Pathetic service of Airtel/Reliance Mobile service providers.

[tsk1979]

More circus at my end too
I cannot dial 98760(ludhiana) from my reliance phone. Can dial all other numbers. Can dial these numbers from non reliance phone. It was working till last week and suddenly it has stopped working.
I need to ping TRAI too!

[snaronikar]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

More circus at my end too
I cannot dial 98760(ludhiana) from my reliance phone. Can dial all other numbers. Can dial these numbers from non reliance phone. It was working till last week and suddenly it has stopped working.
I need to ping TRAI too!

No response from TRAI till now. But just send them a mail and wait. It is really a Govt department taking their own sweet time to respond...

OK here is the latest update on my complaint. Last saturday I went to Airtel Customercare Centre and asked them to give me a number with old series and had to fight with them (verbally). Ultimately, they informed they will not be able to handle this and directed me to speak to air customer care centre. From there itself, I called up the airtel customer care centre and spoke to them. First, the customer care people took the call and probably was not able to handle my call properly as I asked them too many questions. They directed to their manager. Fought with him over phone on this. He also made many calls to all the people and at last informed me that if I want to change the no, I have to go in for a new connection itself. Frustrated, I left the airtel centre thinking that I will have to again change the service provider to Vodafone. But thought of waiting for a couple of days. On monday (14/07), all of a sudden my phone started getting the calls from BSNL and I was also able to make outgoing calls to Reliance no. I do not know how this happened. But felt at least releived about this as one headache was over.

If I have to vote for the customer care for reliance / airtel then it would be THUMBS DOWN !!!

[amtak]

Date - 22nd July, 2008
Time - Appx 6.50 PM

I walked into the reliance web world to recharge my prepaid phone connection with the "bol India bol" plan as my best friend is based out of Hyd and I get to speak unlimited with her through this plan. The tariff for this plan is 496 a month.

History: 10.00 AM

Last month when I activated this plan, I was told at the web world that in case my mobile's main validity expires, I can just do a refill and the plans would remain the way it is. However, yesterday morning I receive an SMS that my outgoing is barred and I need to recharge. I was like, okay, let's do it. I asked our office stationery guy to do the needful; he said if I recharge, my talk plan would go for a toss. I was shocked and reconfirmed the same with the call center...they said YES!!

Now, it was just 20 days ago that I had recharged this plan, and if I refill now, I loose 10 days. But, do I have any option? No! as my outgoing is barred and I need to speak to my fried. I tell him, as of now, "life time validity refill karr do". He does it.

After I reach home at 6.00 PM, I decide to go to web world to recharge with the plan. I drive to the web world in Mira Road.

At the counter:

Lady X: Yes Sir?
Me: I tell her what has happened and she asks who was the lady? I tell her the lady who looks from the eastern part of the country. She was like, okay!

Lady 1: Sir, prepaid refill ka 2% extra towards credit card payment.
Me: Okay, no problem. I know that you guys charge it every time. I am paying your taxes!

After the recharge is done, I ask for a bill; the bill should be for 505 INR (496 + 2%). She says that she'll give it on the plain paper with the reliance stamp. I say, sorry! I need a proper bill as I need to submit it in the office. She redirects me to another lady

As you are aware, large companies do not accept such "chaloo bills". When I am paying 505 bucks, I have the right to ask for the bill. The Govt. too says so.

Lady 2: Please speak to my supervisor.
Me: Ma'am, she's your supervisor. It would be good if you speak to her and help me with the bill.

Lady 2: No, please speak to her. This is the billing counter! Exclusively for billing users. kindly note that she's the only one who can print the bills. Hence I spoke to her.
Me: I am requesting you ma'am.

Lady 2: Aye isko bill chaiye and redirects me to another lady called "S".

I go to S's desk and tell her that I have made a transaction of 505 Rs and I need a bill to be submitted to the office. She again takes out her challo bill book ( more of less like a "post it" with nothing on it)

I say, ma'am! My finance would not approve it on this and hence I am requesting you for a proper bill.

S (Lady 3): Aye, iska transaction cancel karr. Isko pakka bill chaiye.

Me: Ma'am, when I am paying you for the services, I can't ask for the bill?
Sumita: Sab companies accept karta hai aisa bill. aapka aisa kaunsa company hai.

Me: (I have lost it now) Ma'am. It's an MNC and you have no right to talk about it.
She: Even rudely, haan haan...blah blah blah...She cancels my transaction on the Credit card machine and also the sms to revoke the plan activation.

All this while, a billing customer had walked in to pay his bill via card. After his card payment is done, I asked him if he was charged extra. He said No!

I then ask the original lady (the one who had redirected me to Sumita) why there is discrimination? She and "S" started talking rudely with me again.

After the transaction was I just walked out of the customer care center with a thought in mind NOT To enter it again ever. These ladies don't have the courtesy to speak properly. No Manners, etiquettes, No Business sense, Cheat the customers, do not issue bills.

I called up the customer care nos and lodged a complaint against the webworld by giving the ladies names, the address of the webworld and what all they are doing there. Mainly as follows:

• Spoiling the name of Reliance by talking rudely and impolitely to customers
• Charging extra from prepaid users and not from billing customers
• No issuing proper bills
• No etiquettes of speaking
• "Doing ehsaan on customers by talking to them"
• Incorrect refills (I saw this there) and then tell the customer to speak to the call center to correct it.

The person on the other end for a change was patient enough to listen to me and note the complaints (I am assuming as he gave me a complaint nos).


7.54 PM:

I drive to the neighborhood shop and ask him about the plan. I say "refill".

He does it. I ask for a Bill again. No questions asked, a proper bill issued by him.

Moral of the story: Never ever go to the reliance web world again.

Request: Pass this post to the highest possible authority to know that such "Customer care" people are spoiling the name of the company.

[NetfreakBombay]

There is not such thing as customer service with Reliance.

I have to use their WiMax connection since I do not have any other choice. This ill go out as soon as MTNL/Airtel blesses my locality with broadband.

[normally_crazy]

Amtak,

That was shocking but expected when Reliance is involved. I went to their web world once just to inquire about their handsets and after listening to what they were telling me - I walked out, never to return to a Reliance Web World (of cheats and chors)

[maddy42]

Well let me tell you guys about airtel.
I am staying at powai and my network is really pathetic with calls getting cut frequently and the network keeps fluctuating the same way the battery fluctuates when you keep the phone for charging. I have lodged a complaint on the 19th of May with the customer care about this and got a complaint number raised. Well i had complained the same 6 months back but didnt have the complaint number raised at that time.
The guy on the phone promised me a call from their network executives in 48 hours and to date i havent got any.
I had called them up twice after this and once the person even told it takes 3 months time for such issues to get sorted.

So much for the best service provider in this country who doesnt think of calling back and whos network is like pathetic in mumbai which is a metro. Wonder what happens in other places.
If any one from airtel are reading this well i have seen to it that none of my friends take airtel in mumbai.

[amtak]

Originally Posted by maddy42

If any one from airtel are reading this well i have seen to it that none of my friends take airtel in mumbai.

The best thing is to contact your admin dept. and tell them about the problem. I am sure your company would be having some corporate offers via airtel. The admin guys job is to speak to the airtel account manager to set the connection fine or else to lose the account. Believe me, it works!

[normally_crazy]

@ Maddy - If you think Airtel network is bad, try Vodafone and see.

I switched to Airtel from Vodafone and in Powai I don't face any network problem on Airtel.

[amtak]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

@ Maddy - If you think Airtel network is bad, try Vodafone and see.

I switched to Airtel from Vodafone and in Powai I don't face any network problem on Airtel.

This is again area and height dependent. I have noticed that larger building don't have good reception of mobile calls unless they install boosters.

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

Amtak,

That was shocking but expected when Reliance is involved. I went to their web world once just to inquire about their handsets and after listening to what they were telling me - I walked out, never to return to a Reliance Web World (of cheats and chors)

If you are referring to the Chembur branch, surprisingly I had a good exp there!

[maddy42]

Well thanks NC and amtak
Thats the only reason am holding onto this number. The offer is nice but sometimes it really is a pain trying to call someone and god save you if its an Std.
The problem is mostly faced at home and i guess is due to what amtak has said no boosters!!
Is there an option here as in other than reliance, vodafone and airtel whose services are good?

[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by amtak

This is again area and height dependent. I have noticed that larger building don't have good reception of mobile calls unless they install boosters.

I have found Airtel much superior to Vodafone network.

If you are referring to the Chembur branch, surprisingly I had a good exp there!

No I am referring to the Vashi Branch.

Originally Posted by maddy42

Is there an option here as in other than reliance, vodafone and airtel whose services are good?

- BPL mobile.

[amtak]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

I have found Airtel much superior to Vodafone network.


No I am referring to the Vashi Branch.

- BPL mobile.

Never been to the vashi branch!
BPL - The network goes if you keep the cell in your pocket

[rajneeesh]

Well I work for a telecom company and would like to share the followng:
1) there are black spots in all networks which effect the quality of coverage. The coverage quality also depends on the number of people in a area( the capacity of each cell site to handle calls is fixed. It is for this reason you have more cell sites in congested areas/ heavily populated areas with high amount of call volume). Although telecom providers keep upgrading the capacity and coverage of their networks it is not possible to have 100% coverage due to commercial reasons. Moreover, with the government not relaesing additional spectrum there is a lot of congestion on the networks.

To provide good coverage in buildings companies install repeaters or wire up the entire buildings ( big malls where coverage is there in the basements as well). This is however an expensive proposition and only buildings having heavy foot fall or having important offices are provided with In Building Solutions (IBS). Vry tall buildings have a peculiar problem where signals from more than one site interfere with each other. To solve such problem repeaters or IBS are installed. However, at times building owners do not give permission for such solutions to be installed or aske for exhorbitant rentals . In such cases the signal quality suffers. It costs upto 60 lacs to wire a 15 floor building and very often companies do not find it viable to invest that kind of money in residential buildings. In certain areas government authorities do not let the telcos put up cell sites ( eg in Lutyens Delhi, chanakyapuri etc).

As far as not being able to call phones of a particular network from a particular series of a different cell phone operators is concerned, it is due to the levels not being opened. TRAI provieds the number series to all operatotrs. When an operator launches a new series, all operaters are supposed to make their networks acessible to calls from thhis series,. This is called "level opening" very often a some operators delay these level openings, Reliance does this very often with the GSM operators. BSNL also resorts to this practice in the interiors of the country.In such cases the customer as well as the operators suffer.Trai acts on these issues but more often than not it takes a few weeks.

[amtak]

Guys,

Despite me canceling the transaction on that particular day (details on post # 18), and getting the transaction voided at the reliance web world, they have still not made the settlement and credited the money back to my card account. I have taken up this strongly with my bank and they have assured me that I don't have to go to the web world and they would settle it with the merchant.

Look at this, another method of harassing the customer? I know it for sure that even if I go to the web world, with the copy of the bill, I would be told that they cannot do anything, and they have returned the money.

[Eddy]

This might help you

TRAI turns the heat on GSM cos for not linking to RCOM- Telecom-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times