YetiBlog® - MTNL Internet- The unforgettable experience

amtak · 23rd July 2008, 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by tifosikrishna

ROFTLMAO.....

this is going to be one hell of a thread from now on....all set for a nice sequel.....

The Yeti strikes - II

Quote:

Originally Posted by anujmishra

Another sequel after "Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag"... Oh God not again...

Jokes Apart!

Guys from bangalore! Did you ever try to download stuff in bangalore with new BSNL Broadband plan of 500. According to plan it says "Unlimited from 2:00 AM to 8:00 AM".

Plan detail is as follows:

1.5 GB Download/Upload per month free
175 call units (As of One India Plan free). This means 175 minutes of STD calls free. For more details Please see this BSNL link.

After Sam's episode, I have no courage to try it out. Can anybody verify that it really works and we do not have to switch off and switch on modem at 02:05 AM ?

He lives in Mumbai. No BSNL saar! Only MTNL.

DerAlte · 23rd July 2008, 15:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by hemanthisgreat

Why don't you just shift to the unlimited plan, which costs about 750 bucks in Bangalore. ...

We are a blessed lot in Bangalore, Hemanth! Check out the tariffs on the Mumbai MTNL page - bleeding daylight robbery.

Sam: it is better that you opt for the "Trib Unlimited Plan-1" (S.No. 15 on the tariff page) for 2500/- a month.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anujmishra

... new BSNL Broadband plan of 500. According to plan it says "Unlimited from 2:00 AM to 8:00 AM". ...

@anuj, this is targeted for people working US EST shift in BPO outfits. Come back home at 0200, can't sleep anyhow, so put on your PC and browse till your eyes hurt (not used to sunlight).

In the other plans, only heavy uploads and downloads get charged, effectively. With normal browsing and emails, you are unlikely to exceed the plan limits. Avoid all those heavy Flash-based sites (they are a pain anyhow). Most text-based sites are about 2-5K per page, so 1.5GB is the equivalent of a LOT of pages / mails.

anujmishra · 24th July 2008, 11:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerAlte

@anuj, this is targeted for people working US EST shift in BPO outfits. Come back home at 0200, can't sleep anyhow, so put on your PC and browse till your eyes hurt (not used to sunlight).

In the other plans, only heavy uploads and downloads get charged, effectively. With normal browsing and emails, you are unlikely to exceed the plan limits. Avoid all those heavy Flash-based sites (they are a pain anyhow). Most text-based sites are about 2-5K per page, so 1.5GB is the equivalent of a LOT of pages / mails.

Hi DerAlte, even I was in same opinion as of yours. I have never tried to download heavy stuff between 2:00 AM to 8:00 AM. BSNL/MTNL people not sure of plans at all. It is for sure that this plan suits to BPO employees.

1.5 GB with 2Mbps speed is good enough of normal email, browsing, chatting and few voice calls. When I was abraoad this 1.5 GB with 2 Mbps helped me to call my home few times a day and at the end of month exceeding on 140 Mb or so.

Before this plan I had unlimited 900 UL+ @256 Kbps but when I changed the plan BSNL reduced rate to 750 Rs. per month for unlimited plan.

StarScream · 24th July 2008, 19:57

I am surprised that in this day and age people still muck around with the sarkari phone companies - Preity `ghar ki pehchan' Zinta notwithstanding. An incident like this and you realize they are just not worth it.
It's not that issues don't happen with the pvt. phone companies but at least you can scream at them to vent your frustrations. With the sarkari ones you face trouble and on top of that you have to be polite to get it fixed.
BTW Kapasi you're in Mumbai, I presume - the city with the famous work ethic. Try dealing with MTNL/BSNL up north. Here they'll want to empty your wallet to fix their mistake. It's all about....how shall I put it politely? Speed money.

deepakvrao · 24th July 2008, 20:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by StarScream

I am surprised that in this day and age people still muck around with the sarkari phone companies - Preity `ghar ki pehchan' Zinta notwithstanding. An incident like this and you realize they are just not worth it.
It's not that issues don't happen with the pvt. phone companies but at least you can scream at them to vent your frustrations. With the sarkari ones you face trouble and on top of that you have to be polite to get it fixed.
BTW Kapasi you're in Mumbai, I presume - the city with the famous work ethic. Try dealing with MTNL/BSNL up north. Here they'll want to empty your wallet to fix their mistake. It's all about....how shall I put it politely? Speed money.

Sarkari companies are not so bad here in Bangalore - I use BSNL and get good speeds. I pay 5K a YEAR for 2GB a month, avg speeds of about 100KB [sometimes I get even 160KB], unlimited night [without switching the modem off and on].

It used to be 10K but last year they reduced the pricing.

Sam Kapasi · 25th July 2008, 13:32

I went to the MTNL exchange at Bandra, Mumbai today. I did not even visit the Internet department, opting to go up straight to the 6-and-a-half floor to meet the accounts officer, Mrs. J.

Mrs. J recognised me instantly, but need a little reminding about my problem. Understandable, the lady is very overloaded with many consumer problems.
As she realised it had happened all over again, she started up her computer and sighed.
We will have to calculate manually again.
I'm so sorry, Mrs. J said I sympathetically. How can we stop this from happening every month?
Yes. She perked up. You cannot come here every month like this. You please visit Mrs. B the JTO. Please visit her and explain.

15 minutes later I am sitting in front of the very cooperative Mrs. B and her assistant. The fault has been determined.

MTNL has 2 servers. One that controls the Internet access and one that controls the billing. The 2 are not linked.
When a plan is changed, it needs to be changed on 2 different user interfaces, from 2 different departments.

When you change your plan, from Plan X to PLan Y, you contact the MTNL customer service centre, or call centre, it is updated immediately on the server that calculates your bill. Your service charge etc is updated, almost immediately. This is the non-technical side of MTNL Internet.

A job number is then generated that is sent to the Telecom Officer. Using this job number, the telecom officer uses his interface and changes the plan from plan X to plan Y. This is the technical side of MTNL.

Normally, this procedure is supposed to be automatic. However, a job number generated by the accounts section on the 29th of April 2008, addressed to the Telecom Officer was overlooked by human error.
The result: The Non-Technical, accounting side of MTNL received a kilobyte usage sheet from the Tech-side, multiplied it by Rs.X and generated my bill.
The mistake: The Tech side should have generated a seperate sheet for kilobytes used during day logon and a seperate one for night logon. The accounts would then charge me for the day use and the night would be gratis.

Mr.s B apologised for her human error by calling Mrs. J while I was sitting in front of her. She updated her computer by instructing her assistant and supervising it herself.

Unfortunately Mrs. J and her assistants will have to manually calculate my current bill. But from next month I will not face this trouble gain.

Overall experience: Good.

ASHISHPALLOD · 25th July 2008, 13:40

GOOD.
The problem has been solved.
We may not able to read more unforgettable MTNL experiences from you.

kalpeshc · 25th July 2008, 13:54

Even I had a few experiences with MTNL (fortunately not accounting related), but one thing which I found, and agree with Sam, is that politeness pays. It is a fact that 'some' of the officers of MTNL are really overworked but if you are polite, they go out of their way to help you out. You just have to show that you do not think of them as some lowly clerks and you are willing to help them out to correct the problems.

Also, it really helps if you start off things officially e.g. get a complaint number, write to the GM or any other senior officer, compaint via web (somehow this goes to the management), write an application, etc. Once you do this and they have on record that you have complained, they will go out of the way to fix it. I feel that they have some SLAs to meet when it comes to complaint resolution.

sujaylahiri · 25th July 2008, 22:26

Sam has a unique way of narrating his experiences step by step in his blog which I think is just brilliant.

That's why I like all his Yetiblogs.

amtak · 30th July 2008, 15:48

What did the actual bill come to? Sam?

Jayabusa · 26th August 2010, 16:37

Not sure whether this is the right thread to post my query.

Just want to ask fellow MTNL tri-band users from Mumbai whether they are getting disconnected every 4-5 minutes nowadays i.e. during the monsoon?

Rock 'n' rollz · 27th August 2010, 21:07

^^
no not at all. I have a 10-8 unlimited plan and I am happy.

Jayabusa · 27th August 2010, 21:48

^^I'm using the 24hr unlimited plan & am facing the problem since the rains started IIRC. To add to that the speed has reduced drastically.

When I had called the 'Kasht karke mar' care quite a few days back, I was told, all this is occurring due to the rains.

jigbarai · 27th August 2010, 22:43

Not me. I am on MTNL while browsing tbhp since half n hour and typing this. Hasnt disconnected and doesnt do so *that* frequently. Sometimes, yes !

The speed has been a tad slow offlate.

Btw, what has the rains go to do with this interrupted service ??
It isnt the zingalala tata-sky for crying out loud !!!

24th July 2008, 19:57	#229
StarScream Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Noida/Delhi Posts: 1,263 Thanked: 667 Times	I am surprised that in this day and age people still muck around with the sarkari phone companies - Preity `ghar ki pehchan' Zinta notwithstanding. An incident like this and you realize they are just not worth it. It's not that issues don't happen with the pvt. phone companies but at least you can scream at them to vent your frustrations. With the sarkari ones you face trouble and on top of that you have to be polite to get it fixed. BTW Kapasi you're in Mumbai, I presume - the city with the famous work ethic. Try dealing with MTNL/BSNL up north. Here they'll want to empty your wallet to fix their mistake. It's all about....how shall I put it politely? Speed money. Last edited by StarScream : 24th July 2008 at 20:00.
	() Thanks

25th July 2008, 13:32	#231
Sam Kapasi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (but wat Posts: 7,000 Thanked: 2,451 Times View My Garage	The re-visit I went to the MTNL exchange at Bandra, Mumbai today. I did not even visit the Internet department, opting to go up straight to the 6-and-a-half floor to meet the accounts officer, Mrs. J. Mrs. J recognised me instantly, but need a little reminding about my problem. Understandable, the lady is very overloaded with many consumer problems. As she realised it had happened all over again, she started up her computer and sighed. We will have to calculate manually again. I'm so sorry, Mrs. J said I sympathetically. How can we stop this from happening every month? Yes. She perked up. You cannot come here every month like this. You please visit Mrs. B the JTO. Please visit her and explain. 15 minutes later I am sitting in front of the very cooperative Mrs. B and her assistant. The fault has been determined. MTNL has 2 servers. One that controls the Internet access and one that controls the billing. The 2 are not linked. When a plan is changed, it needs to be changed on 2 different user interfaces, from 2 different departments. When you change your plan, from Plan X to PLan Y, you contact the MTNL customer service centre, or call centre, it is updated immediately on the server that calculates your bill. Your service charge etc is updated, almost immediately. This is the non-technical side of MTNL Internet. A job number is then generated that is sent to the Telecom Officer. Using this job number, the telecom officer uses his interface and changes the plan from plan X to plan Y. This is the technical side of MTNL. Normally, this procedure is supposed to be automatic. However, a job number generated by the accounts section on the 29th of April 2008, addressed to the Telecom Officer was overlooked by human error. The result: The Non-Technical, accounting side of MTNL received a kilobyte usage sheet from the Tech-side, multiplied it by Rs.X and generated my bill. The mistake: The Tech side should have generated a seperate sheet for kilobytes used during day logon and a seperate one for night logon. The accounts would then charge me for the day use and the night would be gratis. Mr.s B apologised for her human error by calling Mrs. J while I was sitting in front of her. She updated her computer by instructing her assistant and supervising it herself. Unfortunately Mrs. J and her assistants will have to manually calculate my current bill. But from next month I will not face this trouble gain. Overall experience: Good.
	() Thanks

25th July 2008, 13:40	#232
ASHISHPALLOD Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: MH42 Posts: 2,013 Thanked: 341 Times View My Garage	GOOD. The problem has been solved. We may not able to read more unforgettable MTNL experiences from you.
	() Thanks

25th July 2008, 13:54	#233
kalpeshc BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 537 Thanked: 141 Times	Even I had a few experiences with MTNL (fortunately not accounting related), but one thing which I found, and agree with Sam, is that politeness pays. It is a fact that 'some' of the officers of MTNL are really overworked but if you are polite, they go out of their way to help you out. You just have to show that you do not think of them as some lowly clerks and you are willing to help them out to correct the problems. Also, it really helps if you start off things officially e.g. get a complaint number, write to the GM or any other senior officer, compaint via web (somehow this goes to the management), write an application, etc. Once you do this and they have on record that you have complained, they will go out of the way to fix it. I feel that they have some SLAs to meet when it comes to complaint resolution.
	() Thanks

25th July 2008, 22:26	#234
sujaylahiri BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North America Posts: 960 Thanked: 6 Times View My Garage	Sam has a unique way of narrating his experiences step by step in his blog which I think is just brilliant. That's why I like all his Yetiblogs.
	() Thanks

30th July 2008, 15:48	#235
amtak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai - The city of Sea Link!!! Posts: 2,932 Thanked: 951 Times View My Garage	What did the actual bill come to? Sam?
	() Thanks

26th August 2010, 16:37	#236
Jayabusa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,448 Thanked: 69 Times	Not sure whether this is the right thread to post my query. Just want to ask fellow MTNL tri-band users from Mumbai whether they are getting disconnected every 4-5 minutes nowadays i.e. during the monsoon? Last edited by Jayabusa : 26th August 2010 at 16:40.
	() Thanks

27th August 2010, 21:07	#237
Rock 'n' rollz BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 287 Thanked: 21 Times	^^ no not at all. I have a 10-8 unlimited plan and I am happy.
	() Thanks

27th August 2010, 21:48	#238
Jayabusa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,448 Thanked: 69 Times	^^I'm using the 24hr unlimited plan & am facing the problem since the rains started IIRC. To add to that the speed has reduced drastically. When I had called the 'Kasht karke mar' care quite a few days back, I was told, all this is occurring due to the rains. Last edited by Jayabusa : 27th August 2010 at 21:57.
	() Thanks

27th August 2010, 22:43	#239
jigbarai BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 560 Thanked: 36 Times	Not me. I am on MTNL while browsing tbhp since half n hour and typing this. Hasnt disconnected and doesnt do so that frequently. Sometimes, yes ! The speed has been a tad slow offlate. Btw, what has the rains go to do with this interrupted service ?? It isnt the zingalala tata-sky for crying out loud !!! Last edited by jigbarai : 27th August 2010 at 22:44.
	() Thanks