[Soumyajit9]

I have a problem here with Airtel customer support. Can anyone advise if they had been in such a situation and what was the work around.

I have a Broadband and Fixedline connection:
Rs.1299 / 30 GB / 2 MBPS

Today I saw that there is a new plan that Airtel if offering.
Rs.1099 / 60 GB / 8 MBPS

I called up customer care and requested for a plan change. The customer care executive said that she would not be able to make a change in the plan because my area doesn't have feasibility for a 8 MBPS plan and I have to stick to only 2 MBPS plan.
I asked her if I can take up this new plan, and although the offered speed is 8 MBPS, I am okay with receiving 2 MBPS max speed.
The reason for asking is that the new plan has 2 benefits that I can avail - Double Free Usage, Lesser monthly rental.
What I would not get is the 8 MBPS speed, but I was okay with receiving 2 MBPS speed.

The lady put me on hold and came back after 10 seconds and said that the system does not allow them to make the plan change, because there has been customer complaints of frequent disconnections and slow speed due to mismatch of feasibility and plan speeds.

She did not make any change, but said that she has put a note on my account that I am willing to upgrade the speed on my plan and if there was any feasibility, I would be contacted. She didn't promise any timeline.
I asked for an Interaction Id (ticket no.) and was provided one.

Has anyone else faced such a situation, where I am paying more for less speed and less free usage limit ?

[satan's_valet]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

I have a problem here with Airtel customer support. Can anyone advise if they had been in such a situation and what was the work around.

I have a Broadband and Fixedline connection:
Rs.1299 / 30 GB / 2 MBPS

Today I saw that there is a new plan that Airtel if offering.
Rs.1099 / 60 GB / 8 MBPS

I don't think she is telling the truth. She must have been advised not to let you change your plan as it will affect their revenue. But in general, it is possible to upgrade your plan to a higher speed and the difference in monthly rental will be calculated on a pro-rata basis. We have done it several times with Airtel. Give it a few days and call them again asking for a change of plan and if they do not agree, threaten them with account disconnection.

And IIRC, you live in BTM right? When I lived in BTM near the Ganesha temple, we received speeds upto 8 MBPS. There is no reason why shouldn't get the same speed as well.

[diyguy]

Guys, dont ever go in for youbroadband. i took their connection in Aug of 2014. Was wary due to poor reviews so took it for a month. I was abroad for 15 days of that, so dont know if it worked or not. When I got back I renewed for 3 months. Of those 3 months, the line was down atleast for about 30 days of those 3 months.
I then decided not to use it anymore. However, now after a 4 month hiatus, I got suckered into renewing again by them stating they will ensure all is well etc. But the day I renewed till now (4 days later) the line is not working. The line got activated on Sunday and so far there is zip usage.
I have made dozens of calls and raised online complaints and voice call complaints. They just close the complaint stating fixed.
I do not know if the situation will be different if they provide you fibre instead of cable. Mine is a cable connection.

[SchumiFan]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

I have a problem here with Airtel customer support. Can anyone advise if they had been in such a situation and what was the work around.

I have a Broadband and Fixedline connection:
Rs.1299 / 30 GB / 2 MBPS

Today I saw that there is a new plan that Airtel if offering.
Rs.1099 / 60 GB / 8 MBPS

I have seen placards for this plan put up in every single house in my street in Chennai. I called the number and she confirmed such a plan existed although the website didn't show any. I was also told I would receive the max speed that my area was allocated and it could be 8/16 Mbps.

Long story short, after mail/calls to CS, came to understand the non-existence of such a plan. Hence I shifted to ACT. Will disconnect Airtel at the end of this week.

Now I remove the placards from my house almost every week after they put up a new one. Collected 3 so far

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by satan's_valet

I don't think she is telling the truth. She must have been advised not to let you change your plan as it will affect their revenue. But in general, it is possible to upgrade your plan to a higher speed and the difference in monthly rental will be calculated on a pro-rata basis. We have done it several times with Airtel. Give it a few days and call them again asking for a change of plan and if they do not agree, threaten them with account disconnection.
And IIRC, you live in BTM right? When I lived in BTM near the Ganesha temple, we received speeds upto 8 MBPS. There is no reason why shouldn't get the same speed as well.

Yeah, I got that she just asked her supervisor and he/she must have directed her not to let me degrade the plan rental, eventhough I was paying more for less service. Yes, I stay in BTM and I also know many friends in BTM who are using 8 mbps speed plans. Honestly, I am comfortable with 2mbps also, but the high speed limit of 30GB was very less and the 1299 rental (+taxes) was very high, compared to latest plans. I wanted to get at par with other justified plans. That is why I said her to just apply the plan, even though I don't get 8 mbps, I am fine with the high data limit and low rental. She just wouldn't agree !!

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

I have seen placards for this plan put up in every single house in my street in Chennai. I called the number and she confirmed such a plan existed although the website didn't show any. I was also told I would receive the max speed that my area was allocated and it could be 8/16 Mbps.
Long story short, after mail/calls to CS, came to understand the non-existence of such a plan. Hence I shifted to ACT. Will disconnect Airtel at the end of this week.
Now I remove the placards from my house almost every week after they put up a new one. Collected 3 so far

One thing buddy, be careful of ACT and YOU. They are highly unreliable and area dependant. High number of users in an area keeps them on their toes to provide zero downtime services. If they have a few users in the area, customer service becomes a joke.
To be very very honest, nothing like the reliability of Airtel. Been 5 years and never a single minute of downtime from their end. Highly appreciate them for that.

Anyways, after I hung up the call with the customer care lady, I dropped a nasty email to the Level 1 (121 Customer care) and Level 2 (Nodal officer) escalation point of Airtel.
Also, put up the same post on the verified Facebook page of Airtel India.

From: "Soumyajit Laha" <xxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com>
Date: 28 Apr 2015 10:39
Subject: Change in Broadband Plan - 080-xxxxxxxx
To: <121@in.airtel.com>, <nodalofficer.kk@in.airtel.com>, <nodal.southabts@in.airtel.com>
Cc:

Hi Team,

My Airtel Fixed Line Number: 080-xxxxxxxx

I have a Broadband and Fixedline connection. Details:
Rs.1299 / 30 GB / 2MBPS.

Today I saw a new plan that Airtel is offerring. Details:
Rs.1099 / 60 GB / 8MBPS.

I called up customer support and requested for a plan change. The customer care executive said that she would not be able to make changes to the plan because my area does not have feasibility for a 8MBPS plan and I have to stick to the 2 MBPS plan only. I stay in BTM 2nd stage of Bangalore and for sure it has feasibility as many of my friends and family have been using this speed. Not to mention ACT and YOU broadband are offering such high speeds in my area at much competitive and cheaper prices. I fail to understand what is wrong with Airtel to not offer me the 8mbps plan.

Nevertheless, I asked the lady to make the plan change and put me on the new plan that I want.

The benefits:
1) I will pay a lesser rental (from 1299 to 1099) per month.
2) I will be able to use more of the high speed data (from 30GB to 60GB).

The demerits:
I will be forced to use the maximum 2MBPS speed instead of 8MBPS (if there is actually a feasibility issue). I am absolutely okay will this speed of 2MBPS also.

I mentioned the same to your customer support executive that I am willing to avail 2mbps speed instead of 8mbps speed. However, the executive was not at all ready to make a change in the plan stating that there would be frequent disconnections if i take the 8mbps plan. After a lot of requests she did not make changes to the plan and did not provide any resolution to my request.

This is a very pathetic state of affair at Airtel. While the whole of internet world in India is screaming at Airtel Zero program which throttles internet speed and usage, it seems like I am becoming a victim of such ridiculous service of Airtel.

Please look into the matter with the utmost importance and seriousness. I want the requested plan with a flawless service. If this cannot be completed, please send me a clear message so that I can place a disconnection request and move to other ISPs' who are providing similar services at better price and speed.
The Interaction Id that the customer care executive provided is: xxxxxxxxx

Regards,
Soumyajit

Imagine what happened after this.

- 2 minutes later, Airtel India commented on my post, asking for my mobile number to contact me. I gave them via FB personal message.
- 15 minutes later, someone from the nodal offer's office called me to apologise for the incident. He said that my area doesn't have 8MBPS feasibility. Well, I had to take it because I was not fighting for speed. I was fighting for less money and more service. I said okay, just apply this plan and let only 2mbps come to me instead of 8mbps. He was very polite and said "I understand your situation, let me find a suitable plan for you". 30 seconds later, he came up with the below plan:

Rs.999 / month rental
2 mbps speed
50 GB high speed data limit, post which speed will be revised to 512 kbps.

I couldn't believe my ears ! I got almost what I was wanting at a more cheaper rental !

So all's well that ends well. Kudos to Airtel for treating a 5 year old customer excellently for his loyalty. These small things matter a lot.

[SchumiFan]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

One thing buddy, be careful of ACT and YOU. They are highly unreliable and area dependant. High number of users in an area keeps them on their toes to provide zero downtime services. If they have a few users in the area, customer service becomes a joke.
To be very very honest, nothing like the reliability of Airtel. Been 5 years and never a single minute of downtime from their end. Highly appreciate them for that.

Anyways, after I hung up the call with the customer care lady, I dropped a nasty email to the Level 1 (121 Customer care) and Level 2 (Nodal officer) escalation point of Airtel.
Also, put up the same post on the verified Facebook page of Airtel India.
.
.
.
.

So all's well that ends well. Kudos to Airtel for treating a 5 year old customer excellently for his loyalty. These small things matter a lot.

I absolutely agree with what you have mentioned about ACT and have to be careful about it. But there seems to be a high number of users in my area and that is what encouraged me. Plus Airtel's callous attitude in putting up a non-existent plan's placard all over my area and having the guts to confirm it over phone as well pushed me to disconnect them.

Your message has given me an idea about posting a photo and email screenshot of the plan and waiting for their response on FB.

As of now, I am happy with ACT (touch wood) and the speeds are consistent. Airtel had one downtime in the last 6 months I had their service, but otherwise like you said, it was impeccable (although they charge an arm and leg for their slow BB).

[vasudeva]

Word of advice when upgrading to a higher FUP plan based on my experience in August 2014.

Till 10-Aug-2014 in Delhi, I was on monthly 2849/ 8mbps/ 175 GB FUP.
From 11th Aug, 2014, I changed/upgraded to monthly 3649/ 8mbps/250 GB FUP.

The plan was upgraded but the extra payment was prorated to my billing cycle which ends on 25th. So it was 15 days at 2849 pm and 15 days at 3649 pm. Whatever I had downloaded till 10th Aug was done and dusted, and I got 250 GB for 11th-25th.

So from 11th Aug to 25th Aug, I paid for 15 days at 3649 pm, but got full 250 GB for full 15 days. That is, the extra GB was not prorated but given in full.

From 26th Aug, it became as per plan with 250 GB for month.
I do not know if this thing is still applicable but certainly good to get 250 GB by paying for 15 days instead of 30. Downloaded all the movies which I had seen long back but did not have their files. Also a lot of software and music. Perhaps if people are upgrading to higher GB plan, may make sense to do it around end of billing cycle and get full months GB for a few days payment.

Small mercy anyway since broadband costs a bomb in India. My brother in UK gets 30 mbps with unlimited downloads for perhaps 10-15 pounds.

[ManojVM]

I have a connection from ACT in Bangalore.

The plan I have taken is 60 Mbps at 200 GB per month.
One of the best plans available in the market in my opinion. It has been reliable with very little down time.

[vasudeva]

People here have generally praised ACT, but we do not have it in Delhi.
Saw the ACT plans and they are cheaper than Airtel in Delhi.
The big problem with Airtel is usage speed post FUP. It drops to an extremely pathetic 512 kbps. For similar priced ACT plans, the FUP is similar at 250 GB, speed is 10 times higher at 80 mbps, and speed post FUP is 4 times higher at 2 mbps.
I can live with 2 mbps for many days quite easily.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

People here have generally praised ACT, but we do not have it in Delhi.
Saw the ACT plans and they are cheaper than Airtel in Delhi.
The big problem with Airtel is usage speed post FUP. It drops to an extremely pathetic 512 kbps. For similar priced ACT plans, the FUP is similar at 250 GB, speed is 10 times higher at 80 mbps, and speed post FUP is 4 times higher at 2 mbps.
I can live with 2 mbps for many days quite easily.

Airtel has differential pricing. In Bangalore they offer 8mbps 80GB for half the price they give in Delhi area.
The reason for this is lack of competition. I am told, that some limited new buildings have NEXTRA etc., and over there Airtel will give you a "retention" offer!

[vasudeva]

Everyone from Airtel to HDFC rips us but give them a disconnect notice and they come up with a `retention' offer. Very proactive there at least. Unfortunately in our apartment complex, we get Airtel, MTNL, and Tikona. Not much of a viable and reliable alternative. I wonder when will broadband in India be defined as something other than 512 kbps.

OT: as to HDFC Ltd, I have taken 2 home loans from them over 10 yrs totaling 1 cr. For the present loan of 48, they were charging me 11.25% even as new customers were getting 10.15%. So I finally changed to someone else. When I sent the notice and request for foreclosure, I immediately got bombarded with offer to `convert' to 10.15% at a `nominal' charge of Rs. 5,600. I disregarded that as they should have woken up earlier. They did not give up and when I went to HDFC in Munirka alongwith new lender with loan full payment cheque, they again offered the same service immediately.

[SchumiFan]

Anyone know a proper/effective way to disconnect Airtel Broadband. I usually send an email to their 121 email id for any changes required in plan.

Yesterday I sent a mail saying that I want the connection to be terminated by the end of this billing cycle which comes in 5 days. No reply yet in 15+ hours from them. They are usually like a boyfriend waiting for a reply from his girl on Whatsapp; I don't understand why it was not the case this time.

I am going to call their number tonight and see if that helps.

Just wanted to know if someone here has disconnected them earlier without much fuss.

[rajakumar]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Today I saw that there is a new plan that Airtel if offering.
Rs.1099 / 60 GB / 8 MBPS

Thanks for posting about this plan, otherwise I would have ended up paying more for the same plan under the previous pricing. I had previous plan of Rs1399/8mbs/60GB which is now only Rs1099. Unless the customer acts, Airtel will conveniently keep charging us on the old plan. However in case of increase, it applies even if we are on the old plan.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

Anyone know a proper/effective way to disconnect Airtel Broadband.

The safest way to disconnect is to go to their nearest office and give it in writing, get a rubber stamped acknowledgement, scan it, email it to yourself, laminate the paper acknowledgement and keep it safe atleast for a year or two.

The one thing you can tell them reason to terminate is that you are shifting house and moving to another city. They will not bother you much after that. If you give them reason as cheaper plan etc, they will call you atleast 20 times and after that every month. It will be a girl and usually named Priya Seems to be the most common alias they use... good luck with your disconnect, it can be a pain.

They kept insisting that I transfer this line to a relative. I've never heard such crap in my life...

[SchumiFan]

Originally Posted by diyguy

The safest way to disconnect is to go to their nearest office and give it in writing, get a rubber stamped acknowledgement, scan it, email it to yourself, laminate the paper acknowledgement and keep it safe atleast for a year or two.

The one thing you can tell them reason to terminate is that you are shifting house and moving to another city. They will not bother you much after that. If you give them reason as cheaper plan etc, they will call you atleast 20 times and after that every month. It will be a girl and usually named Priya Seems to be the most common alias they use... good luck with your disconnect, it can be a pain.

They kept insisting that I transfer this line to a relative. I've never heard such crap in my life...

Read this reply a little late unfortunately. I got a call from them this evening telling me about the 60GB plan but for Rs.1199 though. I told them I have moved to a different provider which is cheaper and faster as well, so don't bother with the advertisement.

I mentioned 40Mbps as well and told her that when Airtel decides to up the speed in the area (currently restricted to 8Mbps), I will reconsider my decision since you have been good with the connection without any downtime. Received a reference number and an email stating that it will closed in 7 days.

Will go to the office in Adyar to make it doubly sure.

Thanks sir!