Welcome back to This is India! I always have funny/weird stories about India to share with friends or family when I talk to them. This is just meant to be an honest portrayal about my life in India through short anecdotes. I also share here what I’ve been up to online outside Hippie in Heels.
What I was up to other than here:
- I’ve been sick so haven’t done too much. I did ask Cafe De Goa to make these amazing cupcakes for Ben’s birthday though (surfer style!) which I posted on my Instagram and FB page.. that I hope you are following!
- I wanted to share an interesting festival I heard of recently. It’s called Massive Vibe Live and is “an international concert for empowerment” happening all over the world from London to Rio.. and they’re coming to Arambol! Check out the poster below. It’s one week from today! I am planning on going myself. Check them out on Facebook or join the MVL event on Facebook.
Now your story,
Getting things done in India is interesting… Sometimes I think it’s so easy because I just call someone to come do whatever needs done at a very affordable price (like the time I got the fridge repaired for 200 rupees). Other times, it doesn’t go so smooth and it can literally take WEEKS to get something simple done (usually because you need someone to help and they aren’t ever open, ran off with your money, won’t answer their phone, or are “waiting for a part”).
so, here’s they story of getting an A/C repaired in India!
I called the A/C repairman I know in our village. He’s the nicest and actually is good at his job.
On the first trip to do the fixing, I paid 2,000 for a simple fix of a gas refill. I was told there could be a leak, or it was empty. My choice was refill for 2,000 or new equipment and refill for 4,000. I went for the first since we weren’t sure if there even was a leak and he said he couldn’t tell either.
The air coming out didn’t stay cold after one day…. so he came back, begrudgingly. Another simple fix was done, this time for no charge, but to no avail.
He came for one more fix and ended up changing all equipment. He said it would be a “new A/C” basically. It ended up costing 6,000 rupees. I had left for Sri Lanka and wasn’t sure if it worked, but for 6,000 and new equipment I thought it would for sure – plus he’s not the scamming type, all my Indian neighbors use him.
I Came back from Sri Lanka to see that actually it still wasn’t cold air. I was SO annoyed! I called him back again saying I cannot pay more… what is the problem here and why isn’t the A/C still working? He replied in a very happy tone:
Madam, you’re calling me too much… it’s giving me headache.”
I literally laughed. It was so funny! I’m thinking, hello! I paid 6,000 rs and still have a broken A/C. I have a headache! but,
This is India!
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Ha!! This made me laugh! Is it fixed now?
well sort of , as long as we don’t go colder than 22 Celsius he says it’ll work lol, we tried it lower to see and it made crazy noises!
Why is getting an AC unit working in India always literally next-to-impossible?
That is so funny! I love how he said exactly what most people are probably thinking, but would never say to a client.
hahaha I know!! it’s so funny!
This is so funny because I feel like I deal with similar situations in Indonesia. I feel like people think I’m crazy because I’m way more persistent than they’re used to. The timing of this post is particularly hilarious because my air conditioner is broken and I have to deal with fixing it…so not looking forward to it!!!!
lol good luck! I feel like persistence and annoying people is the ONLY way to get things completed sometimes.
Ah! Happens all the time, that is why it is very important in India to hire guys for small jobs after due verification and references ….
totally agree! it’s so hard though! especially when local friends want you to hire their “friend” and you want to help them so well, I do!
I spent 18 months trying to get my A/C fixed in Chennai… in the end, my contract finished and I moved to Australia!
Very helpful and Great information,
we appreciate advise especially coming from a professional.Thanks again and keep up the great work!
Really great article, Glad to read the article. It
is very informative for us. Thanks for posting