Ever had a problem with your service provider?
Ever called a customer care, only to be left frustrated?
Ever been charged for a service, not requested?
Here’s my personal experience with HUTCH, the leading mobile service provider in
Be it the interesting ads (the dog and the kid were too good) or the one year validity schemes that HUTCH comes up with, I—somehow—have been inclined towards HUTCH, despite its poor network. Over the past one year or so, they have been bugging the customers continuously with irritating SMSs and disturbing automated calls. If this seems to be the issue with every mobile service provider in India, there is another issue that customers are facing these days: ‘Activating a service for free for a month and charging the customer from the 2nd month onwards, without even informing him’ (Later on, he will be told that it was a fault in their billing system).
Sometime back in Feb, 2007, the caller tunes service was activated on my mobile (I didn’t even know when the service got activated). Accidentally, I happened to check my account balance for two days, back to back. To my surprise, the balance was less by 30, the next day, even when I didn’t call anybody in that single day. Rs 30/-, the monthly charge for caller tunes service, flashed in my mind without further thinking (I had a similar issue sometime back in 2006). I called up the customer care to find out what exactly was happening with my account. Here’s how the conversation went over phone.
Me: Hi, the caller tunes service was activated without my consent.
CC: Sir, as per our records you have sent an SMS asking us to activate the service.
Me: I am 100% sure that I haven’t sent any SMSs; I don’t even give my mobile to any of my friends, and don’t even entertain any calls or SMSs from HUTCH. I just delete SMSs and cut the automated calls from HUTCH.
CC: Sir, there is nothing much that can be done now; we can deactivate the service now, but you won’t get the money back for the service you have already used.
Me: (frustrated badly!!) What sort of behavior is this: activating a service without my consent and charging me for the same?
These arguments went on for about 10 min and suddenly the call got disconnected (still not sure if that was done deliberately or was a problem with the network). I called back and ended up explaining everything again, because it was someone else who picked my call this time. Again, the call got cut (for the second time), leaving me with utter disdain for HUTCH. I wasn’t getting the money back into my account, but my time was getting wasted (it was already past 45min).
Upon coming to the conclusion that customer care is of no use *in this particular scenario*, I wrote the following email to the Nodal Officer, Bangalore and cc’d the email to Nodal officers and Appellate Authorities of other states (find the details at: http://www.hutch.in/contactus/contactus.asp ).
Within 15min (Man!! I didn't expect that fast of a reply), I got a call and the following reply from someone in HUTCH saying that the money will be credited back to my account; there was a technical problem with their billing system and blah blah blah……
Before even doing all this, I thought for a while that let me not have the head-ache of trying to convince them or to argue with them, and simply let go off the money I was charged, which was anyway a paltry amount. But, they did this to me for the 2nd time and I was highly doubtful that it might repeat if I don't react well this time. Moreover, they (the CC) were indirectly claiming that I was lying (it sort of irked me), something that I had no reason to do. I didn’t even expect them to respond at all, but they did and the issue got resolved (eventually, it felt nice:-)). Recently, they activated GPRS and Planet Hutch for free. I had to call them immediately and tell that they should notify me well in advance if they are going to start charging me for the same. As per the following regulation from TRAI, they shouldn't fail in doing so.
http://www.trai.gov.in/PRESSRELEASENO952005.asp
Few more grievances:
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/unsolicited-ringtones-download-c5482.html
If you don’t want hutch to disturb you with unwanted calls or SMSs, type DND (which stands for Do Not Disturb) and send it as SMS to 123. Within 7 days, you will stop getting these unwanted calls and SMSs. They did actually stop sending SMSs and unwanted automated calls. I liked the way they received my complaint. I am still with HUTCH and will be with HUTCH, unless they don't do such things.
Disclaimer: The sole purpose of this post is just to let people know of my experience and nothing else whatsoever.
