The Ups and Downs of Iomega Customer Service in India

September 28, 2011

A few months ago, I invested in a Prestige portable hard drive from IT dot COM, a retailer based in Margao, Goa, India. However, my satisfaction was short-lived; the drive began malfunctioning out of the blue. The drive’s indicator light would blink endlessly, and it failed to get recognized on multiple systems I tried it on.

I happened to be in Hyderabad when I first encountered this issue. To my astonishment, there wasn’t a single authorized service center in the entire twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. So, I waited until I returned to Goa and handed the problematic drive back to the retailer.

After two weeks of radio silence from the store, I took it upon myself to follow up. Their response left me gobsmacked: they claimed the hard drive had “physical damage.” They specifically noted the presence of Feviquick (an adhesive) and suggested that the hard drive had been tampered with, thereby voiding the warranty.

The absurdity of the situation is hard to ignore—I don’t have the expertise or the motivation to fiddle with a drive’s internal components and then glue it back together. It’s not just a gross misrepresentation, but it raises questions about their warranty and servicing policies.

The cherry on top was their reluctance to provide customer service contact details. The number they eventually gave me was incorrect. What’s more, finding their customer service number for India online is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack, a discrepancy made more glaring when compared to the live chat option they freely offer to their American customers.

Product Number: KCAA130310

I’m deeply disappointed with the barriers Iomega seems to have in place for its Indian customers. This experience has left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I’m now reconsidering where I allocate my trust and, more importantly, my money.