I’m an Airtel so-called "Platinum" customer (for quite a few years...including Airtel DTH for at least three years and paying a monthly subscription of more than Rs 600. I was out of town last week and came back today and after paying the subscription for the next month, found that there were frequent blackouts in between with the picture just going off the screen and i’d had to keep restarting again and again.
I called the customer care, hoping for a resolution and help and the first thing I was told that was that a technician would visit my place for checking this and i’d have to pay him Rs 125. This’s the first time that any service company (including Airtel Broadband, Mobile, Fixed line) ever asked me for payment for looking at a fault- especially since I pay a subscription.
When I pointed this out to the next escalation point (who was not much help vis-a-vis the initial point of contact- he seems to be restricted too) he "clarified" to me that the payment I make is for the channels and not for service - just, WOW- customer delight! Now, I have a dead DTH connection for the weekend , pay for a visit by their eminent technician who MAY visit by Monday.
So, i’ve chosen the easier way out and have requested that rather than putting me through further trouble and charges (believe me, it’s the principle of the thing - I pay more than Rs 600 for a connection I don’t watch too much and the demand more for plain services which clearly are issues at their end); have asked them to go ahead and disconnect my services and refund the balance Rs 600 in my account.
Post the above I called up TATA Sky last night requesting for a connection. As I write, they’re setting up the system in my place. Hope this one works! Sometime back, the nodal office of Airtel called saying they’ll reimburse the Rs125 to my dth account but I should pay the engineer directly. No way am I going back on my commitment made to TS.
I’d thought I was the only one facing such issues with Airtel but the very fact that there are multiple forums discussing this issues says something. Airtel does not seem to be listening.