Friends, I know many of us have problem on network congestion, call dropping, call clarity etc for various service providers - whilst all these are certainly not acceptable, these could safely be attributed to technology problems(read reluctance of companies to invest money). However for any service provider to be easy on customer service is certainly quite an experience. I do not have experience with other service providers - MTNL was known to be bad for customer service but I think it is better than what I have experienced with Vodafone especially after the change over from Hutch to Vodafone a few months back.
First when I changed my employer, the new employer did not have any corporate arrangement with Vodafone so I needed to transfer the number from my employer to my personal name. Despite having three existing post paid connections with same name and address, Vodafone insisted on KYC verification as per TRAI rules. I am a law abiding citizen and see no issue in this except the way it was handled in my case. To my bad luck, the agent turned up during working hours on a working day and since my house was locked reported I did not exist. My name plate was prominently displayed in the Society premises, the watchman confirmed I was staying there but the agent did not accept this. To m surprise, when I visited Vodafone Customer Care centre at Four Bungalows, Andheri Mumbai, I was told that so long as my house was open and even any servant confirmed I was staying there, it would suffice. They would not accept their existing records for other connections in my name. finally I threatened to move all the four numbers to Airtel and that did the trick! KYC was completed in just a day.
I had submitted application at customer service centre for charging my bills to credit card and frm month to month this did not happen. On inquiry with Vodaone and ICICI bank, I kept on shuttling as one said the bank was responsible whilst the bank blamed it on Vodafone. net result, every month my struggle to ensure payment before due date.
I visited the same care centre for finding out how to get my GPS working - not a single executive could understand difference between GPS and GPRS!
I went to the same care centre for submitting fresh application for charging bills to another credit card - I had all forms ready with copies of card too, but had to cool my heels for 50 minutes before the forms got accepted and during the process, the care executive kept on vanishing every few minutes - took m another 20 minutes to submit three forms and thereafter I get an sms saying that the applications have not been accepted so please make payments in normal course.
Messages requesting intervention of senior supervisors invoke insipid messages asking me to log on to the site or promising me that someone will call me - I no longer believe Vodafone sms or messages.
The list is long and could go on, but the underlying message is that Vodafone does not are for the customer - else it would ensure that competetnt and efficient employees are manning the Customer Care centres - else brand dilution is on the horizon. I am a subscriber of Hutchinson Max, Orange, Hutch and now Vodafone since 1996 and it is only the pain o changing my numbers that is forcing me to stay with Vodafone. I am eagerly waiting for 2009 for the number mobility and may be amongst the first few to take advantage of the facility!