Jul 02, 2009 03:19 PM
2328 Views
(Updated Jul 03, 2009 01:53 PM)
This is somewhat a long story of my bitter experiences with my old reliance phone.
As I wanted to keep in touch with my then girlfriend(now my wife) who was in my home state and I was working in Chennai, I opted to go for a reliance connection as they offered unlimited free STD from reliance to reliance at a rate of 496 per month.
I got 2 classic mobiles each costing around 1300 bucks plus 2 life time sim cards for 300 each and started to talk endlessly for over 20 days. On the 20th day I went for a new rate cutter since my other relatives didn't have reliance and I saw their offer that if I recharge with 35 bucks I will get STD to other mobiles at Re1. After activating this only I found that'reliance to reliance free' rate cutter had been overrun by this new cutter.I shouted at the local dealer who had misguided me into this blunder, but of no use. The customer care executives were far more than helpful in not helping me. I had to shell out another 496 in the end to continue with my love story.
The next time to recharge; I was squeezing the last minute from it and I missed the day I had to recharge. When I went fro the rate cutter the executive happily told me that I had missed the offer and the offer has been lifted. Only existing customers could again get the same benefit ie I had to go for it 1 day before the rate cutter expired. NOW WHAT. Another festival of beautiful and decorated words to the customer care followed; again of no help.
So now I had to give Rs798 for unlimited STD to reliance or 1500 minutes of free STD for Rs490. Me being a miser went for 490 which burned out in10 days time. So no other go other than 798. So till my marriage I had to shell out 798 per month.
The classic set a CLASSIC in itself. It is such a beautiful piece of . as we get no spares, no service and even reliance executives don't know how this thing worked? In the span of 1 year I used it; it was battered, bruised and all stood together because of only one rubber band.Actually I could manage with the 498 scheme in the later months as neither me nor my girl friend could take it out in the open anywhere when anyone was around!
The three lessons I learned from all this experience is that:
1)Handsets which the service providers give us at a THROW AWAY price literally means the same
2)These big companies never care for their customers
3) New offers or changes to the existing offers are not conveyed to the customers
4) The retailers never have any idea as to the offers and its condition.
Okay now I have happily stopped the service of reliance and switched to vodafone as no more need for free interstate calls as my girlfriend is my wife now and we are living happily together.
