Jun 02, 2007 10:36 AM
37261 Views
Pathetic Airtel Data Card Internet Services,
A Mental Turmoil, an intolerable Harassment
On May 30, 2007 I bought an Airtel Data Card for Rs 4999 from a Airtel showroom in South Extention-2, New Delhi. Along with it I got an Airtel postpaid connection free of charge with 100 sms free per month and the plan which I had subscribed for was unlimited with a monthly rental of Rs 999.
The postpaid connection SIM I got along with was for to be inserted into the data card to make to work for internet. After four hours of buying the connection, the SIM got activated (I checked it by putting it in my phone).
Then I tried to install the drivers of the data card into my laptop which has an original version of Windows XP Home. The drivers got copied but the application of the datacard was not working even after inserting the datacard into the PCMCIA slot. I tried this several times by uninstalling and intalling the application but it was of no use.
I reported this to the Airtel showroom to which they sent me a pirated copy of another set of drivers and application to be tried, if it works. I did, but this time these drivers refused to accepted the Airtel Data card and the compatible hardware. It was almost more than 24 hours I had purchased the Data Card and it was not working. I was completely confused, and was feeling as if I have been cheated. I went to the Airtel Showroom where I had purchased the datacard from and told them to take the data card back and return me my money. The manager incharge there was very uncooperative. He told me that there is some fault with my laptop.
On hearing this I told him to install the data card on some other laptop. He did it, but now the speed of the internet service via the datacard was not sufficient even to open yahoo.com or even indiatimes.com. I could not even conduct a speed test on it due to the slow speed. Airtel claims the data card speed to be upto 100kbps but there when the net was surfed , being a B.Tech in computer sciences and taking my own personal experience into consideration, I believe, the speed was hardly 4-5kbps. I pointed this to the people at Airtel to which they replied that the speed can be anywhere lesser than 100kpbs or even if it is 0kbps, they are not concerned.
Yesterday after my endless efforts to make the data card work at nominal speed on another laptop, I failed.
I went back to the showroom, I found the manager along with the owner. We had a altercation for more than an hour, for returning the datacard. Eventually the they took the Data Card back for Rs 3500 and I had to bear a loss of Rs 1500 just within two days.
My only fault was that I bought an Airtel Data Card.
To, all the readers of this article I would like to let know that I have no personal grudges against anyone working in Airtel, I am writing this article just to let everyone know my experience with Airtel Data Card Internet Services and to beware that whenever you go to buy any Data Card service from any service provider, ask them to give a demo on your own personal laptop.
