Big TV - Direct to Hell (DTH) Service . Review on Big TV

There is a proverb “If you take BIG paces you leave BIG spaces”.At least the proverb is correct in Reliance BIG TV’s case. If you take a quick decision to buy a BIG TV connection, you have to wait a long before you start enjoying the service.

I purchased a Big TV connection, last Sunday in Chennai and this Sunday I regret for the same. Even after seven days since the  purchase and with repeated requests in many levels the system is not  installed. They only want  to sell, dont want their customers enjoy what their offer -  a sadistic attitude in a corporate level.

BIG TV is yet to realize that, by delaying the installation, they are not only denying the access rights to a customer who paid but also playing with the customer’s sentiments. In Indian scenario, most people don’t care about the  quality of the product, if the service is really good. Customers will never forget or forgive once his/her soft feelings got hurt. But this is happening in BIG TVs case. Reliance is very successful to create the market push, but they dont know how to satisfy the market. But the mistake is they dont have any planning or scheduling. The market push is only because of their cheap rates. If any other service provider like Tata or Dish reduce the price a little bit this time - all these unsatisfied customers will go to them.

For me, there is no excitment in watching TV channels, but for many its a real excitement and lots of feelings are associated with the media. But one thing I am  focused  - enjoying the fruits for my attempts. If they provided me a prompt service, I will be a brand ambassador for the service. But today I lost all my faith and hope with their system.

Big TV in many aspects is a much better choice than other DTH services in India,  but they are loosing their grounds because of their poor customer service ability and lack of coordination. The product is well focused and the packages and channels are reasonably good. Also the price tag is affordable to the middle class. Also their colors and advertisements are very catchy, but there is a BIG gap between the marketing and the service departments.

I reported for the work order on the same day I purchased. A fellow(named Arun Kumar) promised me that they will to do the installation by Wednesday morning. I waited till 12 O clock canceling all my appointments but nobody turned up. After all the frustrations I gave a call to their call center and I was shocked to know that they didn’t even pass the work order to their field engineers. The lady(named Meena) was telling that it will be installed within 72 hours. Those 72 hours passed and nothing happened.

Even repeated requests for seven days nobody turned up for the installation and I am really upset. One day I went to Reliance web world to try my luck. The situation is more pathetic there. I really felt pity at the poor girls working there, who can only communicate to their call centre only by email!  At least customers are lucky to have a toll free number, which is like a saftey valve in a pressure cooker. I bet you, the attrition which is going to happen in Big TV call centers will be more because of the customer / prospect shouting than conventional factors.

Believe me, I and the shop keeper made more than twelve calls to their stupid call center and their service engineers. The real issue is that their call centre fellows don’t have any control or coordination over the field engineers and they don’t even know what is happening there. After a long wait in their IVR you will reach a useless executive(like someone residing in an isolated island). They will read some useless scripts and promise you everything so that you finish the phone call. But some of them are good teachers who will explain you their internal business processes and systems, but who cares? Routinely they will ask your work order number and say the following….”Sorry for the inconvenience, we will sort out this problem soon. I am sending a special request……Nothing is going to happen. If the work order number is not with you, they don’t even have the attitude to serve you searching with your name or any other details. I never heard of such a stupid CRM system if there have one.

One time one fellow was telling, our engineers find difficulty in installing dishes. As a Telecom engineer, I bet you that installing a DTH dish is one of the easiest tasks(other than climbing the heights, if required) compared to any other antenna installations. Here you need to know only two fixed parameters

a.       Azimuth angle, where you need to calculate from magnetic north by a compass

b.       Elevation angle, measured from ground.

But all these DTH mounts are designed in such a way that you never need to worry about the elevation angle. Once  the dish and LNB is fixed, just revolve the dish in vertical axis  to recieve the signal. LNB should be mounted properly so that there will not be any polarization issues, which is a two minute job. Then check the signal strength and fine tune the dish. Basically for any DTH installation, it is basically a nut and bolt tightening job. Then they need to activate your card /  account by calling their call centers. For this 45 minute job, they will make you wait for 45 days where you have to make 450 phone calls and they want to hear 4500 swearings from you.

Another interesting factor is the Big TV engineers don’t answer to your phone calls. Usually they switch off the phones so that nobody should disturb their activities. But I believe they may be in aircrafts, flying here and there for the installations!

Reliance doesn’t even have the courtesy to apologize for the happenings and to take an immediate corrective action. The shop which I bought already have more than eight BIG TV prospects with similar status. Already three – four customers retuned their set top boxes with all the fire and smoke and gone with the competitors. The shop already stopped promoting Big TV, because of these troubles.

If those fellows didn't come by tomorrow I am going to throw away the connection – already the dealer promised me to swap with a Sun TV DTH or a Dish TV DTH.  I will give a  detailed review on the product,  if I got connected.

Only one thing I have to tell to the prospects of BIG TV, especially in Chennai( I don’t know about other cities), “Think twice before you leap”. I don't dicourage you, but  you should have enough patience to wait for two months and should have enough amnitions to request, plead, shout, sceam, negotiate, bark, beg, bite, cry and weep at these fellows before the installation happen. Try  your Luck.

One thing I learned. I never trust any services from Reliance in my life.however good it may be.