It was love at first sight...

Hi!
My last post gave rise to a lot of disbelieve. People wondered how buying a camera could become such an arduous task. So I thought it would make sense to give a step by step process note on the same. Before I begin may I say “this happens only in India”?

Those of my dear readers who are ensconced in first world countries do give your inputs on whether this phenomenon is at all seen on those distant shores as well.

So here goes:

Step 1: Swadha sees an ad by Canon for its high end SLR cameras – that also promises easy repayment schemes along with freebies. The time is mid September.

Step 2: Swadha (lets call her S cant be writing her name so many times) hop skips and jumps over to the store alongwith a colleague who is also interested and enquires about the equipment. She is shown the camera and she falls promptly in love with the Thing.

Step 3: S now wants to know what all she needs to do inorder to make her love her very own. The shopkeeper tells her to take out her credit card and swipe it and the Thing of her dreams shall be hers for ever and ever.

Step 4: S explains that she will need it on an easy payment scheme and the guys says no problem we will do the needful in that direction too.

Step 5: S goes away promising to return soon to take away her love.

Step 6: On her next visit she flourishes her card and alas all falls flat….the guy says only an ICICI credit card would do if she wants the offer since the brand has a tie-up only with that bank. Mind you this information was never shared before; the shopkeeper probably thought every honorable Indian MUST possess an ICICI card.

Step 7: S pulls out all her cards, but none will do….ICICI it has to be…so off she goes with a broken heart to get herself one.

Step 8: S speaks to everyone she knows. How does one get a credit card within the next month? (that’s how long the shopkeeper told her the scheme would last)

Step 9: After a lot of research she finally finds out that the Banks hard-sell cards to those who don’t want them but incase you are stupid enough to ask for one yourself, they become all suspicious and after making you fill myriad forms send you back a letter saying sorry cant process your request and don’t deem to give a reason for the same either. That of course is after making you take leave on two days since their chappies are supposed to come home for verification and you need to be present.

Step 10: So reluctant to let go of her dream S decides to petition her parents for some monetary help. So that she can pick up the Hero of her dreams and repay them slowly. Though it hurts her ego she thinks ‘ so what!!! love ke liye saala kuch bhi karega!!’

Step 11: Parents though willing to help have troubles of their own and have just invested in some other areas. So she comes back to stand on her own two legs and ponder….its by now late October.

Step 12: She goes back to the store to see her darling one last time and is told that the scheme has been extended, her dying hopes soar again and she finds renewed courage to brave the world.

Step 13: So off she goes again in her quest for the ICICI card and/ or the money to buy it off in cash.

Step 14: she persists for 9 months and then the labour of her love is born.

So you see she is richer now not just because she has her beloved with her but because on the way she learnt many a valuable lesson, the most important being that never say no to a Credit card God knows when you might need just that particular one and no other.