This incident happened to me 7 years back. Our new house that was under construction is nearing its completion stage. We were all happy because we could move into our own house. Until now, we were staying in a Government Quarters allocated to me. Our new home is just a 15 minutes drive from the quarters. When all the work such as painting, interior decorations, etc is done we went to an astrologer to find a suitable date when we can conduct the house warming ceremony. He said that we needed to perform some special pooja so that it will be good for every one of us as well as for the new house. So the date for the house warming ceremony was fixed.
We invited all our relatives and friends for the function. Everything went on smoothly on the house-warming day. We have a well in our new home. Moreover, it is very rare to find a house with well, especially in the heart of the city. However, we were lucky to have it and because of that we did not apply for the corporation water connection. That well will have plenty of water even during the extreme summer season. The neighbors used to use our well if there is any water problem in the city. We even tested the water in the well by giving samples to a laboratory to check whether it's suitable for drinking. They said the water is very good but you can put some bleaching power or alum once in 6 months to make sure that it is always clean because the well is 50 feet deep and sufficient sun light will not reach the bottom of the well. Therefore, there is a small chance for the bacteria or any harmful substance to survive inside the well. We had bought the Kirloskar submersible water pump. It is always under water.
After few days, there was some water shortage in the city. Therefore, everyone in the neighborhood came to take water from us. Therefore, we had to pump water from the well 5 to 7 times a day. Suddenly on the 4th day, the water pump stopped working. We then called the shop from where we bought the water pump and told them that the water pump is not working now. They said they would send someone to check it. We have a 1-year warranty for the water pump. The service person came after two days. The most difficult part in checking the water pump is that since it is under water we have to take it out. They had to cut the pipe connection and pulled it out of the well. After checking it, they said the winding was fully burned and the water pump needs to be replaced with a new one. Since it is during the warranty period, they said they would replace it free of cost. It took them four days to replace it. During these four days we had to draw water from the 50 feet deep well manually. You can imagine the difficulty we faced during that time. My wife has to go to office and my children have to go to school. Therefore, the previous night we have to fill water in the buckets and other big vessels so that we can finish our works at home and go to office at the proper time.
Exactly after one month the water pump stopped working again. This time when we called the shop, they didn't like it. They said we are not using it properly, we are using when the voltage is low, etc. Finally they agreed to come and check the water pump. They came to check after 2 days. After checking they said it's the same old problem. Since we are still in the warranty period, they were forced to change the water pump free of cost. However, we had to argue with them for that even though we were having the warranty. They replaced the water pump with a new one. This time also we had to suffer a lot because of the water pump.
Everything was going smoothly, but suddenly after two months the water pump again stopped working. This time when we called the shop they said they won't repair it for free. I told him that we are still having the warranty. Then he started shouting at me. Then I told him that we will pump water only once a day and it is always in the early morning around 6am. After so much of arguing he finally agreed to come and check it. And it was the same old problem. He said I need to pay him the money for repairing the water pump. I asked him why I should pay when I have the warranty. He kept on telling some rubbish. If you are going to charge me money for replacing it, I will file a case against you in the consumer court, etc, etc. And at last he agreed to replace it for free. But he took three weeks time to replace it. I had to face all these problems even though I had the warranty. A water pump is comparatively of low price value, even for this itself they are arguing and creating lots of inconvenience to the consumers. I can't imagine how it will be for the products with higher price value. Hope the company will take proper care of the consumer's issues in the future.
