India, Sept. 7 -- I became a member of Club Mahindra in 2010. Whenever I needed something beyond my normal entitlement-an additional room, for instance-I would write to them. Someone would call to understand my requirement. If I missed the call, they would call again. I would be placed on a waitlist and, sometimes, the additional room became available. At other times, it did not. Even then, there was an apology and an explanation. Whether I eventually got the room was not what stayed with me. Someone had listened. Someone had tried. I felt valued.

Over the past few years, I sensed a change. A missed call is sometimes followed by an email saying that I could not be contacted, bringing the conversation to an end. Recently, dissatisfied wit...