Before you write me off as an impulsive reviewer venting off, I’d like to point out that I’ve been Airtel customer since 2002. Yes, that long! It was the first sim I bought when I first got a mobile and I stuck with airtel since then. I’ve tried to be as much of a loyal customer as possible, but over the years I’ve lost all hope for this company. Airtel has created a new milestone in India - in BAD customer service that is. Airtel is an ideal example and subject for research if you want to write a book on "How NOT to treat your customers".
A couple of examples from the numerous rip-offs by airtel I personally faced over the time:
- My post paid connection itemized bill had 75 long duration calls listed from my mobile to a number I HAD BLOCKED receiving calls from because the number belonged to someone I didn’t wish to talk to. Imagine why’d I make 75 long duration calls to someone who’s even incoming calls I did not attend? Airtel CCEs obviously had no answer to that except constantly repeating AND forcefully insisting with 100% surety that I made those calls. If this isn’t proof that they think their customers are totally mentally retarded to make calls in sleep and forget about it, I don’t know what is.
My mother’s prepaid connection would get a new hello tune every 10 days. The hello tune subscription was never started by her, she doesn’t even know how to use the phone let alone make calls to CC for hello tune subscription. My numerous calls to CC to stop hello tune went in vain; sure if I started screaming on phone and threatening to sue them the practice would stop for a few days but sure as hell it was back few days later. It went on to such limits that every time I got her phone recharged her whole balance was deducted for numerous value added services no one asked for and I finally had to disconnect that number. Similar things were faced by my father; he got a new airtel connection and recharged a balance of Rs 200 on it. Few days later he checked the phone to realize his balance is zero when he never even touched the phone! Turns out the balance was deducted for numerous value added services including hello tunes and dating. (??!!)
Most recent (a week back): I realized my second airtel postpaid phone, which was switched off for about a month had 3G activated. I was shocked as I never asked for it. I called the customer care immediately to inquire what was up and the CC was clueless as ever. After being placed on hold for so long I was sure I was left hanging on purpose to get fed up and disconnect, the CC finally came back on and informed me my number has been subscribed for a trial offer. (consent has never been an issue for Airtel, what you won’t take they can always force it down your throat.) Now why would getting free 3G make me upset? Because as always there was the hidden motive in this trial that after 300MB of usage, which all 3G users can tell is extremely small, I will start getting charged for data. All this while I’m not aware of the situation, so bingo, make a big fat bill of data usage that never happened and slap it home. The worst part is that I told the CC to stop service right away and he assured me he did so, and told me I’ll get sms within 4hrs to confirm the service termination. When I got no sms for even two days I got suspicious if he really did act on my complaint. I went to IVR and found the option to stop 3G services, after which I got the sms within 4hrs. Which means the CC had never raised request to disconnect my 3G. Way to fool a customer, Airtel! Except maybe you’d like to consider that some of us actually have brains to put two and two together?
Moving on to the Customer Care:
It is no hidden fact that Airtel’s customer care is THE worst that Indian customers have ever seen in the mobile network sector. Most CCEs talk like they are illiterates, you deserve an award for just sitting through their call and managing to understand 20-40% of what they said. They provide no resolution whatsoever to your problems majority of times and blatantly keep repeating the same crammed answer -without even paying attention what you’re saying-. Sometimes their answer doesn’t even concern the question you’re asking! It’s like talking to an auto response machine with some prerecorded answers that is coded to hit and try various answers in response to user’s question until one of them finally matches. It’s not like all CCEs are bad, but the good ones are so rare and far in-between that you might as well assume they don’t exist.
Another unforgivable habit Airtel CCEs have is talking back to customer, cutting them in between and being extremely rude or taunting or both. It has personally happened to me and many people I know multiple times. Airtel CCEs excel in telling what all is wrong with the caller as a customer or even as a person! Leave it to them to judge others, because all day of repeating same answers must get boring so hey why not add some spice to it by needling some of the callers! sarcasm intended Some of them even dare to shout at you.
Forget the good old customer care rule that "you can not disconnect a customer’s call until they do or have indicated that the call is over". Nope, no such rule exists in Airtel. So the next time someone slams the phone down or cold transfers you to feedback IVR (which is normally done AFTER the call) without so much as uttering a hello; don’t be surprised at all as it’s pretty common occurrence in Airtel. And all this when you get that non-compliant "this call is being recorded for quality assessment purpose" message each time you call them. If this is the result AFTER quality control then I suggest Airtel fires all their "smart and disciplined" CCEs and hire some chaiwallahs (tea hawkers) from road instead because they clearly have more etiquette and business sense than the so called executives.
It’s one thing to dupe people of their money by various shady methods, but misbehaving with them is completely unforgivable.
Final Verdict
In a country like India which is known for the sheer amount of mobile users it has, it is a shame we have to put up with such excuse of a service provider because these corporate giants think they can get away with anything and customers will suck it up and keep on serving their money on platter to them. Airtel has damaged its image as well as services so much over the years that I can not completely rule out that a time might come when Airtel goes way beyond the point of recovery.
There has been little improvement in the company for all these years and a steady downfall in the services continues to force loyal Airtel customers to switch to competitors which aren’t a load of fun either, but certainly not as overwhelmingly disappointing as Airtel.