Hi Friends, Just wanted to share some unbiased opinion about RIM with you.
When I first bought a RIM phone from a bangalore office, I was a pretty satisfied customer. My fiancee had a RIM and so did my parents. As per the web world employees, the charges were just 40 paisa a minute for local as well as long distance (As long as the call was made to a RIM phone).
Here is a brief list of what I was promised:
i) 40 paisa a min
ii) No roaming charges
iii) Free Internet Access at a great bandwidth
iv) A cell phone for just Rs. 3350/- ready for internet access
v) Excellent customer service
Gradually, the truth started unfolding when I started using the phone. Here is how the truth got unveiled:
i) I was making substantial calls during the initial days. Later on I came to know that Reliance is no cheaper than any other cell phone. It used to be cheap only for the first 400 mins.
ii) RIM to any other phone was extremely expensive
iii) I had to go abroad for a few months, so I wanted to get the phone suspended. I asked the customer service to suspend it (a common feature in my other cell phone - SPICE telecom - Where they charge you a nominal amount such as Rs. 100 a month during suspension). However, they responded that I will have to keep on paying Rs. 600 every month since they do not have any suspension scheme.
iv) Next, I wanted to return the phone and get back my money (Rs. 3350/-). Instead I was told that it is a three yrs. contract and I have to pay a penalty of Rs. 5 or 7 K for returning it before the contract got over.
v) So, I asked them to let me know my outstanding amount to make a payment before I went abroad. In one of the most shocking replies I have ever heard from a company of Reliance’s repute...they said that the billing system is not yet ready to produce the latest bills and there was no way they could generate my bills.
vi) Finally, I told the customer service that it will not be my fault if the bills are not paid in time since I am going out of the country. I told them not to list me as a defaulter.......though I became a defaulter..not by choice but because of Reliance’s own wrongdoing.
vi) The worst part is..if you do not pay the RIM bills on time (although there is no guarantee that the bills will be delivered on time), they charge you interest at a very heavy rate.
vii) Last but not the least, my wife wanted to get phone transferred to a new location and submitted the application. It will take another 12-14 days for the transfer to take place..till then I have to pay the roaming charges. And the internet speed sucks in a big way.
Well!!! I have shared my personal experience with you. There is no reason why you should form an opinion based on my views about this service. Rather I would sugges that you definitely check the contractual agreement paper, thorougly before you go for this phone.
-Sam