[maranellored]

Well, on my BSNL night unlimited plan which costs Rs.500 a month. I have a download limit of 2.5GB and night unlimited from 2AM to 8AM.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I wrote a script which used to disconnect and logon at 12:10am and then again do the same at 7:45am
Never got high bills due to that, but this circus was unacceptable.
2 day downtime was the straw that broke my back.

So i use a script similarly to logon at 2:05 and logoff at 7:45. The only benefit of this trouble is the amazing download speeds of about 150-175 KBps.
This allows me to download nearly 3-4 GB in one night. Pretty kewl i must say.

And till now i've never experienced any downtime at all with BSNL. maybe i've been lucky

But then if u arent interested in taking the trouble u could try the whole month unlimited plans which arent very cheap but are much lesser a pain.

[Sam Kapasi]

It is a truly horrible breakfast. I have many unexpected expenses being hurled my way at this time, paying this much for one month of internet is not something I can smile about.

What to do? What to do?

I decide I'm going to do something about it. The only logical options I can think of are

1) This is an accounting error
2) I've been charged at Rs. 1 per MB for everything I've used in May.

I pick up the phone and dial the internet call center 1504.
Press 6 if you feel like your head is going to explode.
Sigh.

Namaskar MTNL
Namaskar. My number is 2642XXXX.
Clackety clack goes the keyboard. Yes?
Madam I was on the Rs 399 plan and I had it changed to the 849 plan.
Aapka complaint number likhiye L for london 1080. Yes. What is the problem?
Madam I have been billed for night usage or there is some mistake.
No mistake. Usage is calculated by computer.
But madam...
Clackety clack. Do you check your usage?
Huh?
Aapko website maloom hai jahaan se usage maloom hota hai?
Uhhh nahi.
Dekhiye june mein you have used 4047 MB already.
Uhhh...

Madam please dekhiye. I have received a bill of Rs.14000 internet use. PLEASE understand.
Silence.
Itna high??
Yes!

Clack clack-a bit slower. Aapne may mein 14000 ke upar MB download kiya. This bill is normal.
But madam I have downloaded this in the night!
Did you put the modem off after 12?
YES. Every day.
Clackety clackety clack goes the keyboard.
You are on 399 plan.
What?
You are on 399 plan with no free night usage.
What, nahi nahi! My heart is sinking fast.
Aapke paas koi confirmation hai that you are on 849 night plan?
Maine call centre mein phone kiya...
Aapke paas koi letter, kucch confirmation..
But madam aapke office se confirmation phone call aaya tha!
I can sense her about to cut me off. This is not looking good for me. I am desperately staring at the bill in my hand.

BUT WAIT!
Madam internet service charge 800 rupees hai!
Huh? Clackety clackety clackety clack goes faster now.
I gotcha now, woman.
800 hai?
Haan.
Silence.
Madam agar mein 399 plan pe hots toh service charge would have been 399 no?
Yes.
So do you think there is a mistake here?
Ho sakta hai. You do one thing, you go to accounts office, bandra telephone exchange. If there is a mistake they will correct it.
Sure?

Yes.

Ok. Can I have the complaint number you gave me again?
Silence.
Aapne woh likha nahi tha?
Nahi I didn't have a pen, sorry.
mmmm, I don't have it on my screen now.
Uhhh can you look?
Sir we are only allowed to give 1 and a half minute to a customer. I have given you more than 6 minutes already.
Huh?? I cannot believe I am hearing this.
So what to do?
Now please call again and take a new complaint number. Click.

Nonononononononononono.

[emkay456]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Wake up!!



MTNL has billed me Rs. 14500/- for internet usage in one month.


Story to be continued tomorrow.

Have you changed the password of your account ? It is a must nowdays because through reliable internal sources from MTNL have come to know that the recent broadband connections where the User ID is "<phoneno>@a" lot of issues regarding their download counters are there and someone found out that password change has solved his overbilling. If it is indeed a password issue, I feel there is some misuse of your connection. I hope you know that your default password which is stored is your
CA No. ( mentioned in your telephone bill ).
Therefore please change the password first at the MTNL Broadband Registered users webpage :
For new connections with @a suffix :
http://59.185.0.16:10080/jsp/Login.jsp
and old connections withough @a suffix :
Login Page

After you do it on the website you have to your route admin and update the password there too.
For that you need to browse to http://192.168.1.1 and
login using User : admin and password admin
then you can go to the appropriate page and update the password. Finally you have to select the
save and reboot option.

Rgds

[Revvhead]

MindBlowing!!!!! Call back for a new complaint number!!! Sam your Dad musthave been furious after seeing the bill, i can only picture it

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

I am on Reliance WiMax as well. Pretty good, I use it with my WiFi router. No downtime so far. Waiting to see if it survives mumbai rains.

Its one of the most realiable one we had. The price to performance ( read speed ) ratio is not good, but then price to reliability is excellent. Waiting for rains to come.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Sir we are only allowed to give 1 and a half minute to a customer. I have given you more than 6 minutes already...... Now please call again and take a new complaint number. Click.

Worst example of customer centric behaviour I have ever come across. May not be the girl's fault but someone higher deserves a sound firing for making such horrendous SLA's.

[Sam Kapasi]

I have called again. I have gone through most of that again. One thing is clear.

The call centre sees my account as a 399/- no-night-usage account. BUT I have been charged for a night usage account.
It is all making sense to me now.

Somehow there has been a miscommunication between 2 departments. I am being charged for a night usage plan, but the internet department does not know about this are are charging me Rs. 1/- per MB.
Now what?

Who has ever walked into an MTNL office and walked out with a corrected lower bill?
And the due date is 27th June. If I don't pay this bill, the phone line will get disconnected. The second lady has already suggested that I pay the bill and corrections if any will reflect as credit amounts.
No. I am not stupid.

I speak to my Dad and tell him that I am not going to pay this bill. The line may get disconnected, can he live without a phone line at home. He agrees, we hardly use the MTNL line in any case.
That day I visit the thread on USB and PCMCIA datacards and decide to buy a Tata USB internet thingy.

It is 133.5KBPS sir. 999/- unlimited usage.
That's slower than 2MBPS right?
Yes.
Can I get a demo?
OK.
Nevermind that it is slow, I will live with it.

But that is plan B. First I will try to fight the system. Now it is time to leave for work.

Tomorrow I will visit the Bandra Telephone exchange.

[emkay456]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Who has ever walked into an MTNL office and walked out with a corrected lower bill?
And the due date is 27th June. If I don't pay this bill, the phone line will get disconnected. The second lady has already suggested that I pay the bill and corrections if any will reflect as credit amounts.
No. I am not stupid.

I speak to my Dad and tell him that I am not going to pay this bill. The line may get disconnected, can he live without a phone line at home. He agrees, we hardly use the MTNL line in any case.

I think in all probability the error will be corrected and a revised bill issued. Because the amount is big, they wont insist on the rebate mechanism.
It is always advisable to go in for Plan changes at the start of the month as that gives for the rusty MTNL mechanism to operate till the next billing date.
Pl. see my prev. post regarding other issues.

[archangel]

Sam, I have read through your mtnl story and here is my bit. I have been there. The same wrong billing story. In my case, it was bsnl. After the call center thing, i went to the bsnl office and those guys promptly corrected my bill. So please do give the mtnl office a visit first.

The only problem i have with my bsnl connection now is "I am being charged Rs. 60 modem rental for the last 3 months." I purchased the modem in year 2006 and i have all the bills with me to support my claim. For the last 3 months, each month i had to go to the bsnl office to correct the bill. Each time, they reassure me it wont happen the next time and i believes them. They even have my written complaint with them.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Samurai

What kind of demented programming logic requires the customer to reset the modem everyday? Can't they track the time-of-day usage on their own?

Exactly. Now, i too have a bill of 8,635 outstanding waiting to be sorted out. I am on the 600 plan where i get 2.5gb free download & free night usage. I have swallowed 3-4k bills but this seems outrageous.

[Sam Kapasi]

9.30am:

I enter the telephone exchange. As I walk in a little further I see a sign that says Sewa Centre. I pop in. It is obviously a customer service centre, a place where bills can be paid and complaints can be registered.
It is very decrepit. The chairs are broken and a few sofas are torn.

There are about 10 counters, strewn around like an old fashioned bank. About 6 MTNL employees are on duty.

I approach what looks like a reception, an old peon with his metal table and chair.
Haan?
Bill amount ka complaint hai.
He points with one hand, cleaning his teeth with the other.

I approach a man with a computer under his desk, the monitor angled towards him.
I am standing at his desk.
He looks up yes?
I show him my bill and start to explain.
He looks like he does not understand.
I am still standing. There are 2 empty chairs but basic courtesy somehow makes me stand till I am offered a seat. He does not offer me a seat.
While I am talking to him, someone else walks in and sticks his bill in, complaining loudly about something and they start having a conversation.
It makes no difference to the gentleman that I am actually at the counter and his turn is next.

Back to me.

I start again.

Sir, I have applied for a DSL849NU (Night unlimited) plan and your records show it as Plan 399. I have been charged for night usage at full price.
However you have taken the service charge of the night plan from me.

He understands and checks his computer.
No it is showing that you have plan 849 with night unlimited.
I'm stunned. It shows that on your computer?
Yes.
Are you sure because when I called the call centre they said I was on Plan 399.
No you are on Plan 849, the service charge is correct as it is adjusted from 5th may and your usage shows 14000MB.

My mind is racing. Did that lady change it yesterday?
Since when does my account show night unlimited?
Since 5th May.

So are you telling me this bill of 14500/- is correct?
He checks.
You have that much usage, he shrugs.
Sir ek computer ek mahine mein 14000 rupees ka internet use karega?
Aapne baara baje modem bund kiya tha?
Haan. Daily karta hoon.
Ho sakta hai that your time and our time is different. Maybe when you switch on and off it may be 12 in your clock but MTNL clock may be 11.55.
No but I switch off at 12.10!

But the doubt has crept into my head.
Could this truly have happened? Could my computer time and the MTNL server time be different?

I do not set the time on my computer, it is set automatically from the internet. But what if MTNL does not follow that time? What if their servers are running 10 minutes late or something. Could they then claim that since I restarted my modem before the night plan was activated, I would be paying for all night usage?

Oh God, I feel a bit weak.

Can I have a detailed bill showing my log on and log off timings?
Sir everything is computer controlled. If the computer shows that you have night-free usage your bill is calculated accordingly.
Yes sir, but I want to see my detailed usage.
He stares at me.
Is there a website where I can see my timings on the internet.
No. Aap ek kaam kijiye, you go to the first floor, internet department and speak to them, maybe they can help you.

10.10am:Time to enter the main telephone exchange building and go to the first floor.

My adventure has only just begun.

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Sir ek computer ek mahine mein 14000 rupees ka internet use karega?
Aapne baara baje modem bund kiya tha?
Haan. Daily karta hoon.
Ho sakta hai

Please make the entire content in English. Do not want to miss even a line

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by Surprise

Please make the entire content in English. Do not want to miss even a line

Forgive me, I was trying to preserve the authenticity of the narration. I will try harder to include translations.

Sir ek computer ek mahine mein 14000 rupees ka internet use karega?
Sir how can one computer consume 14000 rupees worth of internet in one month?


Aapne baara baje modem bund kiya tha?
Did you shut off your modem at 12?


Haan. Daily karta hoon.
Yes I do it daily.


Ho sakta hai
It is possible.

[whatcanthisbe]

haha this is hilarious sam, so 10:10 you enter the building and then what

[dadu]

Everything is possible in BSNL

Not to take away the flow of this blog:

Once upon a time long long away, ISDN 64kbps internet is renewed 10 days back for 10k in Delhi for 1000 hrs.

One day I find internet not working. Check the website for usage, 0 hrs left.

Call the VSNL CS line for ISDN customers.

lady: VSNL mein aapka swagat hai, yes sir.

Me: Mere Internet usage mein kuch gadbad hai (Some problem in my usage)

lady: I 'll transfer to the billing department.

Me: OK


Phone is transferred


Guy: Yes, Sir

Me: Mere Internet usage mein kuch gadbad hai (Some problem in my usage)

Guy: kya hua (what happenned)

Me: Website pe 0 hrs left dikha raha hai (Its showing 0 hrs left on the website)

Guy: Aapne use kar liya hoga (You must have used it)


Me: Maine 10 days pehle 1000 hrs renew karwaya tha, 10 din mein 1000 hrs kaise use kar sakta hai koi ?? ( I had renewed for 1000hrs, 10 days earlier and how can one use 1000 hrs in 10 days) 10*24hrs = 240 hrs

Guy: Long pause, check karta huin, account details batao (let me check, give me the account details)

Me: okay, xxxxxx.vsnl.net

Guy: hold karna (Please hold)

Me: ok


Guy: Kuch problem lagta hai, application mein apni problem likh kar de do, renew kar denge 1000 hrs. (Seems to be some problem give your problem description in an application, we will renew it for 1000 hrs).

Me: Main kyon application doon, galti aapki hai, jitna baaki hrs bachtein hai account mein, vapis daal dijiye. (why should I give the application, its your mistake, just put back the rest of the hrs)

Guy: Pauses, Sir, bina application ke yahan par kuch nahin hoga, please application fax kar dijiye, fax number le lijiye. (Nothing will work without the application, please send the application via fax, take the number)


Understanding the way they work, I take the fax number print an application on company letterhead, sign it and away it goes in the fax.

Account updated in 30 min with a refill of 1000 hrs.