Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Got Cheated : Payless Optic & Oakley - Need Advice

CRIMINALS : Payless Optics
Product : JUPITER by OAKLEY
CRIME : CHEATING, LYING, INSULTING the customers.

Picture this, a very Sunny day, you happen to walk by a glass showcase of sunglasses and you see a pair you have admired for quite sometime. You walk in, pick the pair, in this case the Jupiters by Oakley.

You then proceed to pay for them and you walk out a more or less satisfied customer. Cut to 5 days later, you havent worn the sunglasses at all, why? because it has not been quite sunny enough. So, the fifth day is Sunny and you walk out and notice scratches on the lenses.

Where did they come from? Couldnt be me because havent even removed them from the box much less wear them.

So what do i do?

I take them to the place you bought it, assuming they would a) understand b) have this under warranty.

And this is where my ordeal begins.

First off, the lady at the shop (Ground Floor, Atria, Worli) does what she is probably trained to do. Lie and Deny.
Then on explaining to her that its been five days and the glasses have not been worn etc etc.. she seems to understand and agrees to sort it out. She takes the sunglasses and gives me the most amazing piece of acknowledgement in the retail world. Look at the image below and says it would take about 4 weeks to sort out.

This store has outlets across Bombay (5) and also in Indore & Ahmedabad. However, they have no other method of sending out acknowledgements. So, i guess when they say Pay Less Optics, they really MEAN Pay Less Optics.. what they dont tell you is that when you Pay Less, you also get a LOT LESS.

What i also realised then is that my previous pair of sunglasses the Oakley Oil Drum (infact between the wife and kid brother and i we own about 8 pairs of Oakleys's) came with a warranty and a booklet which i did not recieve with this one. All i got was a brown box with a sticker on it. check out the image below. So it sent alarm bells rining as to whether they even sell authentic merchandise.


Anyway, cut to one day before the 4 weeks are to end. I called the store and Manasi, the lady who had sold me the sunglasses and given me the apology of an acknowledgement, said to call her back AFTER 4 weeks, the day before was simply not good enough. Apparently they have really high standards when it comes to things like this and boy do they KNOW how to count.

I was leaving for a week in Singapore the next morning and continued on my way without my pair. On returning from SGP i called them again and was told that the sunglasses had returned.. (OH ODE TO JOY) BUT they nothing had been done.

Also, to be noted, i was told these sunglasses were sent to Oakley, so all of this is basically Oakley's fault. They couldnt do anything about it and wanted to keep them for another month. Stupid idiot that i am.. i didnt catch on to any of this and said yes sure. its fine. Ill wait another month. Asking for a refund didnt occur to me because like other fools i believe in the goodness of people and when they say something i believe it.

Anyway, another month goes by and i get a call from Manasi, saying the sunglasses will take another ONE MONTH, so this time i decided to go down to the store and have a word. Once i get there i have a long drawn out chat with another lady, who as low budget staff do, find someone else to talk to.

I am put forward to Mohsin, who claimed to be the manager.. he said that its no problem and the scratches were due to SUN DAMAGE whatever the F*** that means.
Sunglasses getting Sun Damage.. i would have laughed if i wasnt being raped by these people.

So this one says he will have them out to me within a fortnight. If not i can have a new pair or a replacement pair.

Great, i said. Now we are getting somewhere. I ask for it in writing. Sure.. he says. Barks his orders and i get this. Another beauty....

I also bet the wife 50 bucks that they wouldnt not be ready within the fortnight (ill ruin the suspense, i won)

For those cant read the text it says : If u wont get ur oakley jupiter model u can buy another brand within the price or we will refund your money by 7-7-2010, this was on the 22nd of June.


On the 7th of July , i head on down to the store and i am told that they cant sort it out and i should pick out a new pair from one of their other outlets. Since i am near one of their other outlets, i called Mohsin and he said to pick out a pair and have the store manager call him.

After doing the needful, the store manager says he will not be giving me the sunglasses. WHAT THE F*** i thought.

So i called Mohsin and he says there is nothing he can do and like all brave men he hangs up and does not answer the phone again.

I tried calling Luxottica, the importers on their number in RAJASTHAN of all the places on earth and couldnt get anyone to answer the phone.

So any ideas ? what should an idiot like me do? As of now, i am down the money i paid for the glasses, i am down the glasses, i do have two visiting cards with writing on them.. which wouldnt help much in sunglight..

I am posting this on Facebook, Twitter & every other social media network i have available to me as a warning not to deal with Payless Optic and i hope Oakley can check what kind of people claim to sell their goods because all is not well. Hell, i am mailing this to everyone i can find it too.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Tote - Sunday Brunch

Rest: Tote on the Turf
Meal : Sunday Brunch
Loc : Mahalaxmi Race Course,

I have reviewed Tote a few times before (here and here)and have a lot of love for their bar (the bar) Last month they announced a new Sunday brunch which has since been going strong and i had the opportunity to try it out.

Tote is a great place for a Sunday brunch, they have loads of floor space and the outdoors section is where the dining is laid out. Even though all the tables were packed, it did not get uncomfortable or too loud. The design is modern yet the sofas in one section give it this old world feel, its a curious blend of modern and the traditional, a little futuristic minimalism and a little nostalgia.

They had more than half a dozen salads but the standouts were the Panzanella, Spiced mushrooms in sundried tomato butter and the baby potatos.

The cocktails were flowing, big time, i stuck mostly to the caiprioshkas, which were replenished repeatedly without being asked. I had to actually sneak in my order for a bloody mary before they got me another caiprioshka. The drinks were delicious.

The wife stuck to Bellinis most of the afternoon, sneaking in a very strong pina colada towards the end. Excellent.

When it comes to food, the options are myriad, thankfully the folk at Tote use all the space they have been blessed with. The waffles were lovely, strawberry compote with maple syrup, fun way to start it off. They also had an assortment of breads, cookies and danishes to go along.

The wife and i then made a bee line for the live pasta counter. Again, plenty of sauces to choose from, the wife went for the al dente which was very good.

I went for the Arrabiata which was created, rather than premade, this was excellent as well. Works so much better when the dish is created rather than just bathed in a premade sauce.

We chose a plain ol margeritha which was again, excellent.

The grill section is fairly expansive, they have loads for the carnivores, there is also the khau-swey which i avoided. The grill section items i picked were the cajun corn on the cob, the bhavnagri chilly stuffed with cheese (mozzarella i think)


The triple choc mousse was great, the coffee rolls were okay, the baked yoghurt with mango was delicious.

There was also two additional sections of kebabs and indian tikkis, which were odd to see at Tote, however, i guess they have the space and there is no harm in it.

I avoided the Indian section because it was just too much variety and i couldnt handle any more. Its good to see them offer something Indian there and take snobbery out of the equation.

Overall, the food is excellent, lots of choices to pick from and something for everyone.

The drinks are delicious and keep on coming. The ambiance delightful and the space large.

The service is great, friendly and out to serve.

Possibly one of the finest ways to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Food : 8/10
Service : 9/10
Damage : 1500 pp + taxes / 2200 + taxes with alcohol

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Cool Chef - Delivery

Rest : Cool Chef
Meal : Snack

Cool Chef is a new joint that has opened recently at Warden Road, they deliver to our place which is not too far away. The menu is eclectic, with sushi, pizzas, paninis.

They have a small dining in section as well.


The Sushi was acceptable, i was hoping they offered a mix rather than just one kind but they didnt. Passable.

The burger was just disghusting. didnt have more than 2 bites i reckon.

Damage was about 450... absolute waste of time & money. Why do new neighbourhood restaurants always suck?

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Indigo Deli

Loc: Indigo Deli
Meal : Sunday Breakfast
Loc : Colaba Causeway

Back at the Indigo Deli for what was intended to be a quick Sunday breakfast but turned into anything but. We were seated with another four tables but were the last ones to be served. Maybe we come by too often.



Started with the waffles, cherry compote, honey and maple syrup. Fantastic. We had to ask for cherry compote like 5 times coz they didnt really give enough for one go.

Eggs benedict, muy bien as usual

beans on toast are a must of course on a sun morning.

brie with potato and onions. good old fav, never dissapoints.

three layer choc mousse cake was borderline orgasmic... i enjoyed it immensely and wolfed most of it down. no guilt.

Overall, Indigo Deli continues to be a safe breakfast option where the food is good and the service slow as hell.

Food : 8/10
Service : 6/10
Damage : 1500

Monday, August 09, 2010

Salt Water Cafe

Rest : Salt Water Cafe
Meal : Late Breakfast
Loc : Bandra,

Salt Water Cafe is a place i have been driving by for ages, always wanting to stop by for a bite but time has never been on my side.
This Sunday, i was finally able to swing a visit as i had a meeting set for 1 (Yes, i have been working Sundays for all those who care)



The space is quite relaxed, wooden flooring, wooden seating, white walls, on a quiet Sunday morning sitting by the large window looking out to a quiet Bandra Street, bliss.

The menu is expansive, unfortunately they have breakfast, lunch and dinner service and another all day menu.


We had the Spanish Omlette which was pretty good, the smart omlette was interesting, a combination of asparagus and shitake. Not bad at all, slightly on the blander side but an interesting and successful combination in itself.

Skipped the desserts to go in for a cheese platter as everyone should. It was great, good solid selection (emmethal, brie, parmersan, bleu) served with apples, grapes, crackers and a little balsamic drizzle.

The coffee was good, the mango juice the wife totally loved. The iced tea was pleasantly huge!

There is a seating area on the first floor which also houses the bar and outdoors section. Would be pretty good to try out a drink on the patio once the monsoon dissapates.

Overall, the place is great, i wish we had more time to check out the lunch options, the breakfast however was worth a go. I think the flavours are on a softer, subtler side which is a hit with their clientele which was 50% foreign.

The service was brilliant, attentive, prompt, friendly and out to please.
Food : 8/10
Service : 9/10
Damage : 1500

Thursday, August 05, 2010

Komalas

Rest : Komalas
Meal: Lunch
Loc : Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel
(sorry, no pictures guys)
Komala's is very awkwardly located, which is why i never ended up visiting the space. Today, while at Phoenix, i was wondering where to munch and it struck, why not try them out. They are an international change, the food they serve is udipi/south Indian fare, however the ambiance and decor is very different from the faux fine dine look and feel that most Udipis offer.

Benches, warm yellow tones and helpful staff populate this space. the menu is fairly expansive and covers typical ground from a variety of dosas, uttapams, idlis. They also do a few thalis and you can pick the one you want.

We chose the mysore masala, which was served with some brilliant garlic chutney, excellent stuff. Also got one of the thali options which served some fantastic curd rice, do try this combo, its top notch.

The rawa idli was not only very good but was also one of the most different i have had. Plenty of beverages on offer as well, chaas, shakes, juices.

Anyone that ends up at Phoenix mills again, give these guys a shout. They are near the exit of Phoenix Mills but worth looking up for a good, clean, quick meal.

Food : 9/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 350.
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