Customer service at its worst

This post is about my experience with Airtel recently. Somewhere around the last week i called up the airtel customer care and asked them to change my billing plan from Rs.225 / month to Rs.349 / month. The efficient guy named Karthik who picked up the phone told me that " Sir, i have opened ur account in my monitor and i will instantly change your plan sir." I believed his words. he also mentioned that I will be intimated about the change in the plan, and revised call charges will take effect from the sameday midnight. But, i didnt receive any message for nearly one week. I finally put an end to my wait and called up the customer care again and enquired them about the billing plan that i am currently in, only to find that the efficient guy didnt do his work properly. He didnt process my request. I was still in the old plan. Again, i asked the gal who attended me to change my plan, and within an hour, i got the confirmatory SMS. Cant understand why that guy took nearly 7 days and still not finish the work, if that can be done within an hour. I just got it confirmed and then left this matter.

The next day, a guy by name Irfan, who claimed himself as a member of the airtel group called me on my mobile and just enquired me whether i was satisfied with the service being provided by Airtel and the coverage and all other details. I informed him that i was not at all satisfied with their customer service. When he wanted to know the reason, i just told him all the background details. But, this guy didnt even let me talk continuously for a minute. Whenever i started speaking, he interrupted me and asked me some irrelevant questions. Finally i just asked him to give me some time to talk and then let out all the above mentioned things. He said that, " sir, we will see to it that mistakes like this wont happen in the future". But, i dont find any purpose in this. The damage to my wallet has already been done. I just asked him "whats the point in preventing this mistakes. What am i going to gain. Will u waive off the call charges that were charged additionally". Then he did the GREAT thing, which no person with a good customer interaction manner would do. He just hung up the phone. I got infuriated and then tried calling him from my mobile. He simply cut the call. Then i called him from my office landline number, still no answer from him. Onething i dont understand is, why the hell should they call and ask for feedbacks, if they are not ready to face the negative feedbacks. They are allowed to hide the mistakes or say any false reasons to convince their customers, but hanging up the phone.. is just TOO BAD.

Then happenned the biggest joke. When i visited their website, i found the following line in their homepage.

To be globally admired for telecom services that delight customers.

We will meet global standards for telecom services that delight customers through:
• Customer Service Focus

Some more complaints about the same provider.. buts its very late and me signing off..

Thank you Edward

After a long time, i have come back to this place. Thanks to my friend Dheepa. If not for her.. i would have completely forgotten that i have a blog account. I just visited my blog ( ofcourse.. the only visitor ).. and read thru the very few posts that i have made.. just as i was reading my last post.. titled "frightened".. something struck me....i just cant believe what i saw....i wiped my eyes twice.. just to check whether i am seeing it right....

enough of suspense... what i saw was.. there were some comments to my blog post.. ya.. that too two comments.. out of curiosity.. i clicked the comments link ...n i was very disappointed to know that the first comment is a spam one.. that too a porn stuff......i just thought that the spam industry has grown big.. n it has hands and legs in all areas of the internet.. just like the GOOGLE.....

I then switched my attention to the second post.. expecting another spam stuff... but to my astonishment.. its not a spam.. n its a real guy by the name Edward Gibson.. who took the pains to read thru my blog and also bothered to make a comment about it.. n he has quoted the work "inquistive" in his comments.. dont know whether he is making fun of me.. but anyway.. i would like to thank Edward Gibson for his efforts....coz, he has proved my wrong belief that i am the only visitor of my blog....

so, taking a cue out of this...i have decided to visit this space often.. n wil try to post something or the other......

Lets c.. whether Edward visits me again.....


N.Shankar