One fine day, I decided to initiate the long overdue task of getting my bike transported from Delhi to Hyderabad. I (unfortunately) decided to inquire the "Big Player" of the market, i.e. GATI. It all went fine, they stated a few things up front which were:
1. You need to get the bike packed. We do not provide any packing service.
2. Pick up will be scheduled between 12 pm and 4 pm, Monday to Saturday.
3. A few documents such as the RC copy, insurance copy and ID proof copy.
4. Leave the handle lock open and empty the petrol tank.
It all seemed pretty standard to me so I went ahead and booked the pick up for Saturday, 25th October, 2014 and relaxed, hoping that they stick to their commitment of delivering it within 4 days (excluding the pick up date) to Hyderabad.
Till 25th Oct noon, i.e. a few hours earlier, I got absolutely no confirmation from their side and got suspicious so decided to prod them about what the exact status was. That is when I got to know the real story.
12:20 pm: Their executive tells me that the pick up will not happen today (despite it being "confirmed" the previous day) and that it can be done on Monday.
I was OK with that but then decided to make sure everything else was right about the deal so prodded the executive about the details of the person who would come to pick up, etc.
12:35 pm:
My parents (in Delhi, the pick up point) get a call from GATI saying that the pick up cannot be scheduled before Monday and they are provided some Pappinder's number - the person in charge of the pick up.
12:50 pm: A female calls up my parents from the no 8130195141 and tells them that "as your packing is not professional, you need to get it re-packed by "our" packer." And that wasn't enough - they were asked to get the bike delivered to Dwarka Sector 28 (GATI's warehouse). Else, provide the keys to their agent who would ride it all the way to Dwarka, get it packed and loaded.
This really was the tipping point. I decided to call up Ms. Neelam on the mentioned number and find out what really was going on.
Her initial "suggestion" was that she'll send over someone to pick up the bike and the person would drive it all the way to Dwarka (carefully tagging the line that if the keys get misplaced in the transit, Gati would not bear any responsibility). On being asked why wasn't it possible for them to do a normal pick up through a truck (as is so often the case), she said the policemen harass them if they carry bikes in trucks. This seemed bizzare to me, esp when a neighbour of mine had got his bike picked by Gati at his doorsteps last month. On further questioning, she said they do not have the trucks available for pick up every day hence they have to find other ways to get the bike.
My patience gave up at this point and I did not feel like trusting such a company with my bike. There is always a chance of them damaging the bike and then refusing to own up to it. Now I would rather wait for some more time and get my bike here by train, the next time I plan a trip home. I have done this once and it worked perfectly fine!
1. You need to get the bike packed. We do not provide any packing service.
2. Pick up will be scheduled between 12 pm and 4 pm, Monday to Saturday.
3. A few documents such as the RC copy, insurance copy and ID proof copy.
4. Leave the handle lock open and empty the petrol tank.
It all seemed pretty standard to me so I went ahead and booked the pick up for Saturday, 25th October, 2014 and relaxed, hoping that they stick to their commitment of delivering it within 4 days (excluding the pick up date) to Hyderabad.
Till 25th Oct noon, i.e. a few hours earlier, I got absolutely no confirmation from their side and got suspicious so decided to prod them about what the exact status was. That is when I got to know the real story.
12:20 pm: Their executive tells me that the pick up will not happen today (despite it being "confirmed" the previous day) and that it can be done on Monday.
I was OK with that but then decided to make sure everything else was right about the deal so prodded the executive about the details of the person who would come to pick up, etc.
12:35 pm:
My parents (in Delhi, the pick up point) get a call from GATI saying that the pick up cannot be scheduled before Monday and they are provided some Pappinder's number - the person in charge of the pick up.
12:50 pm: A female calls up my parents from the no 8130195141 and tells them that "as your packing is not professional, you need to get it re-packed by "our" packer." And that wasn't enough - they were asked to get the bike delivered to Dwarka Sector 28 (GATI's warehouse). Else, provide the keys to their agent who would ride it all the way to Dwarka, get it packed and loaded.
This really was the tipping point. I decided to call up Ms. Neelam on the mentioned number and find out what really was going on.
Her initial "suggestion" was that she'll send over someone to pick up the bike and the person would drive it all the way to Dwarka (carefully tagging the line that if the keys get misplaced in the transit, Gati would not bear any responsibility). On being asked why wasn't it possible for them to do a normal pick up through a truck (as is so often the case), she said the policemen harass them if they carry bikes in trucks. This seemed bizzare to me, esp when a neighbour of mine had got his bike picked by Gati at his doorsteps last month. On further questioning, she said they do not have the trucks available for pick up every day hence they have to find other ways to get the bike.
My patience gave up at this point and I did not feel like trusting such a company with my bike. There is always a chance of them damaging the bike and then refusing to own up to it. Now I would rather wait for some more time and get my bike here by train, the next time I plan a trip home. I have done this once and it worked perfectly fine!
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