I’ll start with the Very Good...
BSNL’s network is terrific. Infrastructure wise, BSNL is the best in India. Being the oldest player helps this company when it comes to that.
The connection once provided, will give you nearly the full promised speed almost all the time and disconnections are rare if any. (That’s what people say. I have used the connection only for a week now, so I might have updates on this later.)
You need not fear any hidden costs. Since it’s a government company, they do not cheat . There would be the usual ’Terms and Conditions’, but no fine print. Disputes with regard to bills can usually be solved by writing to an Accounts Officer, and most often, you will get justice.
Now let me move on to the Very Bad.....
BSNL is a typical government organization which does not care about customers. Products and Services are decided at the management level, but the execution takes place at the lower levels. So you’ll never look like the happy people in their Ads while applying for their connection.
They have an Online Application Form for broadband connections. It means that you can apply online just by filling up a web form. I did so, then waited for two weeks and forgot about it. BSNL does not care about it. One of their officers shouted at me on the phone ’Online applications are not acceptable. Come to our office and fill up a form!’. I asked him why they have that form if they don’t accept it. He said he does not know. This is the sort of a gap they have between the higher management and the lower.
My flatmate went to the BSNL office to apply for the connection. UL 900 Plus was what we decided to take. BSNL employees are great people. They don’t know that such a plan exists. One employee almost refused to take the application form saying that they don’t have such plans. My friend had to put up a fight there to convince them that such a plan exists. This in spite of there being a banner right outside that building advertising the product. What do you say about that?
Employees are extremely rude to customers. They make one feel unwanted. The reason people go to BSNL is because they don’t have other good choices.
They took 3 weeks to get broadband working at my house. They said it will take only like 5 days. But I think they streched it because I refused to pay the lineman when he laid the phone line. During these three weeks my flatmate made about 50-60 phone calls to BSNL. Most of the time they don’t pick up the phone. And when they do, they talk rudely and usually ask you to call someother number. Their setup is very inefficient and customer un-friendly.
Their broadband helpline number 1-600-424-1600 never works.
Suggestions for those taking BSNL Broadband:
1. If you are opting for a UL 900 Plus connection, it comes with the phone wire but not the telephone instrument. So if you want to use the phone lines for calls, then keep your instrument ready before the line is installed. Because the lineman is going to ask you ’kounse phone pe doon?’ and you’ll not have a phone to test the line on.
UL 900 Plus connection again. The lineman will bring a wire with open ends i.e. without a telephone jack. So make sure you have the phone jack converter box as well. You need to attach a connector to the ADSL filter which takes only a phone jack as input.
Keep names and telephone numbers of Senior Officers of BSNL ready. You’ll have to threaten the employees with those numbers if you have to get your work done quickly. They won’t work unless you push them hard hour after hour.
Don’t slap the employees :-D :-D You’ll be the guilty party if you do so :-)
I’ll recommend this product for its speed and reliability. I still hate BSNL.