Well,
I think title tells everything that this post is about. I got an airtel SIM on 9th May and submitted all required documents. I got a call from airtel to verify the details I had filled in and I gave appropriate answers. The trouble started when I got an SMS on 29th July saying that my documents were not in order.
I went to Airtel Customer Care at Malleshwaram, Bangalore. Resubmitted all of the documents and filled the form again. They assured me that my mobile connection will not be affected now. 10 days later, suddenly, without warning, they barred outgoing as well as incoming connections. When I went there to enquire, they said that it has been barred due to 'Zero Usage'!!!!
Needless, to mention that I was using this number the whole time. Neither I ran out of balance nor validity. They made me talk to their "(mis)manager" and he asked me to submit the document, yet again!!! I do not see any connection between "Zero Usage" and my documents. After enough shouting, they told it will get activated within 4 hours. When their 4 hours did not get over after my 20 hours ( may be Airtel operates in some sort of parallel universe! ), I went again to Customer Care at Malleshwaram.
Not to my surprise, there were couple of customers already shouting for one reason or the other. I took my turn to shout at them, and now they reduced the time to 30 minutes. I am yet to gain a knowledge of the way time operates in their parallel universe. I am still waiting for my connection to get established.
It is a loot in broad day light, as they even refuse to return my balance in the event of them not able to provide me connectivity!
I have been using vodafone for last 4 years, and used MTNL 3 years before that. Never faced a problem like this. The only thing I would recommend is to keep away from Airtel.
May they rot in Hell!!! Oh, wait, I forgot that they are themselves the creators!
7 comments:
Airtel sucks every where. Even in Maharashtra the services of Airtel is the third grade. Signal strength problem is the major reason for the airtel in Pune. I agree with you in recommending Vodafone and saying keep away from Airtel, where ever you are.....
Airtel Sucks every where in India.
The new fad is re-verification. Every six months, you get a phone call/SMS to re-submit your documents as mandated by TRAI standard procedure (seen this on Vodafone, MTNL, Airtel and BPL in Mumbai). WTF. And when you go to submit these documents, they just stash in a pile right in front of you. I think at the end of the day, they sell it to the neighbourhood 'raddi' waala for channa. :P
Actually, atleast according to me, the real problem is getting a sim when the residence proof is for temporary address. I got very frustrated with Tata Indicom about that when they just wouldn't clear my documents because the address proof was not a govt id. I got the sim card from mumbai, when i got to know that the two circles are practically merged, and the chap got it activated in 15 min flat. but then that could be the difference between mumbai and pune too. :D ..
Hey saket,
Let me tell you further development in the story. When I reached the Airtel Relationship Center and forced them to contact whosoever is responsible for enabling my connection following happened. They called one team and they said, ask termination team. When they called termination team, they said contact someone else as the documents were resubmitted and were in order, so the number was not listed for termination. Just like government bureaucracy, they were pointing at each other to do the job. After putting a fight for almost a week, contacting Nodal officer and constant face to face nagging to Airtel Relationship Center twice in a day, they activated my connection. So it turns out that without my fault and without any warning they just cut my connection and I had to put up a long battle to get it back.
Airtel has started a new thing with mobile users. It sends SMSes, without the customer asking for it, every day for which it quietly charges Re. 1 per day for each type of SMS. This earns them a revenue of several lakhs per day for sending senseless and irrelevant SMSes. On complaining, the Nodal Officer just rants in general and on being pushed, they just reverse the charges, without ever explaining on whose authority they started this service, in the first place.
Airtel service is going down. Beware, if you get messages like this, because they are being charged to you. Immediately complain in writing and ask who has authorized this service.
WHEN I TRIED TO PORT MY NUMBER, THEY CALLED ME UP WITH LOW CALL CHARGES PLAN TO RETAIN ME. I HAD OPT FOR THAT PLAN AS I WAS BEING INFORMED THIS CALL CHARGES WILL BE APPLICABLE FOR FIRST 3 MONTHS AND THEREAFTER, THEY WOULD OFFER ME A BETTER PLAN BUT THEY HAVE CHANGED MY PLAN IN JUST 2 MONTHS. I SENT EMAILS TO NODAL AS WELL AS APPELATE OFFICER. THEY ARE BUNCH OF CROOKS. BEWARE OF AIRTEL...IT REALLY SUCKS !!!
Post a Comment