[aargee]

A little incident to share on the sides of service

We've a 3 year old Onida A/C doing its job faithfully & one fine evening, we see its remote gone blank completely. Not sure why as it was working fine until the same day morning.

We call up Onida customer (un)care & they send a service personnel next day. He says the remote needs to be changed & costs about Rs 1800 for his labour & remote. I agree & he says, "I'll be back" in two days & this was somtime during Mon/Tue of last week. So, this Monday I was frustrated & shot an email to some top guy (Google always rescues) in sales/marketing & marked a copy to (bounced) Mirchandani who's the chairman of Onida.

I get a call today from Onida saying the remote is ready & asking my permission to deliver the remote. Not sure if this is the effect of email or coincidence.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thanks for the reassurance, gentlemen

I would go for Siemens, and hope that maybe a lifetime of washing might come with it, but we have a suspicion that the pollution in this district (not salt, I've lived by the sea, and my parents did so for over forty years) causes a lot of corrosion here. The machine will be in a side passage,which is fully covered, but open to the outside air. My wife says, "what is the point of spending that money if our atmosphere is just going to spoil it?" and I agree.

E-zone, online, is offering around 10% discount on LG machines. That's a starting point, at least. Their so-called "sales" have received somewhat sceptical reception over on HifiVision, which I find a bit off-putting.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Guys

My Godrej Microwave (convection - GMX-25CA1) conked off two days back. .

Had registered a complaint with the customer care and they sent the rep to check. The first day they said that the problem might be with the Magnetron. Yesterday they installed a new unit with Xformer but still no heating happening. The guys are themselves confused and promised they would come back today with some senior guys.

Any idea what might have gone wrong.

If the Magnetron and Transformer are new, then there are only two things left
1. The power supply
2. The controller

In case the timer and other functions are working, chances of controller going bad are slim. There may be a relay/thyristor/transistor to switch the power to the magnetron which may have blown.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by Aroy

If the Magnetron and Transformer are new, then there are only two things left
1. The power supply
2. The controller

In case the timer and other functions are working, chances of controller going bad are slim. There may be a relay/thyristor/transistor to switch the power to the magnetron which may have blown.

The magnetron is ruled out and the reps would be getting the PCb's today to replace and check.

The reps had also reported that the voltage levels found in my apt are in the range of 256-260. They also confirmed that the oven will work at these voltage levels. However from my side have raised a complaint with the local MSEB authorities. I got the voltage levels in diff apts and in common areas checked and found to be still the same 260V.

[manaa45]

Dear Friends, I am looking to buy a chimney for my kitchen. What should i look for, which brand is good sales and service wise and what would be the price range

I have to buy it by saturday.

Mansi

[aargee]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

but we have a suspicion that the pollution in this district (not salt, I've lived by the sea, and my parents did so for over forty years) causes a lot of corrosion here.

Absolutely true; Thad sir, you don'tve to think twice, it IS bound to happen . The pipes would get the salt sediments deposited due to excessive TDS (remember the discussion on TDS for Anku on water purifier?)

But don't worry there seems to be a solution. I've been adviced by Whirpool to use this product calfree, say once a month to remove the sediments. We're yet to use it & hence we can't comment much on how effective it is. But for sure every manufacturer knows about this & have been supplying them in their own standards. Oh!!! BTW, this also costs a bomb. It costed us Rs 750 for 5 packs that should last about 6 months only!!!

So you may want to enquire about this accessory when you buy Siemens or LG.

Originally Posted by manaa45

Dear Friends, I am looking to buy a chimney for my kitchen.

Faber?

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by manaa45

Dear Friends, I am looking to buy a chimney for my kitchen. What should i look for, which brand is good sales and service wise and what would be the price range

I have to buy it by saturday.

Mansi

I have a Faber since 2009 and I am quite happy with it. One thing to watch out for, which most salesmen are ignorant about. There are both recirculation and outside exhaust type. The former can also be used with an outside discharge.

The amount of filtration is far more in the latter. I think today most major brands are fine.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by aargee

Absolutely true; Thad sir, you don'tve to think twice, it IS bound to happen . The pipes would get the salt sediments deposited due to excessive TDS (remember the discussion on TDS for Anku on water purifier?)

But don't worry there seems to be a solution. I've been adviced by Whirpool to use this product calfree, say once a month to remove the sediments. We're yet to use it & hence we can't comment much on how effective it is. But for sure every manufacturer knows about this & have been supplying them in their own standards. Oh!!! BTW, this also costs a bomb. It costed us Rs 750 for 5 packs that should last about 6 months only!!!

So you may want to enquire about this accessory when you buy Siemens or LG.

Well, even in London, where our tap water is pure to drink, we suffer from hard water which leaves deposits in pipes and even, in time, blocks them. You should see the inside of a London kettle! We have to remove the scale on devices like that on a regular basis.

I would love to put all of our water through a basic filtering process (ie just filters, not RO) and even softening, but as you know from a few posts back, we have already spent a lot of money on making our drinking water pure and anything that has the capacity to cope with the water flow involved in filling the overhead tank in just a few minutes is likely to be expensive.

Whilst you are right about the water pollution and the machine (I've mentioned that we sometimes even get salty water), I was thinking more about the air pollution in this instance.

sqiitk, we have a KAFF chimney. It serves well, has never failed, and they even come and clean the filters for us (which we should do ourselves) for a modest sum. It not only keeps the cooking smells out of the adjoining room, it also helps the cook by drawing in some cooler air from that room when the AC is on. This effect is quite noticeable and useful. Hint: turn your chimney on and cut your onions near it: tears are much reduced due to the fumes being sucked away.


.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by manaa45

Dear Friends, I am looking to buy a chimney for my kitchen. What should i look for, which brand is good sales and service wise and what would be the price range

I have to buy it by saturday.

Mansi

1. Stainless Steel body
2. Stainless Steel filter
3. Charcoal filter (if required)
4. 2' to 3' width
5. Hi Flow rate - 800 to 1200 cfm
6. Flame proof motor. Every time our chimney is serviced the motor just drips oil.
7. Steel/Foil pipe from chimney to outside, with a bird trap at end. Not plastic as is usual.

For after sales service you have to inquire in your area. Normally service is out sourced, and in our case the service provider keeps changing.

In spite of regular service schedule, you have to do a lot of regular maintenance your self. We clean the main steel filter every week. I think no chimney has been designed to take the amount of oil Indians use in cooking!

[JVH]

Originally Posted by manaa45

Dear Friends, I am looking to buy a chimney for my kitchen. What should i look for, which brand is good sales and service wise and what would be the price range

I have to buy it by saturday.

Mansi

We have been using Kaff from the last 6 months. No issues so far and does a great job. Slightly expensive but worth it. Not sure about the service since we didn't get any chance to call the service folks but like others mentioned, cleaning the filter yourself once in a while will make sure the Chimney doesn't complain. Actually, any chimney you buy will require such cleanliness once in a while.

Am not sure, but some models in Kaff come with baffle filters which should be a breeze to maintain unlike the net like filter. Do check them out too.

[anku94]

Finally, filter's home. Aquaguard Reviva, costs Rs. 9,900 (+ Rs. 100 for stand).

After my last post where I rued Kent for not appearing on time and having decided on the Reviva, the Kent guy came home next day.

He showed us the Grand +, a RO + UV filter equipped with TDS. Cost : Rs. 14,000. And it came with a Reebok watch [claimed to be worth Rs. 2,500] free.

That got us confused. The Grand + was offering features worth the price- TDS control, which was a concern for me as the TDS in our water wasn't too high.

It was either of those. Kent or Reviva. We were undecided until today morning. But then we had to draw a line. We had begun with a budget of Rs. 5000-6000 and we were already at Rs. 10,000. Dad told me to call any of the two and place an order.

Telling myself I wouldn't be swayed by the offer of a watch when I could buy a good one for half the price and with warranty, and throwing concerns about Reviva's low TDS output to the winds, I called the Eureka Forbes guy at 11:00 AM.

They came at 1:45 PM. Since I had to go to my coaching centre at that time, we told them to leave it home and install it in the evening [I don't like missing the show. ]

I hurriedly gulped lunch to save time for opening the box. Later I found out that there was no need to. It was open. I checked the accessories packet. It was torn in the middle too. This was an old box, unsealed and opened.

Since they weren't leaving us even a penny, I called the demo guy and told him in absolute terms that that piece won't do, and asked him to get a sealed box. Surprisingly, he didn't object.

When I came home at 7:00 PM, a new filter was installed and running, and the unsealed one was lying in a corner. A guy from Eureka Forbes was there.

One thing that came as a pleasant surprise and must be mentioned was the guy's strict adherence to standard procedure. He issued us a detailed bill, with every column filled in legible writing. There was a box on the bill where a sticker from the Reviva box had to be pasted. He had done that. He asked dad to read the terms and conditions on the manual and waited patiently while he did that. He wrote contact numbers on the manual properly.

So there ends the confused and long filter journey. Thanks to everyone who chipped in with advice.

Pic :-



PS : Got a few queries. I know, I'm full of 'em.

1. Since the install wasn't done in my presence, I didn't get to see what's inside the machine. What're the chances of ruining it up with a DIY dissection ?

2. The manual/website says it comes with a two-way tap. What's that ?

3. There's a flush option on the filter. To clean the membrane, I think. I switched to that option, and water started coming out of the reject pipe verrrrrrry slowly, like one drop in every two seconds. Is that the normal rate ?

[Thad E Ginathom]

1. probably not much to see: filter cartridges connected by hoses.

2. my guess: push the tap down and let go when finished, or push it up and it stays open.

[anku94]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

1. probably not much to see: filter cartridges connected by hoses.

Couldn't resist, so removed it from the stand, and to my surprise, found out that it was held by two big Philips screws and no warranty seal. Had fun.

2. my guess: push the tap down and let go when finished, or push it up and it stays open.

Genius. For all I know, they might start advertising the lamination on the plastic soon.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Or even...

Two-way tap might have meant...


on or off!

[aargee]

Originally Posted by anku94

Finally, filter's home. Aquaguard Reviva, costs Rs. 9,900 (+ Rs. 100 for stand)

Congrats

Originally Posted by anku94

1. Since the install wasn't done in my presence, I didn't get to see what's inside the machine. What're the chances of ruining it up with a DIY dissection ?

If you've a best service, never even think of DIY. I'm sure you'll have a best service.

Originally Posted by anku94

3. There's a flush option on the filter. To clean the membrane, I think. I switched to that option, and water started coming out of the reject pipe verrrrrrry slowly, like one drop in every two seconds. Is that the normal rate ?

There're two outputs; one to consume the water & other to be considered as wastage. When you're using flush, the water from the wastage is more & you almost get nothing from the consumption output.

Consider an AMC, if you want to keep changing the filters every year as I'm not sure about the level of pollution. Usually EF recommends changing filters every year.

What about the discount part? Did you guys have any discussion at all? I like to know that part.