Savitha Suresh Babu, The Hindu - Metro Plus, Mangalore

Mangalore, Jun 17: A PHONE CALL AWAY From plumbing to carpentry to bill payment, TFF provides the service for a fee

Being locked out of one's own house, having a puncture on an unknown road, unexpected guests when there is no food at home, a leaking tap on a Sunday when no plumber is available... little disasters happen to us all.

Wouldn't it be nice to have someone around who can attend to your needs immediately and save you the trauma? It is with trying to do precisely this that Chacko and Yuvaraj set up The Family Friend (TFF), a facilities management company, as a partnership in 1999.

The idea of offering such a service came through personal experiences, recalls Chacko. "We had a small get-together at our house on a Sunday. On that day, the pump stopped working. It was impossible to get through to any electrician and we were forced to ask for water from the neighbours. It occurred to us how convenient it would be if an industry offered essential services on a Sunday also." It again happened when Chacko was travelling in his new car to Kannur with family in 1996. "The car gave up on the way. It was six in the evening and it was impossible to contact a mechanic."

Small things can create big hurdles, says Chacko. The Family Friend began as a venture to take care of these small things. The company started with a strength of 10, including two electricians, two plumbers, a carpenter, delivery boys and office staff.

Seven years later, it employs 400 and provides a wide range of services 365 days a year. The services range from carpentry and plumbing to providing home nurses, domestic help, drivers, pick-ups and drops, payment of bills, maintenance of accounts and home delivery of food. And removing snakes that seem to love the old houses in the city. The reptiles are deposited at a distance from the house, or in the forest.

The services are available only to the members of TFF and a fee is charged. "This is not a charity organisation. We charge, but deliver," says Chacko. All emergency services are provided within half an hour of a phone call.

To avail of themselves of the service, members have to call TFF, quote the membership number and state the problem. Depending on the urgency of the situation, `the family friend' responds.

C.R Kamath, a gold card owner and a doctor, is a satisfied customer. "I use their services at home and in my clinic. Their services are convenient and reasonable." Though there have not been any lapses so far, he feels that there is a risk of TFF taking on too much.

Fellow doctor Joe Verghese, who has an annual membership, finds the service useful. "They respond quickly,"he says.

Membership rates
Annual membership: Rs. 475
Executive membership (10 years): Rs.2,175.
Life membership: Rs. 5,475 (free service of Rs. 400 is offered every year for life members).

Some of the service charges

Snake catching: Rs. 150. (If it has to be transported to the forest - Rs. 1500)
Food delivery and bill payments (within 7 km) - Rs. 50. (Beyond 7 km, Rs 5 is charged per km).
Driving services: 4 hours - Rs. 200
4 to 8 hours - Rs.350.
House shifting (exclusive of packing material and transport costs): Rs.1,100.

For further details, call TFF on 0091-824-2429277, 2429288.