[silversteed]

Originally Posted by Samurai

...this is how Airtel 3G billing works. It is designed to rob unsuspecting customers.

Airtel as such is a bunch of crooks, IMO and in my experience. I'd posted this elsewhere in this forum, but still, makes sense to read it along with your experience, Samurai.
Cloud Nine and Two Thirds: How Airtel Screwed Me

[radiokidb]

Samurai forget about calling the regular customer care or emailing them. They are useless and do not do anything. Contact the nodal or appellate officer directly and try your luck there (although even they arent that much better). The contact details are here - Airtel

I have been having an issue with my bill for the last four months and they buggers have yet to resolve it. Basically my company has a CUG wherein the monthly rental is Rs.99/-. I took the number in Dec last year and since then Airtel has been charging me Rs.199/-. When i called CC and asked they replied that no that is your company plan and so i left it at that. Later when i checked my colleague's bill i saw that it was Rs.99/-. I sent an email to Airtel on 8th March - no reply. Sent another email on 15th March, and got the standard automated response. Got a call from the CC a few days later and the representative understood my problem and accepted. Gave me a refund and told me that the plan would be changed. This was smooth enough so far and I thought it was all over but boy was i wrong!

In all the subsequent bills since then they still have not changed the rental. I have been sending multiple emails every month and along with multiple phone calls to them to give me the refund each month. Every time they first do no accept the problem and keep saying the plan is 199/-. I dont understand this? How can you have two different plans for the same company? When i mention that my colleagues bill shows 99/- they feign ignorance and only when i email them the bill do they accept. All of this usually takes a good 20 min mind you.. Again i am assured that it will be changed the next month. And the next month it still isnt. And all the time they keep responding with "we will get back to you within three days" in the emails. So i emailed nodal officer and appellate office as well. Either i dont get a reply or i get the same "we will get back to you within three days" bullshit. Finally sorted it after yet again speaking to CC. This has been going on month after month.

This month when it still hadnt changed i had enough and sent a stinker of an email to them. Got the usual automated response. Had to again speak to a CC who this time took 30 minutes to understand the issue! Finally he got it and assured me that the plan would be changed. Well my bill is due on the 22nd, lets see how it goes.

[honeybee]

First complain to the call centre/designated email or mobile number. Preferably email because then you can build a trail.

If that doesn't work, escalate to the designated nodal authority (again from Airtel).

If that doesn't work, approach Trai or a consumer forum.

Try not to skip the steps (you can check Trai website for the exact process), as if you skipped a step, the higher authority may just ask you to follow that step. But if you followed all the steps and proved that it didn't help, things may go in your favour.

[mail4ajo]

I have the same issue. The problem is that I dont know how to prove it. My 3G bills skyrocketed after I started using the iphone. Not double, or triple, some 10 times the usage.

I asked to disconnect 3G for now.

[Mubeen]

I've subscribed to airtel's 3G service in Chennai since February 2011. I've been on the 750 rupees 2 gb free usage plan since day 1. In the last week of May I received an SMS from airtel informing me that based on my usage my plan has been changed to the Rs. 675 plan.

I immediately shot off an e-mail to customer care informing them that although the change of plan is well meaning, I don't appreciate the unauthorised & unilateral change without my explicit approval. I got a mail back from customer care apologising for the change & promising to not make any more changes unless explicitly requested. Furthermore the plan was changed back to the Rs. 750 plan.

Within a week of the exchange of mails, I again got an SMS informing me that my 3G plan has been changed to the Rs. 675 plan. I immediately forwarded my correspondence with the customer care representative to the nodal officer & demand an explanation as to why the same action is repeated in-spite of receiving an assurance to the contrary.

The nodal officer replies assuring that plan will be changed back to the Rs. 750 data plan & no plan change will take place without my request.

Therefore in my last billing cycle the 3G data plan has been changed 4 times within a period of 7 days. In between all these plan changes my amount due to airtel in the current billing cycle is Rs. 5490 as against my average bill of 1200 - 1300 rupees. My bill has still not been generated & is due to be generated tomorrow.

I can think of no other reason for this inflated bill apart from airtel's mindless plan changes somehow affecting the billing on the 3G data usage.

I'm really going to have a fight on my hands to get this issue sorted out. Based on the experiences mentioned in the previous posts it looks like airtel certainly doesn't seem too keen on rectifying their errors!

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by radiokidb

Samurai forget about calling the regular customer care or emailing them. They are useless and do not do anything. Contact the nodal or appellate officer directly and try your luck there (although even they arent that much better). The contact details are here - Airtel

Write a new email, short and sweet one with what happened. Attach all the other correspondence and send it to 121 & Nodal officer. You will get the required attention.

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Slightly OT- Is there any way of dealing with ISP / Broadband connection providers? I think my Tata Indicom connection (postpaid) will very soon land me into similar troubles. Is there a Nodal officer for such cases also?

Spike

[silversteed]

To everyone who suggest writing to the Airtel Nodal officer or the Appellate officer: They are no better than the call center that we end up when we dial 121 or 198. Period. It's just an eyewash. If you got your fingers burned, then move on, get another connection, no point going behind them - as long as there are mindless fools who never learn from others' mistakes, going after the hooplah created by the marketing and advertising professionals employed by the great Bharti Airtel, there's no room for hope.

All that the people sitting in the so called Nodal office and Appellate office do are send out templated, well-framed emails that further enrages hapless subscribers like us. They are trained to coax us into believe what they say is right and not to give a hoot to what we have to say.

If at all we decide to mail the nodal officer or the appellate officer, short and sweet won't help. Only aggression helps - and make it as elaborate as possible.

For all Airtel subscribers out there - Good luck. For the rest of us - don't ever think of picking up an Airtel connection.

SpikeArrestor - the Nodal office and Appellate office are mandated by TRAI for mobile and telephone companies. I am not sure if such separate tiers of customer support exist for dedicated internet providers.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

I think my Tata Indicom connection (postpaid) will very soon land me into similar troubles. Is there a Nodal officer for such cases also?

Yes Broadband business has its own Nodal/Appellate officers.

[Pri2]

Not surprising at all! Airtel is well known for fraud.

Here are some examples:
-They enable services without your knowledge and charge you for that.
-They mess with the call minutes so that you get charged for 2 calls instead of one.
-Disable data plans without any notice and charge you heavily for usage.
-Add data usage caps without knowledge.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, they have tried every possible way to loot customers!!

The best thing to do is quit using their services !!

[MadTiger]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Since your complaint has not been resolved satisfactorily, the next logical step would be to write to the regional nodal officer.

Or just write to the same customer care again, but this time threaten them that you would write to the nodal offier if the charges are not reversed. That should be sufficient motivation for them to look into the matter and resolve the issue.

Rohan

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Write a new email, short and sweet one with what happened. Attach all the other correspondence and send it to 121 & Nodal officer. You will get the required attention.

Hello All,

You all are talking about "Nodal officers" here, let me tell you this for airtel its the same folks a little well trained from customer service reps! They are all the same bunch of jokers hanging from the same tree. I had similar issue were my prepaid plan was changed without my notice and was charge for every single sms and exorbitant std charges. When I asked them "Who asked you to change my plan?" "Sir we tried to retain you, so we offered you a better plan" !! It took me more than 20 days to restore my plan, and I had to bear the increased tariff and for those 20 days no refunds were made! I had called Nodal officers (9 am to 6 pm) numerous times and heard the same dialogue over and over again "Sir we assure the same will be taken care within 24 hours"

I was happy with Vodafone but changed my number as I wanted to opt for Rs 99 "edge" (mobile office) vs (live services Vodafone) data services from Airtel. Never knew I will have this hassle !

[ampere]

Not sure about the Airtel, but had a similiar issue with Reliance. One year after closing my long time CDMA account, I get court order for not paying bills for that last year

I knew about such issues with Reliance. Generally I keep all documentations well thumbed for any related transaction.

I scanned copy of this request for termination and termination cancellation, which I had received from their center. But still they did not budge and kept sending me reminders.

Then all I did was send them a response and copied to the nodal officer.
2-3 of such mails and it got resolved. I got a mail saying I dont owe them anything. I have kept this mail as record!

With Airtel till date no issues for both Broadband and cell (I also have the 100 GPRS plan).

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by MadTiger

Hello All,

You all are talking about "Nodal officers" here, let me tell you this for airtel its the same folks a little well trained from customer service reps! They are all the same bunch of jokers hanging from the same tree.

I have personally got very good response and resolution when i have escalated to these chaps.

[radiokidb]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Write a new email, short and sweet one with what happened. Attach all the other correspondence and send it to 121 & Nodal officer. You will get the required attention.

Jaggu i guess you were lucky and your problems got solved. I tried being short and sweet and i tried being harsher as well. The response was the same either way. I have been emailing them for four months regarding the same issue. And my problem wasnt too complicated, all i wanted them to do was change my plan from 199/- to 99/-(which it was supposed to be in the first place!), surely that shouldnt take four months to do?

[bullinb]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

I have personally got very good response and resolution when i have escalated to these chaps.

I second what Jaggu said. I have got my problems solved at least three time within hours of mailing the nodal office. The customer care is useless and all these occasions I had fought with them for weeks before approaching the nodal office.

Written communication always gets faster response. True with banks as well.