We had our sofa reupholstered some time ago and on the day it was delivered back to our home, we noticed that the fabric on one of the units had been soiled in transit. Admittedly, and in hindsight, it was perhaps not wise to endeavour on this re-upholstering enterprise during the monsoon, given than most intra-city transport in our country happens on 3 wheelers without any modicum of a sealed cabin. The upholsterer had been careful to wrap each unit in cling wrap to protect it from the elements. However, the sheet of plywood in the loading bay of the 3 wheeler was rough with use and, to make matters worse, not exactly clean.
As the vehicle jostled over our roads, the cling wrap on the surface placed against the plywood rubbed against it and ripped. The dirt on the plywood then proceeded to attack the exposed fabric, until, by the time it was delivered, it was beyond hope.
As we unloaded the item, the upholsterer who had arrived on a motorcycle saw the mess and let loose at the 3-wheeler driver. The driver shrugged and told him that the loading was done by the upholsterer's men. "My job was just to drive it here." The upholsterer then called his shop and there was much discussion about why a sheet of foam had not been placed below the sofa.
He tried to ask me for a piece of cloth to try and clean the mess. He looked at my face and thought better of it, loaded the item back on the 3 wheeler and promised to return it with the fabric changed.
This incident is not abnormal in our country. I know of a friend who moved into a new home and had a carpenter drill into his bathroom walls to install a shelf, only to drill into a water pipe, with the result that the tiles had to be torn down, a new pipe installed and new tiles required.
I have not seen this happen in Singapore or in the US and I imagine it does not happen in Japan or in Germany. What is it about India that such sloppiness is the norm?
It all boils down to one thing. A lack of respect for other people's effort.
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