We, the 300 million middleclass

Two months back, my father decided to buy a PC. And since I’ve

had him believe that I’m a know-all when it comes to computers, he promptly

entrusted me with the task of finding him the best configuration and price. And

given my situation, I not only had to get him the best deal, but also had to

prove that I had.

Easier said than done.

What should have been a quick recommendation on specs and

probable pricing range ended up taking two months. And what an eye-opener the

whole exercise was! The specs part was easy–it was the prices that drove me

mad. I ended up checking prices for the same configuration and brand in four

different cities–Delhi, Bangalore, Cochin, and Trivandrum. And were the prices

different! Across these four cities, I came across a difference of Rs 8,000 for

the same configuration from the same brand. A difference of eight thousand

rupees when buying a PC worth Rs 50,000! It wasn’t taxes that made the

difference–all quotes I got were exclusive of taxes.

I wonder what my experience would have been if I’d checked

out more cities or more dealers. And at the end of it all, I have this feeling

that perhaps I’ve paid at least a little more than I should have.

In the mid-90s, India was believed by one and all to be the

market of the future. That was the time when liberalization was on and western

corporations were busy calculating their cost of entry into the country.

Corporate presentations and brochures from this side of the seven seas talked of

only one thing–the purchasing power of the 300 million middleclass that was

India.

Five years later, we’re at the threshold of a consumer

revolution taking off yet again, with the PC leading the push.

A PC and an Internet connection are fast becoming a must-have

for a school-going child and families with school-going children are emerging as

the largest PC buying segment in the country. And there’s no office that doesn’t

require a PC. Lower prices, better availability, higher earning power, and

better communication facilities will all contribute to this new explosion.

But if my experience in buying a PC is anything to go by,

consumers are in for a very rough ride. Many of us could get taken in by glib

sales people, who more often than not don’t know any more than you do.

The only way out is to have computer vendors announce list

prices like TV vendors do. It isn’t that computer vendors don’t publish list

prices. Some do. The problem is that the published prices are of barebones

configurations that no one would buy, and it’s a free-for-all after that.

And then there are vendors who insist that it’s their

divine right to quote prices depending on the customer’s ignorance. Often we

get products for review, with the dealer candidly stating that the price would

depend on the customer. It takes quite a combination of cajoling and

arm-twisting to get them to give us a price to print.

We, the 300 million middleclass who make up this market, have

the right to demand that we not be taken for a ride. We have the right to demand

that we get the same brand and configuration at the same price, whether we are

buying at Bangalore or Bhubaneshwar, Vijayawada or Vilaspur.

Problem is, they won’t care as long as we keep buying,

without doing our homework and without asking them uncomfortable questions.