CUSTOMER (S)CARE!

When ever I get a poor service or treatment from people I always forgive and forget. After all there are different kinds of people -good, bad and ugly. We must be happy that the latter kinds are less in number and we come across them less frequently. Otherwise the world will be a worse place to live
The bitter experiences I had with a mobile phone service provider exceeded the threshold limit of my tolerance and hence this post
My son wanted to change his post paid connection to prepaid. When I approached their local office at cuddalore I ws advised that since the post paid connection was availed at Chennai the request to convert it to prepaid must be made to the office at Chennai.
The request was given to the Tambaram office At their asking I gave Id proof and address proof though these things were already available with the company in respect of the postpaid connection.
They asked me to purchase a sim card for the prepaid and remove the earlier sim with post paid connection. I was assured that new connection would be given in2 or 3 days and not to use the post paid connection any more Even after a week nothing happened and I called on the cuddalore office and they told that the post paid bill was due to be paid and only after payment the prepaid would be activated. I promptly paid the same though the deposit amount lying with the company was more than the bill amount. Nothing happened for another one week and I could not use the cell as the sim was not activated When I contacted Tambaram office I was told that Id proof and address proof were to be submitted. When I told them that I had already submitted the same to them at the time of making my request about a month back they asked to whom they were given It was ridiculous to ask a customer the name of their employee to whom the proofs were given. When I stressed that they were given along with the request letter and I was given the prepaid sim only after getting the proofs they assured that the sim would be activated in 3 days. Nothing happened When I contacted their Annanagar Chennai office(the Tambaram office was a sub office of the Annanagar franchise. They told that the next bill for the post paid connection was also due and to be paid. That bill also I paid without making a single call or receiving a call during the entire month The did’nt think it was not their mistake of not disconnecting the post paid connection as per my request about 40 days back.
Then after 2 days the prepaid sim was activated and I heaved a sigh of relief that the worst was over. But after one week I received sms from the company that I was to submit the Id proof and address proof within 7 days failing which prepaid connection would be suspended. Cursing the company and my ill luck I submitted the proofs again to the franchise office at cuddalore. Know what? The prepaid connection was suspended and I could not make any call even to the customer care cell of the company. But I used to receive reminders for submission of the Id proof and address proof. When I called on the cuddalore office in person they casually told that since the prepaid connection was obtained from Chennai the proofs were to be given to some office in Chennai. Company is having global presence, but the proofs are asked to be submitted only in the particular city or circle. Then what about the proofs I submitted the 1st time at Chennai and the ones I submitted for the 2nd time at cuddalore? The casual reply was “engaavathu miss aaki irukkum” (it would have been misplaced) I had to go to Chennai again for the purpose of submitting proofs for the third time.
It was a frustrating experience to contact their customer care. Without listening fully what we have to say-the prepaid section would advise that I had to talk to postpaid and postpaid section would advise me to talk to prepaid. In the process another month went and another monthly bill for postpaid connection was due. I was asked to pay that before the prepaid was to be restored. On my pointing out that they could adjust the bill to the deposit amount they did it only after my submitting proofs again for the third time at their Chennai office .It is a bitter experience and I did not want to use the connection for regular use and I wanted to change to lifetime free incoming calls scheme. They insisted that I had to first charge the sim again for any other scheme for a month or so and then only I could opt for lifetime free incoming calls. That also I did and paid for the lifetime free incoming scheme.
The company allows not only free incoming calls (which are very rare for that cell) but they forward their promotional sms for Recharging almost daily
You may ask why I bore all the poor service and did not terminate the connection. It was a sentiment to retain the original phone number, part of which represents my son’s staff number in his company.
As all sentiments this was also costly and led to sorrow.
Want to know the service (?!) provider? I can’t tel; it may be on air.