I haven't got the chance to experience TataSky yet, they are yet to deliver, but I didnot like the helpdesk's "we dont have any information we will get back to you when we can" attitude. I really hope TataSky will give me a chance soon, if it didnot happen in another 3 days, I think I will decide not to experience TataSky and try some other DTH provider!!
I am staying in Bangalore and I have made the purchase of set top box over phone from a TataSky executive. At that time they had informed me that the box will be delivered in 3 working days - Since I bought it on Saturday (26 Jul 08).
I had waited till Thursday morning before contacting them. I was in for a surprise, the reference number they gave me for the purchase does not exist in the system. Then they searched using my phone number and found the request under a different request number. But they had absolutely no idea on what was happening but asked me to wait till evening before giving a complaint, and also said some will give a call to update on the status - No trace of digicomp or call.
I called the help line again, after playing around transferring the call it got to a person named Naveen, from supply department and he promised me to ensure the delivery by Friday 3 PM, and if it gets delayed he will then give me a call. Same story, no calls, no digicomp.
I call the helpline again on Friday evening and speak to a senior executive named Janardhan, and he chacked the system and gave some story about "assets" not being available so they dont have any idea when it could be delivered. After pressing for more details, he finally agrees that he will check with the "concerned" department and some one named pradeep from his team would get back to me.
Surprisingly (considering the previous experience), pradeep did call me, but just to inform that they don't have any information on the box or the delivery and they dont even know which courier is going to deliver as TataSky has tie up with "hundreds" of couriers.
And he has agreed that some one will give me a call on Saturday (02 Aug) to inform me on the status, if any. Now the shocker is - Pradeep called me at 7PM on Friday - and the "concerned department" which handles the set top box delivery will not work after office hours and weekends. So I am in for a wait of 2 more days till monday to get an update. And from what Janardhan said about assets not available, this update could very well be a request to wait for another few days till the box is available.
Now the final shocker came when I asked for a refund. pradeep informed me It will take 288 hours to process the refund, and some one from Tata Sky will have to call me and confirm after 12 days before they initiate a refund process with the bank. So I am in for a wait for another two weeks before I can even see a process of refunds.
This is something they misguide you while purchasing, when I asked the Telephone executive just told me that I just have to call helpdesk to cancel the order - she never mentioned anything about the 2 week plus wait- how clever!!
I suspect this online purchase option is probably a scam, from my point of view they are getting an interest free Rs. 1499 from me for at least 3 weeks when I cancel it. When a lot of people do this, that is a lot of interest free money which they get. And they hard sell the option to buy through phone with multiple offers - free installation and one month free subscription for all the channels etc. they do this active selling when there is not hardware to sell. So, why would they do that for any reason other than getting some quick cash flow - probably to buy the hardware anyway..
So people, do not fall for this scam. If you really need Tata Sky, go to the trusted neighbourhood electronics shop and get one. But, if the treatment of a new customer is like this, I dont even want to think about how they will treat the existing ones!!
So, here is my complaint in a one sentence - I have ordered and paid for the set top bos from TataSky, I have been cheated byt them, now I want an immediate delivery or an immediate refund.
Timeline: Order placed on 26th July 2008
Delivery promiseed on : 30th July 2008
First call to TataSky helpdesk: 31st July 2008 11AM
Second Call to TataSky helpdesk: 31st July 2008 6:30PM
Third Call to TataSky help desk: 01 August 2008 4:30PM
First call from TataSky Helpdesk: 01 August 2008 7:00PM (saying he will call back with an update by 02nd August 5PM)
Fourth Call to TataSky 02-August-2008 1PM (To get more details about cancellation, here it is):
After you subscribe to TataSky, there is no cancellation policy, you either take it or stop recharging the account. TataSky is good enough to take back the dish free of cost for now(dish is TataSky's property). From the looks of it, they might ask for money in future to take the dish back.
Only cancellaion option available before you take the delivery of Digicomp (set top box). happens only after a delivery of Digicomp is attempted and you denying the delivery and the Digicomp reaching the warehouse - this itself might take weeks (I haven't got a delivery yet, after a week), and after the confirmation from warehouse that I have denied the delivery, Tatasky will take another 10 working days for the processing of refund.
So what happens if warehouse didnot confirm that I have denied the delivery? Simple, I lose Rs.1499, which I have paid through credit card. And the problem is, for any complaint, I have to call TataSky helpline, and they can simple ask me to wait for an unspecified time - which could be weeks.
Now, I dont know if I can go to consumer court, as I dont have any proof of purchase except my credit card statement (purchase was made through phone). Digicomp has not yet been delivered, and I dont know if they give a bill along with Digicomp. If anyone can help me get out of this mess, Please do.
As I said earlier, I am planning to wait till Monday and I am not at all comfortable in taking the TataSky connection now. Since I need cable TV, I am not very sure if I should stick to my old cablewallah or try another DTH operator.
