Of all the human qualities that piss me off - Dishonesty tops the list. And arrogance probably comes a close second.
I recently witnessed a bumper crop of both these qualities in one Ms. Ritu Todi, the owner of Cane Boutique, a cane furniture shop in Bangalore. (Now don’t get carried away. These days, just anyone can call themselves a "Boutique" and charge exorbitant prices for products worse than what you might find in a flea market!)
The behaviour of the owner ranges from excessively courteous on the first day (or till you make the payment, which by the way, is as depriving as amputating your right arm) to rude and disrespectful when you approach them later on with a complaint or a request for service. Reason? They have made their money by selling you their rotten stuff once and they don’t care whether you go back to them or not. And why not? Bangalore is filled with numerous filthy-rich people who'd be lured at the sight of a "boutique" store selling cane furniture and are willing to pay anything. So forget repeat sales, loyal customers or customer satisfaction, these stores are just happy stuffing their wallets. They lie through their nose about the "guarantee" that comes with their furniture and the quality of their products. Post-sale service / support? You should be happy if the woman treats you with basic respect.
Let me tell you Todi, it is just a matter of time before you learn your lesson. Maybe one of your Sad Buddhas will teach you. Good Luck!
Oh by the way, the Buddhas in cane boutique are very sad. You see, they have been brought all the way from Thailand (this might be a lie too!), and are just lying down in depressing corners looking at the traffic outside. They look so tacky that there seem to be no takers. Maybe we should set up a rescue team to save them from Monster R and send them back home?
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14 comments:
is this the shop on the domlur k'mngla ring road???
hmm... i was planning on checking out this place..but i guess..now i will take ur advice and stay away!!
and yeah, its a pity that some people dont have even basic manners...
I think such despicable behaviour also extends to hotels that on the pretext of home delivery supply you with food ranging from salty to burnt to spoilt. I have had bad experiences with MarryBrown & Madduri. We really need stringent laws to help the victimized consumers. Maybe we should home deliver some chicken from MB to T's boutique for lunch?
I dont agree , her products are unique. Agreed the bitch herself might be bad but hey who cares ...
anonymous 1: yes thats the one
vin: :)
anonymous 2: good idea!
anonumous 3: yep they are unique, but definitely not of the quality they are claimed to be. (i am a dissatisfied customer myself and know another!)
Anonymous 2 goes by the name Deepa
Ok .. i agree that this place in probably not for people like u and me ... bu cummon the designs are really beautiful...!! and I agree that modi ritu todi is one of those stylish, highly accented, loaded with diamonds 'entreprenaurs'!!
I would suggest that all of you above should atleast once go and visit that place onc and then may be dont buy anything!!
For sure the rates exorbitant..ridiculousy high ...! i am sure those budhas would be very less as comapred to the price at which they are sold in that boutique!
Ok one more thing - if you are a foreigner then u stand a chance of extremly polite treatment!
The Stuff at the Boutique are no doubt unique ones but the prices r unrealistic and Ritu Todi is no doubt a sweet poison.I've had a bitter experience with her,she is too good till u write a check after which u r forgotten.Hope those Lucky buddas bring all the bad luck to her...
i also happened to visit them. They suggested 26 m fabric for 3 + 1 + 1 sofa. I checked with my carpainter it will not be more than 18m for the same design. These guys are cheats. but i think rich and lazy people deserve such shops
Hi guys,
Be aware of shopping in bangalore especially for cane furniture...
one point that after buying its difficult to maintain n second it causes skin allery problems too if not cleaned properly....
they say they import frm malaysia and give no guarantte....on top of it its not at affordable prices.
dont buy untill u hv some reference
Cane Boutique "Ritu Todi" is a big fraud.Stay away from her.I had a bitter experience dealing with her.
very interesting...
my wife bought (full advance payment) furniture few weeks ago. delivery was to 80 miles outside bangalore. mattress was wrong size and few items came badly damaged (apparently caused by transport). it wasn't mendable by deliverers. my wife was in tears & had to travel tomorrow. me in Amsterdam from phone.
Ms Ritu response was first defensive calling it some 'confusion' and she's dealing with it. In a third call, she has agreed to replace furniture within a few days and secure the 'high reputation for customized cane', built over 18 years. She has already given orders to her factory to make new. I hope this will turn out good. She seems much more empathetic now and I'm crossing my fingers.
I'll post back a comment in a week - as this would be a real test for the boutique to live up to the reputation.
Obviously, lack of a guarantee is of concern. Also, Ms Ritu Modi was upset with the deliverers (boys) but I'm more inclined to think they need to look at improving 'reusable packaging' - this is where 18 years of experience matters. I do agree she can have problems with workmanship, I face the same issue and very often.
Reading your blog minutes after the whole incident made my stomach churn... I'm hoping for the best. I'll definitely post back the results - everyone and everything can change!! This is hope.
S. Pula
P.S. when I said we'd go back for more if all turns out well, she said she would not count on that to make good on this incident. She agreed we'd delay transport charge payment until everything is in order. Hope I'm being very fair in representing the facts.
very interesting...
my wife bought (full advance payment) furniture few weeks ago. delivery was to 80 miles outside bangalore. mattress was wrong size and few items came badly damaged (apparently caused by transport). it wasn't mendable by deliverers. my wife was in tears & had to travel tomorrow. me in Amsterdam from phone.
Ms Ritu response was first defensive calling it some 'confusion' and she's dealing with it. In a third call, she has agreed to replace furniture within a few days and secure the 'high reputation for customized cane', built over 18 years. Doesn't want to discuss option of a refund (which makes anyone quite nervous). She has already given orders to her factory to make new. I hope this will turn out good. She seems much more empathetic now and I'm crossing my fingers.
I'll post back a comment in a week - as this would be a real test for the boutique to live up to the reputation.
Obviously, lack of a guarantee is of concern. Also, Ms Ritu Modi was upset with the deliverers (boys) but I'm more inclined to think they need to look at improving 'reusable packaging' - this is where 18 years of experience matters. I do agree she can have problems with workmanship, I face the same issue and very often.
Reading your blog minutes after the whole incident made my stomach churn... I'm hoping for the best. I'll definitely post back the results - everyone and everything can change!! This is hope.
S. Pula
P.S. when I said we'd go back for more if all turns out well, she said she would not count on that to make good on this incident. She agreed we'd delay transport charge payment until everything is in order. Hope I'm being very fair in representing the facts.
What you see - Let’s tell you a story about a Marwari boy and a Punjabi girl, who got married and lived in Assam. One day, they moved to Bangalore with three workers and started their own cane basket unit. Now they have a factory in Whitefield, Bangalore with over 100 workers. Their unit has been transformed to a ‘boutique’, where nice cane furniture is sold at exorbitant prices. That’s Ritu and Vineet Todi owners of Cane Boutique for you.
This shop was earlier located on 100 Feet Road in Indiranagar. They moved from there to a sprawling three-storied building on Intermediate Ring Road, at the beginning of the flyover with a zillion IT companies in its vicinity. Right location, with the right target audience for sure!
What you get - This showroom has exquisite furniture made of water hyacinth, sea grass, banana fiber, wicker and bamboo. Some of it is manufactured by the skilled workers at the factory and others are imported from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and other Far-eastern countries.
As a child, cane always fascinated Ritu, and what encouraged her was the success of her cane baskets (about Rs. 600) that she started out with. Now the Todis have also turned to interior decoration, giving their special touches to hotels and homes. Café Coffee Day outlets, homes in Palm Meadows and the Bangalore Club have been decorated by her.
Ritu’s mother, Sunita Talwar proudly claims that her daughter never undertook any professional course to be in the field that she is in. “She had a flair for it and that’s why so many people are mesmerized by her furniture. She is a big hit with expatriates, doing up their homes tastefully with cane,” she claims. Apparently, a lot of such furniture is being bought by people for their farm houses.
Cane Boutique provides custom-made furniture and expert advice with all the right permutations and combinations to suit your taste, budget and mood. The furniture is handcrafted based on design, style and other specifications. So what you can get from here are dining table sets, bar counters (about Rs. 62,000), side-tables, beds (about Rs. 50,000) lounge chairs and outdoor chairs. You could even check out the cane artefacts that they have.
The fancy soft wood umbrellas, imported from Bali, which can be used as decorative pieces or as a lampshades are a must-see. The boutique seems to have gone Oriental as well. So you get to see a lot of expensive Buddhas here - standing, sleeping, sitting, and playing an instrument.
Our verdict - So the furniture at the store looks great but people with small budgets steer clear. The owner can be chummy for a minute and annoyingly rude at other times. Besides, we are told that the after-sales service is a cause for concern here. Nevertheless, check out this place for at least a dekko at the cool stuff.
Drive to – Cane Boutique,
# 272, Kishore Prabha Chambers,
Intermediate Ring Road,
Domlur 2nd Stage,
Bangalore – 560071.
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