Fed Up Big Time with Idea Cellular - Part 3

Continued from part 2. This is about the status as of today, 6th March 2010; and further course of action to reduce my reliance on Idea.

After going through the harrowing times with the Idea fiasco, even though the services have resumed and are stable now, I have been feeling that I was over-loyal to Idea and was almost at their mercy due to this over-reliance. And then there is not a single written reply from Idea despite my 3 emails.

So I am thinking it's time I move on to a different service provider and then eventually discontinue this Idea number after forwarding my calls to the new number for a month or two.

So after a bit of star-gazing, I short-listed few options - Virgin, Tata Docomo and BSNL.
I liked Virgin's youth-friendly whacky style, but Virgin calls them Einstein-types who understand OS names and a little tech details. So it didnt look like they will understand what GPRS is ;) .
I liked Docomo's simplified 1p/s billing schemes and GPRS is also available. But was not sure about coverage, and there were way too many negative vibes about bad billing practices regarding GPRS. Holy cow! I dont want a Deja Vu!

I really like what BSNL is offering. And I had quite a few positive vibes about going with BSNL -

1. Govt company, so more or less nobody cares sooo much about profit that they would tweak the system to exploit customers. Good and bad both.
2. Have had very good prior experiences with BSNL, landline and broadband both. Have high regards for BSNL broadband.
3. Govt company, so RTI applies. If something seems fishy, you can ask questions and can be *assured by law* for a reply.
4. If you dont agree, take RTI info to consumer court, and make your case. A lot easier than dealing with a private company which can manipulate info.
5. Coverage - no matter whether you are on the Lakshmi road or on the top of Harishchandragad, chances are very high BSNL will cover you up there. In fact more chances in the later case where all cellphone networks will be dead ... except BSNL. ;)
6. Excellent 1p/s billing scheme -

• Plan Costs: Not more that Rs.150/-, yearly.
• Billing: 1p/s all over India for BSNL cell/landline and 1.2p/s for all other networks.
• Roaming: Same charges as normal!! Except only incoming calls are charged at 1p/s which is still a lot reasonable.
• GPRS: 1p/10KB!!!! That means Rs.1/MB which is AWESOME. Just what the doctor ordered for me.

This is just way too cost efficient as compared to my current Idea scheme, where my regular bills are to the tune of Rs.500/month. Here with the BSNL prepaid card Rs.500 will suffice me for a whole year for god's sake! I was unnecessorily blowing money just because I wanted to keep the number and the service was satisfactory till date. Didnt care enough to check what other service providers were offering! And that spells a very important lesson for any business - when you have a high-paying loyal customer, keep him happy all the time. Dont give him even the slightest of a reason to check out what others are offering. It's a recipe for losing him to your competitors.

Anyways, here are few links worth pondering over -

1. BSNL tariff charges
A little difficult to make out anything at the first glance, due to govt style presentation. But hang around and you will get a hang of it. ;)

2. National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission
Official Indian govt site about consumer courts. Contains full text of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 and other related rules and regulations.
This case of Idea Cellular denying me access to a service which I have already paid for, I believe, comes under unfair trade practices as defined under Chapter I, section 2.c.(i) and 2.c.(iii) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

3. Consumer Advocate
Success/failure stories for different parties who went to consumer court; and a short case analysis. Must read.

4. International Consumer Rights Protection Council (ICRPC)
Claims to be an NGO helping consumers in presenting their case without the need for a lawyer. Charges a token membership fees of Rs.250/- Havent gone into details of it. But worth checking it out while in need.


[UPDATE: 7th March, 2010]
For once, Idea did reply, yesterday late evening. But no prizes for guessing what it would be. Wothless business words. No acknowledgement of the problem, neither any assurance about non-recurrence.

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"Dear Mr. Kulkarni,

Greetings of the Day.

With reference to your e-mail and telecon with Ms. XYZ, we wish to inform you that services to your mobile number have been restored.

Should you require any further assistance feel free to contact our Customer Care Helpline number 9822012345 or e-mail us at 9822012345@idea.adityabirla.com

Thanks & Regards,
ABC
Idea Cellular Ltd.
Maharashtra & Goa

“Idea offers Customer Care through SMS, get complete information on Billed/Unbilled amt, Bill plans details and many more details with an instant SMS on your mobile. Type " CARE " & send it to 50505 (toll free number ).”

Disclaimer

All the tariff plans/services are subject to regulatory body approval. Company reserves the rights to modify/change/discontinue services/plans based on guidelines received from time to time."
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