Apropos to the reviews by so many around here, I guess I’m here to defend Hutch-Essar for the one good thing that they’ve benifitted mankind with- The **’Hutch Family Plan’..
With the number of ’family members’ ranging from just min two to a maximum of five, they’ve created a delight for those who talk a whole-lot to a select few. The scheme provides free intra-talking facility within the circle.And the best part of all, NO TIME LIMIT **to restrict the ’gossips’ and ’babbles’ which were left unfinished in the past.
The scheme consists of the main LEADER under whose name and address the scheme is registered. The combined bill of all the members for the entire month is mailed to this Leader’s stated address and it is advice that checking of the bill in the BILL option to 111 is nugatory since it always shows the combined bill at all times. Memorising the Leader’s name, DOB and postal address(as stated by him/her) is mandatory because it acts as the ’security’ check for the call-centres (helpline) in case you have any queries.
The tariff for the same is as given below-
-monthy rental for group - per head -
2 members- Rs 298- - Rs 149
3 members- Rs 398 - Rs 133
4 members- Rs 498 - Rs 125
*5 members- Rs 598 - Rs 120
A feature which the Leader needs to take caution that he need not personally know the other members but he has to be rest-assured that the bill-tariff that each of them needs to pay should reach him before the last day failing which all the five connections are disconnected and then there is a reconnection charge (again). The other tariffs that come with the scheme by default are the 50p hutch-to-hutch (local)
1.67 Hutch -to- any no(local)
Other benefits which I made use of personally is the 10-p messaging scheme which can be activated along with this which has a monthly rental of Rs 30/- yet is nominal .
There are several other schemes that can be activated along with this plan with a additional rent of **Rs 30 for each scheme-
- Re 1 STD - Hutch to any no.
- 50 p Hutch to any network (local)
- 30 p Hutch to Hutch
- 30 p Hutch to Hutch messaging**. ( The above stated 10 -p scheme is not mentioned in the application form. You will have to ask for it yourself and it sometimes turns out that even the
Hutch office-attendant is unaware of it, until of-course she checks it up on the server( it happened with me)).
Another disadvantage of the scheme is during the billing section(YEAH!! I know.. hutch again)
The above stated ’benefits’ are not tabulated for initially when the scheme is activated but they come under the category as ’Discounts’ when you check your bill. You’l be amazed when you see that you’ve spoken for 530:00 mins and the bill amount is Rs 80.00.
There is a problem with the messaging scheme as I stated above. The bill is to be tabulated on the basis of 10-p per msg. Even the person messaging the most, at say 1000 msgs per month should be charged at only Rs 100 considering the scheme but the bill shows otherwise. You will have to speak to the customer-care at the hutch office and they have it rectified in the next billing cycle. My advice is that, do not try to solve the billing-query over the phone by talking to the customer care. They are big time losers and sound like mechanical robots who get short-circuited when the new problem they see does not lie in the database provided to them. A visit to the nearest Hutch shop(no matter how far) does pay off by a few 100’s.
I’m sorry to say but you have to pay for the Caller-Id facility(CLIP) with an** additional Rs 75/-.
SO , the minimum monthly rental is Rs 120 (for the scheme) + Rs 75 (for the CLIP) + Rs 30( if you’re a msging typ of person) = Rs225 plus your bill which hasn’t crossed Rs 500 for me as yet. just know how to track your bill well and it’l pay off.
I’ve been using this scheme for a couple of months now and have also enrolled 3 more into the scheme to complete the circle of 5. You may want to talk to just one of the five but there’s not harm coz in the end all gain. I’ve enrolled in four of my friends cause we talk a hell lot over the phone and nearing graduation , we talk even more to compensate for the years to come.. you know once the job starts and friends moving away and stuff like that... blah!! blah!! you got the point right!!!
SO you can manage with the bad temperament of the Hutch office-attendants and the billng queries if you know what has to be done!! correct me if im wrong..