Multi national thugs

PEOPLE LIKE US

A few months ago, a friend with a public relations firm was kind enough to treat me to New Zealand lamb chops, but since there's no such thing as a free lunch, he wondered if he could interest me in a story on how MNCs in India are more sinned against than sinning.

This was when there had been Hindu outrage against fries in the US using beef tallow, and bottled waters and colas in India were serving up pesticides with compliments of the management.

Overall, he argued, they're doing better than most and raising standards. Since I was into my second chop by this time, I did not protest too vocally, but couldn't disagree that MNCs had brought in a retail, packaging and marketing culture that the country sorely needed.

Because he was not pushing any of his clients for coverage, and considerably warmed by an espresso, I plead guilty to softening towards his proposal. Just, maybe, I said, there was some merit in the argument, and I would think about it.

I got back to office to find my wife had called a half-dozen times. It seems a man had been calling to threaten her in a most graphic manner, proposing things no gentleman says to a woman, and that too in the earthy vernacular of the street.

I had barely managed to calm her down, when the phone buzzed again. The very same gentleman was now on the line to tell me the things he would do to my wife and daughter if I did not pay up. Pay a hood? No, he said, he was a collector, and he would dance over my dead body to take from me the money I had stolen from a credit card MNC.

My flush of warmth towards MNCs was sharply extinguished. Through his promise of dismembering me in public, and other abusive raving and ranting, it turned out he had been outsourced by the bank to ensure that I did not escape with its colossal funds.

MNCs do such things? I turned up at the bank's office to find out, seething and, I must admit, shaken. Would some ruffian attack my car? Break into my house? Violate my family? But you owe the company money, the supervisor I spoke to said.

True, I agreed, but when I had subscribed to two of the bank's credit cards, I had paid for a service that had been denied me when both cards were rejected by their machines. I had insisted on an apology from the company.

None had been forthcoming, though the request was entered on their records. Since I had been cheated of both service and civility, I insisted I would settle once they returned my membership and annual fees which, in sum total, was higher than the outstanding.

Better still, if any senior officer were to write that the bank was sorry, I would settle any dues promptly.

Countless callers who rang up to ask when I would pay, promised written apologies every time I explained how I felt about being cheated. That it never was is probably because MNCs have outsourcing systems where individual complaints that do not fit a format are left unattended.

The supervisor, to his credit, said he would ensure the threatening calls would stop. They ceased immediately. Gratified, I hoped that an official apology would finally follow. It didn't, but a new legal notice blamed me for "dishonest intention, preconceived plan and deceptive approach...with an intention of cheating and defrauding the bank".

This time I paid up, interest and all "" who's to know some street ruffian with no inkling of consumer rights won't act out the bank's threats. As for my PR friend, it's my turn to buy him lunch, but not his theory.