset is feature-rich Bluetooth handsfree device. It offers high style and functionality at a low price. It is available in various colours to match your personal style. This headset is in many ways a real trendsetter!

Take a look at its key features that are going to blow your breath away!

• Sleek & Brushed Metal Design.
• Budget Friendly Pricing.
• Durable, Portable and Lightweight.
• Reputed Samsung Brand.
• Crystal Clarity & High Sound Quality.
• Multi-language Voice Prompts.
• Text to Speech Messaging with FreeSync Application.
• Single Mic Noise Reduction & Echo Cancellation
• Automatic Volume Adjustment.
• Allows Battery Level Checking.
• Active Pairing - makes pairing headset with another device quick, easy & automatic.
• Multipoint Technology - allows for simultaneous connection to 2 Bluetooth devices.
• Mono Music Streaming.
• Call Receiving / Last Call Dialling.
• Mute & Reject functions.
• Volume Up & Down functions.
• Talk Time: Up to 9 Hours.
• Media Streaming: Up to 8 Hours.
• Standby Time: Up to 300 Hours.
• Charge Time: 75 Minutes.
• Compatible with a range of devices.
• Equipped with Interchangeable Ear hooks.
• Design: In-the-ear.
• Bluetooth Range: 10 Metres.
• Bluetooth Version: 3.0.
• Bluetooth Profiles: HSP1.1, HFP1.5, A2DP1.2.
• Box Contents: Bluetooth Headset, Travel Adaptor, Ear Rubber, Earhook, User manual
• Color: Magenta, Black, Blue, Purple.
• Dimensions: 3.2 x 1.6 x 6.2 Inches.
• Weight: 10.2 gms.
• Warranty: 6 Months.

Samsung HM 1700 Bluetooth Headset - Value, Functionality & Elegance!

One of the key features of Samsung HM1700 Bluetooth Headset is that it uses voice prompts for various notifications. Clearly, a headset that is built with your convenience in mind. The built-in voice prompts can tell you when you need to recharge your headset, when you’ve successfully connected to a device, usage instructions and more. It can als be configured for 5 different languages for menu control! It is equipped with Text-to-Speech (TTS) for a truly handsfree experience! Even better, if you use TTS with FreeSync application, you can receive SMS messages, email, and schedule notifications through a friendly text-to-speech interface that personally reads your information to you when you wants.

It supports multiple Bluetooth profiles including Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for mono music and media streaming from external devices like your mobile phone or an MP3 player to its earpiece. You can even stream mono music or podcasts directly to the device from your Bluetooth-compatible media player or computer. Its Simple Pairing technology automatically pairs the headset with the closest Bluetooth-enabled device, faster and easier. And that is not all! You can also pair the headset to two different devices simultaneously for seamless integration across devices through its Multipoint Technology. This feature is a life saver for all of us who carry both a business phone and a personal phone, or online gamers who like to play on multiple platforms. It also features Bluetooth 3.0 making it compatible with all Bluetooth-enabled devices.

Of course, all these features would be useless if the headset did not deliver on sound and voice clarity. And it does deliver high on them! Does not matter the environment you are in, be assured that you will get superior sound! It generates top notch sound through its built-in noise reduction and echo cancellation technology (NR / EC), ensuring crystal clear call clarity, even in noisy environments. The NR/EC technology, complemented by the single NR/EC microphone, filters out the noise around you, delivering a cleaner and clearer voice quality even in noisy environments. This host of features namely NR / EC technology, Bluetooth 3.0 and A2DP, together deliver optimal audio quality and mono audio streaming so you can enjoy listening to music or watching a movie from other devices as well.

It has an exceptional battery life too! Its inline rechargeable battery boasts 9 hours of talk time, 8 hours of music streaming and up to 300 hours of standby time per charge cycle. The headset has a dedicated on / off switch making it easy to conserve power until needed. A micro USB port makes recharging easy, and you can check the battery level through the multi-coloured LED indicator.

At only 10.6 grams weight, the headset has an ultra lightweight and compact design that ensures it remains secure and comfortable, even for long durations. It is a brilliant option for for active users! This is accentuated more so with the transparent ear hook and three interchangeable soft gel tips it ships with for a customized fit. All in all, it is a perfect choice for budget-conscious consumers looking for a broad set of high-end features at reasonable pricing.

Are you a proud owner of this product? Do let us know your comments.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits/reviews

Samsung HM 1100 Bluetooth Headset - Bang for the Buck!

Samsung HM 1100 Bluetooth Headset - Bang for the Buck!

Tags: Samsung Bluetooth A2DP Profiles Headset Models Brand Hands Free Handsfree Quality Clarity Sound Voice Audio Calls Dialling Mute Reject Talk Music Media Streaming Mic Noise Reduction Echo Cancellation Price Language FreeSync Application Power Adaptor Battery Rechargeable Standby Charge Time Device Mobile Phone MP3 Player Computer Laptop Tablets Nokia Podcasts Online Gamers Platforms Active Pairing Multipoint Technology Notifications Text to Speech Messaging SMS Email Movie USB Port LED ndicator Earhook Radios Earphones Compatible Warranty Connectivity Reception Wiring Gadget Download TV

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it is difficult several times to carry a meaningful conversation over our mobile phones without disturbance or interruption. This becomes even more challenging given that our current generation of phones are not as powerful as our older generation phones like Nokia on aspects such as strength of reception, clarity of voice or longevity of calls. We have noticed many times that the voice we hear on our phones is weak or reception is not powerful or the voice ad-hoc gets distorted or even worse, tends to disconnect abruptly. Add to this the fact that all around is noise which makes talking on phones with clarity that much more an uphill task. On a similar note, if we would like to listen to music on our phones or tune our radios on them, all the above listed factors come in to play making us wish we had good alternatives.

These days, when life is becoming faster and doing simple things getting more complex, one practical solution is to use earphones but then that carries the annoyance of wiring - this gets in the way of seamless conversations or listening to music and takes getting used to. Fortunately, the invention of Bluetooth has made life that much more easier on several planes. Even more so with mobile phone conversations or listening to music. Over the last decade, Bluetooth has got more and more sophisticated and it is any one's guess that it will get even more better! That said, the Bluetooth devices of today are a very good solution for our troubles in the world when it comes to music and conversations on phones.

Among such Bluetooth headsets, the Samsung HM 1100 Bluetooth Headset is the perfect gadget for those who want clear calls and music over mobile phones. It comes in black colour with a distinctive “U” design. It not only looks good, but is an awesome accessory to boast. The headset is particularly suited to us who multi-task and talk over our phones while doing a myriad of tasks such as cooking, driving, etc. It delivers top-of-the-line clarity and sound quality. It works well for casual listeners of music as well. And if that is not enough, you can even connect it to your other mobile devices such as laptop and tablets.

Here are key features of Samsung HM 1100 Bluetooth Headset.

• Simple & Stylish Design.
• Cost Effective.
• Durable, Portable & Lightweight.
• Reputed Samsung Brand.
• Crystal Clarity & High Sound Quality.
• Single Mic Noise Reduction & Echo Cancellation - ensures clear and crisp conversation.
• Automatic Volume Control System.
• Allows Battery Level Checking - headset beeps and indicator light flashes red when battery low. If headset powers off during a call, the call will be automatically transferred to the phone.
• Active Pairing - makes pairing headset with another device quick, easy & automatic.
• Multipoint Technology - allows for simultaneous connection to 2 Bluetooth devices.
• Call Receiving / Last Call Dialing.
• Reject and Mute functions.
• Volume Up and Down.
• Talk Time: Up to 14 Hours.
• Standby Time: Up to 250 Hours.
• Charge Time: 75 Minutes.
• Compatible with a range of devices.
• Equipped with Interchangeable Ear hooks.
• Design:In-the-ear.
• Bluetooth Range: 10 Metres.
• Bluetooth Version: 2.1 + EDR; HFP version: 1.5; HSP version: 1.1.
• Box Contents: Headset, Charger, Ear Hooks, Ear Gels, User Manual.
• Colour: Black.
• Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 10 cms.
• Weight: 11 gms.
• 6 Months Warranty.

If you regularly take calls, listen to music and need to be available for long duration, then the Samsung HM 1100 Bluetooth Headset is a great option!. As noted earlier, it is quite functional, cost effective and with no unnecessary frills. It is lightweight and convenient to wear on the ear for long periods of time without any major discomfort. Crystal clarity and sound quality are one of the best. Single mic noise reduction and echo cancellation make it an excellent choice. Battery backup is quite good and you can charge it with its micro USB port. Moreover, its compatibility with most devices today make it a brilliant choice, not to mention its reliability and effortless connectivity.

It has a host of features like active pairing, multi-point technology, automatic volume control system and battery level checking. Samsung HM1100 is sure to please with its high-end features at budget friendly rates. In a nutshell, it is meant for us who are looking for value, functionality, elegance, and fashion! it's a real trendsetter.

From our perspective, we use this headset for calls, listening to music and then running through our favourite downloaded TV programmes. The latter is significant since it ensures that your partner can watch something else along side you without any disturbance to either. It is perfect for our regular requirements and has served us well without complaints.

Important: Please do make sure when making a purchase that it is genuine as there are many counterfeits going around as it is a popular product.

Do you own this product? How has it worked for you? Do let us know your comments.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits/reviews

Logitech UE Mobile Boombox Bluetooth Speaker & Speakerphone

Logitech UE Mobile Boombox Bluetooth Speaker & Speakerphone

Tags: Logitech UE Mobile Boombox Bluetooth Speaker Speakerphone Microphone Gadgets Wireless Turntables Cassettes Player CD DVD Blu-Ray Player Radio Tuner Antenna Amplifier Stream Digital Music Sound Volume Quality Playback Audio Profile Pairing Devices Laptop iPod iPhone Smartphones Tablets USB Pen Drives Micro SD Cards Rechargeable Battery Power Adapter NFC Connectivity Drivers Radiator Handsfree Hands Free Calls Jack Cable Advanced Audio Profile A2DP Input Output

They say Old is Gold - may be not always, especially with music systems! Remember those olden times when music systems used to be huge and occupying large chunks of space, not to mention the bulky wiring which was scary and cumbersome! These music systems came in multiple components too - turntables, cassette player, CD / DVD / Blu-Ray player, Radio Tuner, Antenna, Amplifier, Speakers and so on... Of course, not all the components were simultaneously required and depended on the times that you are recalling them from. But you get the idea - music systems were large and not miniaturised. Though there were smaller systems, usually, they compromised on the quality of sound. The interesting part is that not everyone needed sophisticated high quality music systems. Many of us prefer to carry our music with us easily. Quite a few of us are casual music listeners and like music solutions with good sound quality. Earlier, this was not challenging, to say the least.

Fortunately, we live in good times and rapidly advancing technology has made miniaturisation a reality without compromising on quality. We now have solutions for casual listeners of music that come in small form factor but with good sound quality. Moreover, there is high level of flexibility given the fact that these devices do not need to contain everything in themselves and can pair with other devices like your laptop or your iPod to provide good quality music. Additionally, storage systems have become extremely portable with the advent of USB Pen Drives and Micro SD Cards.

For those who don't just love music, but live for it and also want to carry it easily with them, the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox Bluetooth Speaker & Speakerphone is the perfect solution! While the Boombox is small, yet the exciting part is that its sound production is big with good quality! It provides amazing sound plus Bluetooth wireless freedom.

Take a few moments to review the Logitech UE Boombox Bluetooth Speaker - you will immediately notice that it is feature rich -

1. Sleek and stylish.
2. Robust and enduring material.
3. Durable and rugged easy-grip action rubber shell. 
4. Vibrant metal grill.
5. Ultra-portable & lightweight: Light and compact go-anywhere size (2.4 inches in height) fits easily in your bag. You can always travel and roam with pure, undiluted music.
6. Long life battery: Internal rechargeable battery can play up to 10 straight hours of music anytime, anywhere.
7. Easy USB recharging and 24/7 power with included AC adapter.
8. Simple + / - easy access volume controls.
9. NFC connectivity.
10. Bluetooth wireless speaker: Play or control music up to 50-Feet away from your Bluetooth enabled Smartphones, tablets or other bluetooth devices and enjoy rich, clear music.
11. Ultimate Ears (UE) Sound Signature: Custom-tuned drivers give you truly big undiluted sound from a small speaker. The output is clear, pure, rich, big, detailed, perfectly tuned sound. Two full-range drivers provide crisp high notes and warm mid-range while a passive radiator boosts the low end and four passive radiators generate deep, thumping bass.
12. Doubles as speakerphone: Built-in microphone and speakerphone for hands-free calls in the office, car, house, kitchen, backyard or anywhere. It automatically pauses/starts music when you pick up/end calls and provides long playing comfort and style.
13. If you do not have wireless, then the 3.5 mm jack makes it a snap to plug in your iPod or other digital music player.
14. Multi-person access: You and a friend can take turns playing music from your Bluetooth devices at the same time. Users can switch between devices easily just like pressing pause on one device and play on another.
15. Stream music wirelessly from a variety of bluetooth devices like smartphone, tablet, iPod et al.
16. Easily pairs with up to eight Bluetooth devices.
17. Option to add a second speaker.
18. Multi-host sharing through UE Mini Boom app installed on your bluetooth device like smartphone for two speaker playback.

The dimensions of this stylish and smart speaker are just 3.4 inches x 3 inches x 7.8 inches. It is available in variety of colours and comes with 1 year Warranty.

What you need: For audio playback, Smartphones, tablets and other devices should support Bluetooth wireless audio profile [Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP)] or 3.5 mm audio output. For phone calls, the phones should support Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile (HFP 1.5).

What's in the box: Mobile Boombox, USB charging cable, power adapter, user documentation.

We purchased this product some time back and have not had even the slightest reason to regret it. In fact, for its price, size, features and sound quality, it is an excellent choice of speaker. It is much better and popular than most other small form factor music solutions too - that goes with even its later variants from Logitech! 

Do you own Logitech UE Mobile Boombox Bluetooth Speaker & Speakerphone? If so, what is your experience with it? Let us know in your comments.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits

Targus Chill Mat+ Laptop Cooling Stand - Pretty Cool & Functional!

Targus Chill Mat+ Laptop Cooling Stand - Pretty Cool & Functional!

Tags: Targus Brand Laptop Cooling Fans Stand Pad Chill Mat+ Power USB Port Connection Peripherals Keyboard Mouse Cables Electronics Online Shopping

Sometime back, we bought a laptop cooling pad as our laptop was heating up somewhat. We also needed certain elevation for our laptop through the cooling stand so that we can use an extended keyboard rather than the laptop keyboard. We researched quite a few laptop cooling stands but finally settled for Targus AWE81AP Chill Mat+. The Targus product was just perfect for our needs. It was equipped with several wonderful features too.

A summary is noted below.

• Reputed Targus international brand.
• The Targus product is stylish, sleek and light weight.
• Supports laptops upto 17 Inches size.
• Fitted with dual fans to help keep the laptop cool.
• Equipped with a USB 2.0 4-port hub for connection to peripherals + USB connectivity to power built-in fans.
• The stand has the facility of adjustable height (4 levels).
• Serves as laptop stand and can be used with external keyboard.
• Rubber pads and bottom ledge keeps laptop firmly in place.
• Velcro straps at the back of the stand keep peripheral cables neat.
• Sturdy and durable construction.
• Voltage: 240 Volts.
• Model Number: AWE81AP.
• Colour: Grey.
• Dimensions: 14 x 10.25 x 1 inches.
• Weight: 907 gms.
• Warranty: 1 year.

We have been using this Targus Laptop Cooling Stand for nearly a year. In our experience, it is quite comfortable, convenient, light weight and performs well. The stand is stylish and a perfect companion for laptops. Apart from that, its height adjustability and elevation upto 4 inches is a boon when you use an extended keyboard. If you are into intensive usage of your laptop, then the dual fans cooling solution and the USB hub are quite useful and meet your requirements. 

Some of the laptop stands we used had a problem with holding the laptops in place. However, this stand is designed well and holds the laptop firmly in place even when it is in elevation through the rubber pads and bottom ledge. It is an additional advantage that this product can indeed support laptops upto 17 inches size. This was not always the case with other competitor products. The velcro straps are another bonus - they are located at the back of the stand and ensure that peripheral cables are neatly tied in and arranged without hanging all around the place. Net net, the Targus stand is of sturdy and durable construction and comes with a 1-year warranty. It has not disappointed us with its many features and performance. We did check few other competitor products and usually noticed that they had some of the features missing or identified features did not always work well as advertised.

With this product, you can be assured that your productivity would be higher than without it. Working on the laptop keyboard can be cumbersome for people like us and slows us down but this stand provides an option to elevate your laptop and add an extended keyboard plus mouse that can be used to type faster, accurately and comfortably. We know we do that and it has worked quite well for us. In our opinion, the Chill Mat+ is the ideal solution for owners looking to get the most out of their laptops.

https://www.mouthshut.com/UrbanHermits

Amazon Kindle PaperWhite - A "Must Have" for Book Lovers!

Amazon Kindle PaperWhite - Perfect Companion for Book Lovers!

Tags: Amazon Kindle PaperWhite Readers Page Books eBooks Comics Titles Library Collections Store Releases Bestsellers Samples Goodreads Download Information Content Formats Conversion Carta E-Ink Touch Screen Glare Bookerly Font Processor RAM Storage Memory Cloud Wi-Fi Grey Scale Resolution Display Pixels PPI Light Print Quality Text Whispersync Technology Synchronisation Vocabulary Word Wise Bing Translator Languages PDF Email Domain Battery Charge Rechargeable USB Cable Portability Warranty Gadget Electronics Tablets Smart Mobile Phone PC Computer Devices Shopping Performance Guide

Are you an avid reader? Do you love books? Do you maintain a library or collection of books? Then you would remember those nostalgic times with happiness. The feel of physical books naturally gives us a lot of pleasure.

However, there are downsides to hard copy books and collections. Typically, hard copy books cost more and prices of new books in the market keep going up. Further, growing book collections becomes difficult over time on account of space constraints. Additionally, book collections need to be maintained regularly and used physically else they gather dust, not to mention insects, termites, et al. These days, the quality of paper used in books is also suspect. Consequently, they deteriorate faster making it all the more painful. Importantly, such collections are not portable. When we travel, there are only so many books we can carry with us. If you suddenly feel like reading a different book unavailable with you, then there can only be disappointment.

In this context, the Amazon Kindle PaperWhite steals limelight. It is stylish and delightful to look at. It is available in black and white colours. Its slim, form-fitting flip covers are eye candy and automatically put your Kindle to sleep when it is closed and wake it upon opening. It is the perfect electronic gadget for all those looking to avoid drawbacks of hard copy books and collections.

The Paperwhite has a 1GHz processor and 512 MB of RAM for all-round faster performance. It uses 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi to download ebooks to its 4GB of internal storage. There is no external memory support, but there is free cloud storage to carry your ebook library across a variety of devices that support Amazon's Kindle app. It supports multiple content formats namely Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF (without password and DRM), unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP through conversion.

For all purposes, the device feels like real paper book and allows for comfortable reading, day and night. It is equipped with a 6-inch Carta E-Ink touch screen with a high resolution of 1448 by 1072 and 300 pixels per inch for crisp, print-quality text with 16-level grey scale. Simply put, the display is terrific and has built-in adjustable light and Wi-Fi. The E-reader incorporates the Bookerly font with a choice of 8 text sizes for conducive reading. The text is incredibly sharp and dark and there is no screen glare while reading, even in bright sunlight, unlike tablets.

Kindle PaperWhite is thinner than a pencil and lighter than a paperback thus able to hold thousands of books! You can organise eBooks into custom categories through Cloud Collections and carry your library wherever you go! The Wi-fi facility also enables readers to go the Amazon book store to download new releases and bestsellers of their choice almost instantaneously. The one key differentiating positive for the Kindle compared to Tablets is that a single battery charge can last for several weeks, based on your reading requirements. It fully charges in approximately 4 hours from a computer via USB cable so that you do not need to wait long to get back to reading.

It is complemented by a host of features. You can skim through eBooks without losing your place using features like Page Flip. You can also pick up where you left off easily through the Whispersync technology synchronisation across all your devices. Through same technology, you can read on your smartphone, tablet, or computer by just downloading Kindle app on them. Just like a real book, you can take and share notes with edit, delete, highlight and export facilities.

You can look up words and information instantly through Smart Lookup to access definitions, characters, settings and more. It has Enhanced Search, tapping in to your library, Goodreads and the Kindle Store. You can enhance your vocabulary through Vocabulary Builder and learn new words, definitions, synonyms and more through Word Wise. You can also follow your book with page numbers. There is also a Bing Translator to translate a section instantly into other languages like Spanish. Kindle can also be used in select multiple languages apart from English. Kindle is not only for adults - it supports Children's books and comics too.

With Kindle, you get access to titles of your choice at attractive prices. There are also a huge collection of free books in public domain for download. If you are unsure on buying a book or not, there are free book samples that you can download and read before actually deciding to buy. There is also Kindle Unlimited monthly paid service through which you can read as much as you want from 1 million titles. If you need more reasons, then you can use Kindle to carry and read your personal documents like MS Word and PDF by emailing them to your Kindle account.

Some other exciting features include Learn More About a Book Before You Start, In-line Footnotes, Expanded X-Ray for Books, Squeeze In That Last Chapter and Sharing with Friends on Goodreads. Kindle is also coming out soon with "Share your library with family" feature allowing you to access not only your own Kindle books, but also books from the account of a spouse or partner.

We purchased a Amazon Kindle PaperWhite (White Colour) as a gift to ourselves on an occasion and complemented it with a navy blue, slim, form-fitting flip cover. In our personal opinion, the gadget performs flawlessly and fulfills all requirements. It is also a pleasure to own one and to be no longer shackled by physical books and constraints on portability. The charging feature is awesome and once charged, the device runs smoothly for several weeks. You can even go to any place and read it without any distractions.

Kindle PaperWhite is attractively priced and if you purchase during deals or special offers, you can get it even under Rs.8,000/-. It would be nice to have a read-aloud feature - may be in future versions. The E-reader is sold with a limited warranty of one year. The box includes Kindle Paperwhite, USB 2.0 charging cable and Quick Start Guide. All in all, a wonderful device to have as one of your prized possessions!

Do you own a Kindle - any version, or any E-reader? What do you feel about their performance, versatility, features and price point? Tell us what you think in comments.

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