November 27, 2024,Delhi, India : India’s digital marketplace is massive. With hundreds of millions shopping online, it’s a place where convenience and commerce blend into an irresistible promise. But beneath this booming economy, there’s a less glamorous side—a quiet frustration simmering in countless homes across the country. For every quick delivery, there’s a faulty product, an unexpected charge, a delayed refund, or a deafening silence from customer service.

This is where Shikayathai.com comes in, like an uninvited but necessary guest at the dinner table of India’s consumer economy. Founded by Alexander Turilin and Alexander Eroshkin, two Russian entrepreneurs who know their way around a startup, Shikayathai.com wasn’t built to just register complaints. It was designed to reshape the balance of power in the Indian marketplace, one claim at a time.

The story begins not with Shikayathai.com but with Turilin and Eroshkin’s journey into India. After selling one of Russia’s top EdTech companies to the Russian media giant, the duo found themselves on Indian soil, building Coding Invaders—a professional education platform that raised millions and taught over 25,000 students. They came to understand not only India’s appetite for digital progress but also its vulnerability. They noticed something strange: a resigned acceptance among consumers when things went wrong, a sense that companies were too big, too distant to be held accountable. That unshakeable belief—”Nothing will change”—is precisely what they set out to challenge.

When the Little Guy Wins

Take Siddhant Mehta, for instance. Siddhant was a tech enthusiast who decided to splurge Rs.70,000 on a laptop from a popular e-commerce company. The laptop arrived, but the excitement didn’t last. It was defective. Siddhant did what any rational consumer would do: he contacted customer service. But his emails went unanswered, and his frustration grew. Days turned into weeks, and he began to feel like he was talking to a wall.

Then, Siddhant stumbled upon Shikayathai.com. Without any legal jargon or complicated procedures, he filed his complaint. And then, something magical happened. The e-commerce company, which had previously ignored him, suddenly responded. Within days, Siddhant had his money refunded. “Your portal worked wonders!” he exclaimed. In that moment, Siddhant experienced something new: the realization that even a single complaint could make a difference.

It wasn’t just Siddhant who felt empowered. Shikayathai.com had handed him a new kind of power—a simple, direct way to demand accountability. Siddhant’s success wasn’t just his own; it was proof that Shikayathai.com’s model was more than theory. It was real.

The Power of a Platform

But it wasn’t just about Siddhant. Shikayathai.com’s impact was felt by Haroon Rasheed, too, who found himself stuck with the wrong size shoes. He’d ordered size 10 from an online grocery shop, but size 7 arrived. Weeks of silence from customer service left Haroon frustrated, convinced he’d wasted his money. Yet, just days after filing his claim with Shikayathai.com, Haroon saw his refund. The online grocery shop, once silent, was suddenly responsive. The process was so seamless that Haroon was left wondering why he’d ever tried any other way.

Then there’s Maria Sophi, a professional looking for a new home. She had paid a popular brokerage-free proptech company for a property search service, expecting a smooth experience. But the service was never activated. Calls, and emails—all ignored. Maria felt like she’d paid for air. Turning to Shikayathai.com, she lodged her complaint. Within days, that popular brokerage-free proptech company activated her service. Maria didn’t need a lawyer, didn’t need to understand complex legal terms; she just needed Shikayathai.com.

The Bigger Picture

These stories aren’t isolated anecdotes; they’re chapters in a larger story about India’s evolving consumer landscape. According to the National Consumer Helpline, over 500,000 e-commerce complaints were registered between 2017 and 2021. Yet, for every complaint logged, there are countless others that go unreported. Issues with defective products, hidden charges, unkept promises, and unresponsive customer service are so commonplace that many people have stopped expecting results. The government has made strides, enacting the Consumer Protection Act of 2019 and introducing platforms to streamline complaints. But with 67% of grievances still unresolved long after they’re filed, these initiatives struggle to keep pace with consumer needs.

Shikayathai.com’s role in this environment is clear. It provides a direct line of communication that cuts through red tape and bureaucratic delays. Consumers don’t need legal expertise or patience; they only need to be willing to take a chance on a platform that, for many, has already delivered results.

A Mission to Change the Culture

For Turilin and Eroshkin, Shikayathai.com is more than just a platform—it’s a cultural shift. Each success story, each refund, each apology from a company is more than just a win for the consumer; it’s a crack in the wall of corporate indifference. They want to show India’s 800 million internet users that they don’t have to accept poor service, that a complaint isn’t just a cry into the void.

In Siddhant’s case, that Rs. 70,000 wasn’t just money—it was a principle. For Haroon, it wasn’t just about getting the right shoe size; it was about being respected. And for Maria, the property service wasn’t just a transaction; it was a reminder that she mattered.

With every resolved complaint, Shikayathai.com isn’t just helping individuals—it’s pushing back against a system that’s been tilted in favor of big business for too long. It’s a reminder that the smallest voices can still make the biggest companies listen. And for Turilin and Eroshkin, that’s not just a business goal; it’s a mission.