People stuck with dirty filters as firms struggle with rush

For around 8 months in the year, nobody cares about the machines. We send reminders before Diwali for replacements and service but it is mostly later that people wake up. BARUN AGGARWAL, Breathe Easy

NEWDELHI: For Shalini Raj, whose eight-year-old son has been suffering from bronchitis, stepping out even for the doctor’s appointment has become a challenge.

The air outside is foul, with pollution levels breaching the “emergency” mark Friday. She could not use the air purifier at home either, as the manufacturer firm has asked for at least one week’s time to replace the worn out filter due to the number of requests for the pouring in.

“My son has been suffering from bronchitis and goes through severe nasal and chest congestion this time of the year because of bad air. We have a good quality air purifier but it has worn out its shelf life. The customer service of the firm said they would take around four-five days to come over. I could not imagine it would be such a long wait for replacement otherwise I would have placed a request earlier,” said Raj, 39, a homemaker, who lives in Vasant Vihar.

Service providers in the city said the rush is because of last moment panic. It is only after Diwali when air pollution in the capital spikes and people rush to get the filters replaced or serviced on an urgent basis.

Barun Aggarwal, chief executive officer, Breathe Easy, said most air purifier filters need to be replaced every 12-18 months. “We get at least 30-40 calls a day these days for replacements, against the two-three calls a week for most part of the year. At this time, we can respond to requests in two-to-three days... It is mostly after Diwali that people wake up to the need of a functional purifier,” he said.

At present, each staff member is making 10-15 visits a day across the city, he said, adding that even machine deliveries rise during this time of the year, he added.

Shyam Singh, who deals in air purifiers, said that he hires additional staff on contractual basis this time of the year to cater to the rush of service requests.

“Most part of the year, there is not much business. It is only during winters when the demand for service peaks, for which I get additional staff.”