Headache with AirTel still continues...

Recently I ported my mobile from AirTel to BSNL.
For the past two days I am on BSNL.

But an AirTel SMS arrives on my inbox "Your 2250 Local SMSPack at Rs26 will be auto renewed in 3 days on your AirTel mobile. To stop this pack, dial *333*0 or text STOP to 121"

Dear Foolish AirTel, could you leave me be free of your headaches.

The reason that I left AirTel was that...
I had subscribed for a 1 month SMS Booster pack at Rs.26 which gives 2250 sms in a month.
But, after a month, I wanted it to be closed on its own.
The heck is that, AirTel had been sending me an SMS informing me that the SMS pack will be auto renewed and Rs.26 would get deducted on its own. If, I wanted to stop this nuisance of auto renewal, I need to dial a specific number.

But, I asked them WHY?
After multiple interaction with the folks at AirTel, I came to the conclusion that its a gimmick to plunder money from the subscribers. Many similar conning techniques has come in AirTel's vogue nowadays.

I finally succeeded to move to BSNL using the MNP. So, now the, headache is over. I thought so.

Recently there is a restriction by Indian govt. Not more than 5 SMS per day can be sent by mobile users in India. But, ironically for Mobile Service Providers, there is no restriction on sending SMS to the users.

Though I am on BSNL for the past two days, AirTel keeps on sending me SMS of various offers.

The hullabullah still continues. Is there a way to highlight this headache to the concerned authorities?

Switching over from AirTel to BSNL

A decade ago, interacting with a BSNL official would be a harder thingy. But, nowadays lot of changes are there. I was going to the office couple of times and right from the security guard at the entrance to the officials inside the office, everybody has the knack to welcome the customer and interact. They answer to all queries in the right manner. 2 weeks back my land line connection got attended within 80 minutes.

Couple of weeks back, my uncle was going on a tour to Delhi -> Calcutta, etc., I thought of cautioning him to ensure sufficient amount in his BSNL mobile so that roaming charges do not drain his talk time. But surprised on the reply from him that BSNL mobiles are free of any roaming charges within India.

Back then, I was having hard time with my AirTel mobile. AirTel was working on fine years back. But, now its giving lot of surprises. An year ago, I was using Rs.119 booster which offers Re. 0.30 for AirTel calls, 10,000 SMS free over a period of six month. But they changed it abruptly putting limits to the SMS for a 100 per day. Though, a few months back, we could know on how many SMS have been sent by us. But, then they cleverly changed it. Nowadays though we have the limit on the number of SMS sent by us, we can not know on how many SMS have been sent. Its harder in memorizing the count of the SMS we send on a day so that we would stop sending over and above the limit. If we keep on sending the SMS in a day, and if, we have crossed our free limit, an amount is fleeced on each SMS, by AirTel.

Many a time, after long waits; ofcourse some times after few tweets, a smart talking customer care executive comes on line to attend me. Their standard answer is that Airtel India's marketing dept has changed the rules and rates have changed. The surprise is that, they keep on sending SMS on new talk time offers and new booster plans. But, I am surprised on what stops them to send me a SMS on the changes in my Talk Plan or the Booster Pack that I have been using.

Now, the Mobile Number Portability is available. Every mobile user in India can have the same mobile number and change his service provider.

The experience so far has given me on Why Not try another service?

So came the BSNL in my top option.
Couple of days ago, brought the necessary forms from the BSNL office.

How to do MNP?
From your mobile type "Port " to 1900
You will get a reply. Note down the 8 digit code. Write down the code in the application form and submit it to your new service provider.

Finished the necessary procedures.

Today I went there to submit the forms. The people employed there were elderly. Its very hard to find a Fluent English speaking Smart guy at BSNL office. But, what I needed, is available with them. The response given by them to my query were apt and that was what I needed. Completed all the formalities, Paid Rs.50, got the SIM card.

I was told that I would need to wait for a couple of days. Once my AirTel network goes off, I need to insert the new BSNL SIM. It would get activated and I can start using their service.

Awaiting for the new experience.

Bye bye AirTel.

Airtel gives me a frustrating rollercoaster drive

I bought a postpaid mobile connection 4 months back from Airtel. I wanted to change it into prepaid for which I was told at the local Airtel shop (Customer Relationship Center) at Cuddalore that usually this change can be done after three months of activation of the number.

Here is a callous chronology I had with Airtel whenever I approach them for migrating my post paid plan to a prepaid...

End March'09 (3rd month of its activation): Airtel shop (Customer Relationship Center) tells "Network updation is in progress and migration to prepaid can not be done".

Around 6April'09 (well past 3rd month of activation): Airtel customer care executive at call centre tells “You can migrate to prepaid plan after April 16^th”

Then I decided on 21April09 to go to the local Airtel shop to convert my post paid connection into a prepaid one. To confirm that whether I could go ahead with the migration process on that day I called the customer call centre...

6.00 p.m. on 21April'09: Airtel customer care executive at the call centre tells “You CAN migrate to prepaid plan today. Please go with your passport size photo, a proof of your identity and a proof of your address, pay a migration fee of Rs.150 and within 9 Hours your prepaid connection will get activated. If in case of difficulty in getting the work done, please call customer care from the phone kept at the Airtel shop (Customer Relationship Center) and we shall help you out and get the work done. ”

So I arrived at my local Airtel shop (Customer Relationship Center) at 7.30 pm. The story is different here. They simply told that it is not possible in the first six months and since my mobile connection carries a fancy number, it can be done after one year. I then told them of my conversation with the call center executive and then asked them for calling from a phone kept there. But they simply told that that such kinda is not possible. May be such a phone does not exist for true!! Now I called the call center executive from my mobile phone and there awaits another kind of story for me.

7.40 p.m. on 21April'09: Airtel customer call center executive tells “You CAN NOT migrate to prepaid plan. It can be made only after 1May'09”

Just within 2 hours I get two different responses for the same query which frustrated me. I was quite dumbfounded to know that such is the callous way in which a call center of Airtel works and makes me run pillar to post. Is this the way they are supposed to serve a customer. Now I wanted the call center executive to connect me to his superior.

Now he puts me on waiting while the pre recorded voice plays. The prerecorded voice tells out that "Network updation is in progress, some of customer services will not be available till April 14^th". Oh man the date is now April 21^st.

After waiting for more than 3 minutes one person may be customer call center manager responded to me.

I explained to him the whole thing and made it clear that I am not satisfied with the different kind of information being given to me and making me to run like a fool. Now he confirms that my plan can be converted by May 1^st for sure.God only knows when I will get my connection migrated to prepaid plan. May be another call center manager will tell another type of story that I need to wait for another date. Let me wait for 1 May'09...

Returned home after a very bad spending of my evening time that too with my wife and toddler. Though I visited their website to express my grievance through online, I got dumbfounded that there is neither an email-id nor a feedback form to do so.

What a pathetic customer support?

Update as on 12 June’09: After delaying myself to forget those bad experience, I after a long tome went to ACRC. Now I got informed that migration from postpaid to prepaid will be done between 1st to 10th and not today. So I need to come on 1st of next month.