Sep 03, 2008 01:18 PM
1904 Views
I dont mean to be harsh! I mean there has to be something called loyalty!! I have been with Airtel as one of their more promising customers, for a little over three years now... wait! But that has been because I consider it highly unprofessional and extremely painstaking to change numbers, especially when you are in the misdst of a rapid ascent up the corporate ladder. So, yes, it is why I have stuck by airtel!
Besides which, I love their ads! Especially the one, where these three friends are huddled in a tent, in the middle of nowhere, and the girl's father calls and she steps out of the tent to a high mountain peak and kisses the winds, while very emotionally going 'Hi papa!" or was it "Hello.. papa?" It is a completely different matter that when I travel down the country roads into the heart of Maharashtra or elsehwere, my airtel says 'emergency calls' but the ad is very cute.
There was this really friendly customer service agent, who called me up once. I must say they employ their marketing personnel with care. He was on the phone with me for about thirty five minutes, at the end of which he had me convinced that I ought to change my existing plan. I did! Just about then, they also launched their 'award-winning' ad of barriers break when people talk.
Very motivated with a new plan in hand and by the new commercial, I tried to break a lot of barriers. My phone bill, which never exceeded a couple of grands, amounted to about eight thousand. I realised how much I appreciated my office HR policy which footed half of that bill. Airtel increased my credit limit to twelve grand. Very cooperative.
I was very kicked to find out, I could pay my bills online! I normally am very lazy to do the run to a customer service center, so this was a blessing in disguise. After fifteen attempts I paid my first airtel bill online. Three days later, yet another customer service guy (not as helpful as the earlier one) called to confirm if I had paid my bill. I am touched with their concern to not have me disconnected on the cellular connections.
So yes, it has been a love-hate relationship for three years. They introduced 'hello tunes' and put it on their website. It is maniacal to search online for the music you want, but that only led me to appreciate the good old 'tring tring' of the phones.
I think I am married to airtel. Its a marriage where both of us realise the other's weakness, but then we live with it, quite reluctant to let go of each other, simply because now we are so used to each other, that we can almost ignore the annoying nuances!
