Frustrating Reliance “Customer care”

I took a new connection yesterday- surrendered my postpaid Vodafone connection as I found the charges too high compared to the existing prepaid plans. Except for the telemarketing calls around 3 years back, there wasn’t any other issue. Yeah, DND option works! Connectivity is good. Customer care executives are friendly on phone; though not happy with the ones in Vodafone stores.

Anyway, there were just too many options. The shopkeeper successfully convinced me to buy a Reliance connection. I was impressed by their roaming charges. I took a plan for which I should have got Rs50 worth talktime and was promised free 500sms/day. I was told that it will be activated in 45 minutes.

After a few hours my balance was Re 1. Waited. Waited. Waited. Then around 9:30pm I called the “customer care” at *333.

Waiting time was not too long; 5 minutes is tolerable. The “executive” spoke in English which was barely understandable. He wasn’t polite, took some info and then registered my complaint and gave me a complaint no. The conversation went on like this:

He: It will be done (not audible) 48 hours.

Me: After 48 hours?
He: No no, within 48 hours it will be done.

When I asked him to repeat the plan details, he said I will be charged 50p/sms. Not that I send 500sms/day, but then was I not promised?

Me:  “I was told that I can send free 500sms/day”.
He: “NO. YOU WANT TO KNOW MEANS YOU LISTEN FIRST. THEN YOU SPEAK, OK.”
Me:”I asked coz you mentioned about sms.”
He:”NO, YOU LISTEN FIRST. THEN YOU CAN ASK”

Then he told the whole plan and I couldn’t understand “ONE” word of what he said. Last sentence was audible:

He: This plan is valid till 31st Jan, means if you activate it by 31st Jan you will get 500sms/day free.
Me: Ok, I have already activated it. So I should be getting it, right?
He: No you have to (something something) additional recharge(something something) then u get Rs25 offer as compliment in which you get this 500 sms/day free. This offer is valid till 31st Dec.
Me: Just sometime back you said this offer is valid till 31stJan.
He: Yes, it was valid till 31st Jan, but because of some technical difficulty they decided to close this offer by 31st Dec.
Me: See, I got this sim today, so in any case i should be getting Rs 50 talk time and that sms pack, right?
He:  You May get it. You might get.
Me: What do you mean by I may get it, I might get it. I can’t.........
He: Ok ok, it will be done today, Ok Ok, by midnight it will be updated OK.
Me: Fine. And....

He banged the phone. Ridiculous he was! It’s my worst customer service experience. More than the balance update, it was the way this so called customer care executive's tone that irritated me. I miss that “Is there anything else, mam” and “Thank you for calling Vodafone mam. Wish you a Happy New Year.” They were so polite and this person, he didn't even know how to talk.

No outgoing. I can’t even give a miss call. “Nil balance” coz I used Re.1 already. All I have now is a sim. I am not sure if I will continue to use it or not. Maybe I should switch back to Vodafone (prepaid this time).

I chose a wrong day to surrender my old number! To all those who messaged/called me to wish a Happy New Year: SORRY! I'll circulate my number once I decide what to do with this reliance number.

Wish you all a fantastic year ahead!

Update:
Balance updated!
Got the sms pack too.
Connectivity is good, as of now.

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Write by: RC - Thursday, December 31, 2009