Hi...
Bharathi here... the first time, I wrote a review on Rediffmail and I got a very encouraging response from all you sweet people out there...
So, I decided to have a go at another one...just one thing, please note that I write, not because I am very good at it, but because, I love writing...
A user of RPG Cellular prepaid till recently, I changed to Airtel magic 2 months ago, because the signal strength of rpg always betrayed me. I stay in a ground floor flat, so the signals would always be low. Whenever I get a call, I would rush outside to take the call, but as luck would have it, the caller on the other end would terminate the call, thinking that I’m busy at the moment !!!
As this continued for a long time, at last I decided to change the service provider and had to decide between Airtel and Hutch. ( prepaid connection )
Now, RPG charged re. 1 for local sms, re. 2 for national, incoming free and outgoing at rs.1.50/ min (all inclusive) I knew I would not get that rate in airtel or hutch, but still, the facility in which the higher the balance, the lower the call rate...tempted me.
After huge sessions of interaction with the shopmen ( they know it best), I decided to go in for airtel magic.
Being a shah rukh fan, I was extremely happy to recall that he advertises for airtel and also, the company’s bharti ltd ( my name is bharathi too...)
The rates - At a daily decrement of re.1, the local sms would be charged at 30p/msg, national - rs.2, incoming free, outgoing rates as follows...
Balance
call rates/min gsm landline
rs.1-250 ... 2.49 ... 2.99
rs.251-500 ... 1.99 ... 1.99
rs.501 onwards ... 1.49 ... 1.49
etc etc....
Now, I’m fairly happy with the service offered. The signal strength is always good and I don’t have to rush out...I happily sit wherever I am and take the call. The immediate balance display, after a outgoing call or outgoing sms, helps check the correctness of the balance. These ppl frequently come up with full talk time offers..(but its not always full, since the service taxes apply)
But, what I dont like about airtel, is the voicemail facility in which the caller is immediately connected to the recorded voice message box, both if the call is not taken or if the phone is switched off. I hope these ppl come up with a different voice message when the phone is switched off ( like hutch )
Also, the guys at customer care seem to know nothing about the rates and other things related...I was rudely shocked the other day, when I called up at their toll free customer care no. 98401 98401 and asked for the current sms rates ( I had a confusion as I didn’t get charged even a pie for all the messages sent that particular day) and one great guy told me to call up after 2 days as he himself was not too sure...
And now that rpg cellular has been bought up by Aircel those ppl have come up with low call rates and most importantly FREE UNLIMITED SMS !!! I don’t know what Airtel and Hutch would respond with, but whatever they do, they’ve got to do it soon as many of my friends have started changing to Airtel...
Cheers,
Bharathi.