Advance payment, no househelp: Mumbai-based Kaamwali Bais agency under fire for duping residents
While some residents in Mumbai alleged that the agency did not deliver on their promise after advance payment, others claimed that the domestic help provided by the company were incompetent or would leave the job in a week or two.
New Delhi: Kaamwali Bais, a Mumbai-based agency offering domestic help services, has come under fire after several people accused the company of taking advance money and not responding to their emails and messages. The well-known househelp agency has been accused of fraudulent practices and unresponsive.
According to a complainant, a resident of Varsova, the agency allegedly asked her to pay Rs 13,000 for a full-time maid. The woman, Mauli Singh, contacted the agency in July this year after being recommended by a friend. She alleged that when she told the agency about her needs, they asked her to pay 50 per cent advance amount even before finalising the maid's profile. She allegedly transferred the money online.
'Made 100 calls but to no avail'
The complainant claimed that the agency shared profiles of several house helpers, but none of them were as per her needs. The woman alleged that she tried contacting the agency several times for over a month and made follow-up calls more than a hundred times, but to no avail.
One of her calls was answered one day by a staff member who told her that a domestic help would be assigned "when available”, without mentioning the exact time. The agency also gave vague assurances when she requested immediate service or a refund via email.
Many duped by househelp agency?
Later, when Singh tried to read reviews about the agency online on Google, Justdial, and consumer-feedback sites like Mouthshut.com, she was shocked to know that she was not alone who had been duped by it. Several residents of Mumbai made similar allegations against the agency, accusing it of taking advance payment without delivery of services and being unresponsive and unprofessional. While some alleged that the agency did not deliver on their promise after advance payment, others claimed that the domestic help provided by the company were incompetent or would leave the job in a week or two.
The woman later filed a complaint against the househelp agency at Versova police station and also approached the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Borivali resident shared similar ordeal
Another woman, a resident of Borivali, also made similar allegations against the Kaamwali Bais. She had requested a caretaker for her ailing father in April-May. The agency sent one person but he left the job in just eight days. The agency allegedly promised to arrange a replacement, but it never happened. The woman claimed that she had paid Rs 22,000 to the agency for a yearly subscription and had to also pay an extra Rs 3000 to the caretaker.
"In August, I had paid Rs 22,000 to the agency for a yearly subscription. The caretaker left after eight days of joining the job. I had to pay him extra Rs 3,000 as he would make frequent calls and ask for money, saying he belongs to a poor family and was in dire need of money," the woman was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror.
The woman said that when she told the agency about the constant calls, they told her not to make any payment and assured her that they would soon send another person. "The agency has not sent any replacement until today. I tried reaching them out through repeated calls and WhatsApp, but all in vain. After my father's demise, I gave up and my money is also gone now,” she added.
What Kaamwali Bais said
The househelp service agency has refused the allegations and said that they have been in the business for over 20 years and that customers' satisfaction is their top priority. The agency also said that sometimes customers also need to adjust, as they can't get everything they want.