[Eddy]

Guys, does anyone have the contact details of somebpdy high up at Hitachi. My 2 yr old AC has stopped working and nobody is ready to turn up to check it. Its been more than 8 days since I have lodged the complaint, followed up multiple times but no success :'(

[harry10]

Need a 1 ton window AC within next 5 days.
I just got a whirlpool 1.5 ton and its excellent so far so will you guys recommend the 1 ton from whirlpool as well?

Edit- do AC's come in 1.2 capacity as well now?

[gendarmee]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@gendarmee; What is the problem?

The main issue is that it's ineffective during day time. In the night, it gets the room to a comfortable temperature after 4-5 hours.
Even if its run for 24 hours the compressor never cuts out, and the air is mildly cold regardless of whether set 18deg or 23deg or the number of hours its run.
Its 0.9T Hitachi, room size is 8ft * 6ft with no windows & no sunlight hits any of the walls. The outdoor unit is 3 feet away from the indoor unit installed in shade. The voltage on the wall socket is 245V, the voltage at the statblizer's output(& at the outdoor unit) is about 235V. The gas pressure was 70, now is 60. The grill temperature was 13.4 deg(but i found the measuring technique faulty).

I've reported this issue since the day it was installed, its been over a month now and about 9 technicians have checked it out so far, and most(6) of them blame the 235V for it, they suggest that the house wiring is at fault and needs to be overhauled to bring the voltage down to 230V, (apparently, the higher voltage reduces the current. All other ACs are working fine with the same voltage though.) Few(4) claim that it'd take a 1.5t to cool the room. An authorized technician suggested that high pressure may be causing the problem & reduced the gas pressure from 70 to 60. The latest technician noticed that its low and marked that as the reason. 9 technicians have checked it but nothing concrete was done except decreasing the gas pressure.

[khoj]

Originally Posted by akj53

Do you have any other suggestions to prevent frequent gas leakage. Which brands do you think have thicker coils?

Buy good quality products to begin with, which in turn would be using better quality components including the correct gauge of copper tubes etc. I believe General and Daikin would meet the criteria set out by you as would Whirlpool and Videocon's units manufactured at their plant near Aurangabad.

On the Generals, the machines coming from Dubai and those being made in India are absolutely identical except for the ODU's casing and that has no bearing on performance. The only real difference is that rotarys out sell reciprocating compressors here where as the reciprocating unit is the preferred compressor in the UAE.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

I just ordered 5 White Westinghouse Window units...they are supposed to be bullet proof & I have seen that first hand since decades. What are you paying for the HITACHI 4 star units ? I found WW to be more reliable.

Hi Ricky,
Could you post pictures of these machines 'inside and out', once you have them in your possession. It would also help if you could give us a feedback on the usage say towards the end of the season.

Originally Posted by Mustang.101

Hi guys,

White westinghouse is selling their ACs as CBUs from a distributor in Delhi and Mumbai.

Here is the address :

Galaxy Refrigeration Private Limited

Warranty is also being offered, One of my white westinghouse (the older one) is Made in the USA, while i am not too sure of the other. Everything will be sold with a legitimate bill and warranty.

Hi Mustang.101,

Do you have any direct experience of purchase and subsequent usage of products bought from this company. I visited them in December last year to pick up a WW fridge but they did not have stocks of the models that were of interest for me. I will be visting them again as WW is the only brand offering wide body fridge models, where as the others are now taller and slimmer in profile.

Originally Posted by Eddy

Guys, does anyone have the contact details of somebpdy high up at Hitachi. My 2 yr old AC has stopped working and nobody is ready to turn up to check it. Its been more than 8 days since I have lodged the complaint, followed up multiple times but no success :'(

Here are the contact details for Hitachi's India head office. Once you get through to the right person do share her/his contacts here for all to benefit.

Hitachi India Pvt. Ltd.

Units 304-306, 3rd Floor,
ABW Elegance Tower,
Jasola District Centre,
New Delhi 110 025, India
Tel +91 (11) 4060 5252
Fax +91 (11) 4060 5253

Originally Posted by gendarmee

Its 0.9T Hitachi, room size is 8ft * 6ft with no windows & no sunlight hits any of the walls. The outdoor unit is 3 feet away from the indoor unit installed in shade. The voltage on the wall socket is 245V, the voltage at the statblizer's output(& at the outdoor unit) is about 235V. The gas pressure was 70, now is 60. The grill temperature was 13.4 deg(but i found the measuring technique faulty).

@gendarmee,
are you sure these are qualified technicians, with grill temperature of 13.4 they are still scratching their heads and blaming 245V are indications enough that the dealer is paying some random idiots 50 bucks an hour to visit you and get you off his back. Did you ask the 'technician' as to what the reference value should be when he took the gas pressure from 70 to 60 and 70/60 what?? What was his explanation when this degassing measure did not bear any fruit? The 48 sq ft area is nothing for a 0.9 ton machine, unless the install is not in an rcc structure. BTW does the ODU have a clear area behind it to enable the fan to throw out hot air without any hindrance and who is the manufacturer?

Originally Posted by harry10

I just got a whirlpool 1.5 ton and its excellent so far so will you guys recommend the 1 ton from whirlpool as well?

Edit- do AC's come in 1.2 capacity as well now?

If you are happy with the Whirlpool, why look elsewhere and yes 1.2 ton machines are available.

[T Y A G I]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Guys, does anyone have the contact details of somebpdy high up at Hitachi. My 2 yr old AC has stopped working and nobody is ready to turn up to check it. Its been more than 8 days since I have lodged the complaint, followed up multiple times but no success :'(

Hello Sir,

You can take the route which I followed to get the complaint attended in 24 hours flat.The steps which I took are mentioned below:-

1. Lodged the complaint through the web page of Hitachi.
2. Followed it thrice on first day at 35324848.(Please prefix the std code of your city. before dialing).
3. When 24 hours gone then I marked a mail to the customer care.The mail is mentioned below for your reference.

LALIT TYAGI <XXXX@gmail.com>
05/22/2011 09:50 AM

To
customercare@hitachi-hli.com
cc
Subject
Delay in attending the complaint booked at 5:30 Pm on Friday 20 May 2011

Hi,

I would like to register my strong dissatisfaction over the way the Hitachi customers are taken for a ride.I just need one answer if the maximum time to attend the complaint by a customer is 48 hour then does it mean that it will be addressed in the 47 th hour after a complaint has been booked ?

I booked complaint in name of Brijesh Tyagi regarding the newly purchased unit of Window Ac for 27000 /- on 19th May which was installed on the 20th and its blower is making noise from the very moment it was switched on.If this is the kind of quality check for the new units then be prepared for the consumer court fight and mind it, it will be a tough one for Hitachi.

Just waiting for the time to cross 5:30 PM of 22 May 2011 then I will tell who I am and what I can do.

I will be bursting this unit on the Gate of Hitachi distributor and will be posting it on You-tube where all the people, getting the pics printed in national news papers , on local cable operators and the world will see what Hitachi stands for in India and what customers do to a new Hitachi unit here.

If the money is a problem the I will be happily joining Hitachi in terms of charity to do the quality checks which is rally tarnishing the image of Hitachi.

Regards,
Lalit Tyagi

This is the reply which I received in flat 30 min.

customercare@hitachi-hli.com to me
show details May 22 (6 days ago)

Dear Sir,

Thank you for writing to us with regard to the Noise problem of your Window Air conditioner.

Please accept our sincere apologies at the severe discomfort faced by you. We regret the long unresolved experience and the trouble you are undergoing in following up this matter again and again.

As per our discussion, I have already spoken to our Area Service Manager at Noida and asked him to get the concern resolved on a priority basis.

If you need any further information, you can reach us at our Helpline number 0120-35324848 anytime or just reply to this email. Our team of engineers would be glad to help you out.

Warm Regards,
Evangelina.
079-30414776
Hitachi Home & Life Solutions (India) Ltd


After that I received the call from the main customer care regarding the acknowledgement and that they will be sending their engineer today itself.And really the engineer came in one hour and the fault rectified in 10 min flat.It depends basically what the fault is in your AC unit.And hence by the promptness of their response I sent a thank you mail to them, which is pasted below for your reference.


LALIT TYAGI to customercare
show details May 22 (6 days ago)
Hi Team,

Finally the problem is resolved , it was as I expected in the sucking fan touching the outer thermo col lining.
Also I would like to tell you that I have heard and ready very bad about the Hitachi customer care service, so please take care of that.

I am sure that your team will definately take the preventive measures, since a customer is only dependent on the service team and not the dealer for the fault rectification.In case its not done on time then it results in the frustration and anger which is ultimately vented on the customer care representatives.

I know HITACHI is world class in its products and same shall be the service response otherwise you should know that most of the buyers buy by hearing the words from the mouth of their close ones, which is the ultimate decision maker in the purchases.

Thanks & Regards,
Lalit Tyagi

Kindly let us know the results.And FYI I sent that mail on Sunday, just in-case that you will want to send it on monday.


Regards,
Lalit

[sgiitk]

@gendarmee; For a 8'x9' room it should be Ok. Also, the grill temperature should be significantly lower than the ambient. I am only think of either compressor issues, or very low refrigerant charge. Please do follow it through. If the behaviour is the same then chances of a leak are low.

Got my AC installed yesterday. Seems to be working well.

[Mustang.101]

Originally Posted by khoj

Do you have any direct experience of purchase and subsequent usage of products bought from this company. I visited them in December last year to pick up a WW fridge but they did not have stocks of the models that were of interest for me. I will be visting them again as WW is the only brand offering wide body fridge models, where as the others are now taller and slimmer in profile.
.

Hi khoj, I have bought 2 WW ACs from this place. They are really bulletproof. I would not recommend buying a WW refri as even though they might be one of the best, still if something goes wrong then service will be a problem due to parts non-availability. Ask me, I had bought a GE refrigerator 14 years ago and sold it last month.

After warranty, my GE compressor conked off. By then, GE had already left India and handed the service contract to Godrej. They put in a BPL compressor and thus my GE fridge became a BPL

Also other stuff changed over the period :

1. Compressor - Now LG
2. Heater - Now Godrej
3. Timer - thrice
4. Relay - 6-7 times, earlier used GE, now LG
5. Shelves - Had to get them custom made privately
6. Other stuff that i can't recall


So i recommend that you do not buy the fridge, Go for some brand where service is good and company is established in India. As far as ACs are concerned then you can go for a WW.

[Ricky_63]

@khoj

Sure I will post the pictures. The reason for NOT buying Indian version is that those are basically Videocon, the other thing is I am not aware of the units made in China, even if they are - they are to specs of the Gulf countries.

Most importantly I have seen these units in use for 2 seasons at a friend's place. If Daikin made window models I'd have gone with those, but that option is not there.

Thanks for the advice though !!



Cheers

[harry10]

Yesterday i checked most of the ac prices online.
The difference between 1ton and 1.5ton is hardly 2-3k in most cases,So in this case is it sensible to buy the 1.5t machine rather than 1t?

[T Y A G I]

Originally Posted by harry10

Yesterday i checked most of the ac prices online.
The difference between 1ton and 1.5ton is hardly 2-3k in most cases,So in this case is it sensible to buy the 1.5t machine rather than 1t?

Hello Harry10 Sir,

As per my knowledge , the main difference lies in the operating or running current.

If a 1 ton machine consumer 1000-1200 Watt with the running current of 5-6 Amps ,then it consumes 1 to 1.25 unit per hour of the energy meter.

On the other hand a 1.5 ton machine will be running at 1700-1900 watts and 7.5 to 10 Amps as the running current, then it consumes 1.75 to 2 units.

Also in a room which is less than 140 sq ft then 1 ton will suite only if the walls are not exposed to sun directly.And if the room is bigger than 140 sq ft and if any of the walls are exposed to sun then you may require a 1.5 ton machine.

Hence decide accordingly.After all the AC is not like you buy it and forget it. The running life of the AC is more costly then the cost price.



Regards,
Lalit Tyagi

[khoj]

Originally Posted by Mustang.101

Hi khoj,
Ask me, I had bought a GE refrigerator 14 years ago and sold it last month.

Hey, I am in the same boat. I bought my mother a GE fridge around the same time as you would have bought yours. The choice was between Modi Hoover and the GE-Godrej combo and it is only since last one year that this 500+ liter wide body behemoth has started to trouble her. One of the two Bi metallic timers conked off and I managed to get a senior technician from Godrej to come in and he rerouted the circuit through the surviving timer. The key to the new machine is that it has to be wide bodied and I have been looking for a Becko-Godrej of which Godrej imports a container load every year. However it seems that there is a long list of people within the company who seem to get the preferred allotments and hardly a few pieces make it to the market if at all. The other option is the Hitachi's double door, the one without the central divider but then my mother does not like the steel finish. She wants the same old but classic white leatherette finish as the GE and this brings me around in a complete circle back to the WW, which also fulfills the wide body criteria. Any how let us see how it goes. Thank you for your feedback, appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

@khoj

Sure I will post the pictures. The reason for NOT buying Indian version is that those are basically Videocon, the other thing is I am not aware of the units made in China, even if they are - they are to specs of the Gulf countries.

Most importantly I have seen these units in use for 2 seasons at a friend's place. If Daikin made window models I'd have gone with those, but that option is not there.

Thanks for the advice though !!

Cheers

Hi Ricky_63,

You lost me after the pictures bit above.
However I do agree regarding WWs being great machines. My parents used to have a black coloured top flow model a couple of decades ago and even though the unit was physically tiny compared to other machines of yore it was not unusual to see mist being thrown out of the vents.
Ciao.

[akj53]

Originally Posted by khoj

Buy good quality products to begin with, which in turn would be using better quality components including the correct gauge of copper tubes etc. I believe General and Daikin would meet the criteria set out by you as would Whirlpool and Videocon's units manufactured at their plant near Aurangabad.

On the Generals, the machines coming from Dubai and those being made in India are absolutely identical except for the ODU's casing and that has no bearing on performance. The only real difference is that rotarys out sell reciprocating compressors here where as the reciprocating unit is the preferred compressor in the UAE.

Thanks for your reply. I always try to buy the best and had also shortlisted General for Window unit and Daikin for the split. But I have heard that General is very poor in their after sales service. I searched their website but they don't seem to have any service centre in Noida. I was also told the local quality is not as good as the UAE ones but if you say so that local is good enough, I will accept that. Do you have any idea or feedback about their service.

I had read your excellent post wherein you had rated / equated all AC brands to cars. I am unable to locate that post, but am surprised that you recommend Whirlpool & Videocon. Maybe their quality from new plant has improved. I will go and check these two and also White Westinghouse.

[akj53]

Originally Posted by Mustang.101

Hi guys,

First of all do not buy white westinghouse from Ghaffar Market, Some of them are locally made and fit inside an original westinghouse units.

Source : Ghaffar market grey market AC guy who is a close friend.

White westinghouse is selling their ACs as CBUs from a distributor in Delhi and Mumbai.

Here is the address :

Galaxy Refrigeration Private Limited
Mr. Naresh Kapoor / Mr. Chander ( Manager )
No. D-8, Shanti Kunj, Near Church, Vasant Kunj
New Delhi, Delhi - 110 070, India
Email : chanderkumar@hotmail.com , naresh@galaxyintl.net , chander@galaxyintl.net
Telephone : +(91)-(11)-26130435/ 26130436
Mobile : +(91)-9810008066/ 9811082202
Fax : +(91)-(11)-26130436


Warranty is also being offered, One of my white westinghouse (the older one) is Made in the USA, while i am not too sure of the other. Everything will be sold with a legitimate bill and warranty.

Thanks for the reply. I talked to Naresh Kapoor. He is not willing to deliver or provide warranty in Noida. Anyhow i will be going to meet him on 2nd, as his shipment will arrive on 1st.

I searched the net, and found another party claiming to be Authorised sales and service center for WW, though Electrolux International: White-Westinghouse does not mention his name.

His details are :

Komal Enterprises and simraj communications

Showroom No. - 19,
A Block Market,
Poorvi Mark, Vasant Vihar,
Delhi -57

Mail at - sanjeev@simraj.com
Call at -09810129494, 09212196004
Simraj - White Westinghouse authorised service centre Delhi, white westinghouse india dealer, dealer of white westinghouse in india, dealer of white westinghouse in delhi, White Westinghouse authorised service centre south Delhi, White Westinghouse r

On 2nd I will pay him a visit also.

[rana_kirti]

there's been a big error on my part. i always felt my living room was 300 sq ft. and i was planning to go for 2 x 1.5 tons ACs.

But i measured it today and it's actually 19 x 13 = 250 sq ft.

Do you guys think this changes anything ? I'm now kind of thinking to go for a single 2.2 Inverter ton AC ( which runs @ 7800 - 29000 BTU, so i guess upto the capacity of a 2.4-2.5 ton AC ) from Daikin for my living room.

If i essentially place the AC in the center of the room length wise...

1. Will 2.2 tonnage be enough for 250 sq ft ?

2. Or should i still do a 2 x 1.5 ton ?

Room Conditions.

- On 4th floor.
- Roof exposed.
- Living room has bedrooms on east and west side and north and south side is naked.

Also is there a link to a room size vs tonnage guide ?

Thanks

[WanderNomad]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Guys, does anyone have the contact details of somebpdy high up at Hitachi. My 2 yr old AC has stopped working and nobody is ready to turn up to check it. Its been more than 8 days since I have lodged the complaint, followed up multiple times but no success :'(

Hitachi is the worst AC when it comes to service. After 8 days and 800 calls (to the call centre as well as directly to the Gurgaon Service centre), had to finally land up at the service centre personally. Service centre guys even misguided me when I asked for their address, I took the correct address from their call centre. I had to scream and shout when I was told that an engineer will not be visiting even on that day, that how the hell will they not service my AC even after 8 days when the TAT is 2 days and trust me the whole service centre staff gathered there which was my intent also. Realising the sensitivity of the situation, a senior guy assured that he will send an engineer that day and thats how the call was finally attended after 8 days otherwise it would have taken another week. Ask any dealer, ask any user and you will get the same reviews. Just yesterday I visited 3 dealers in Lajpat Nagar to figure out which AC to go for and all of them feel the same about Hitachi Service. Also their Quadricool AC has a technical problem (mine has been troubling me every 3 months since bought) and even their engineers accept it. It has thermocol interiors and the fan start rubbing against the interiors after a while when the motor develops some play after the usual wear. 1 out of 4 pieces suffer from it. AND THINK OF IT, ITS THE MOST SOLD AC HERE ON OUR FORUM. Guys please think 10 times before buying a Hitachi, there are Generals, Daikin, Mitsubishi and many other respectable brands available.

Originally Posted by akj53

Thanks for the reply. I talked to Naresh Kapoor. He is not willing to deliver or provide warranty in Noida. Anyhow i will be going to meet him on 2nd, as his shipment will arrive on 1st.

I searched the net, and found another party claiming to be Authorised sales and service center for WW, though Electrolux International: White-Westinghouse does not mention his name.

His details are :

Komal Enterprises and simraj communications

Showroom No. - 19,
A Block Market,
Poorvi Mark, Vasant Vihar,
Delhi -57

Mail at - sanjeev@simraj.com
Call at -09810129494, 09212196004
Simraj - White Westinghouse authorised service centre Delhi, white westinghouse india dealer, dealer of white westinghouse in india, dealer of white westinghouse in delhi, White Westinghouse authorised service centre south Delhi, White Westinghouse r

On 2nd I will pay him a visit also.

I have also done all the research and this all seems to be a sham and nothing more than dealer warranty. I have bought my General 2T Split from Ghaffar 3 years ago but even then I wouldnt risk my money with all this. I bought General because if something happens then atleast I can get the parts from A.S.S but here it seems very difficult.

Update: General has launched their 5 Star rated Split range and 2T is approx 47K and 1.5T is 41K. I am contemplating buying a 2T. This machine comes with a hyper rotary compressor unlike the previous without star rating model which came with a reciprocatory compressor. Its not clear whether that is still available or not. If someone wants to buy the reciprocatory one only (as a lot of AC dealers swear by reciprocatory in Delhi heat) then Ghaffar is the way to go where that is available for around 36 - 37K (2T split), of course without warranty. This machine has 24200 BTU which is still the highest in 2T range. The previous one had 25300 BTU which was a lot more than competition.