We bought a Tata Indicome mobile phone for our teenaged daughter about a couple of years ago. We were among the first subscribers to Tata’s CDMA mobile service in Bangalore and opted for it because of the name of the TATAs. Here’s a brief account of our experience and why we have decided to surrender the set and switch to a GSM service.
First, TATA sold us Kyocera instrument for Rs 7, 000, an exorbitant price for an instrument of poor quality. Of course, they were careful to sell it to us not directly but through an agent. Now when the instrument discharges frequently, TATAs demand Rs 1, 200 for a new battery. As the instruments are bought from them, batteries (which are available for other models for Rs 400 in the market) are not available for this model. So one has no choice but to get fleeced again by them. The service is so bad that for several months we did not receive the bill, despite repeated requests. Also, TATAs arbitrarily dispensed with the intial scheme of Rs 200 rental and moved us into a higher scheme without so much as a by your leave.
The help centre is utterly useless. I have found that on average only one in three calls goes through. The others are dropped somewhere in the variuos options (press 1 for ..., press 2 for ..., etc.). The call centre are brusque and unresponsive. Nobody but nobody seems to be in charge. Calls always land on the desk of an agent. It is impossible to get any TATA executive on the line.
Perhaps, they are sitting on their behinds in their air-conditioned offices. When you buy a CDMA phone, you are stuck to the service-provider, no matter how bad their service. With a GSM phone you can just throw the SIM out and switch to another service provider. Nor can you dispose of the CDMA phone as the TATAs refurse to take back the phone or help you dispose of it.
Today, CDMA phones which were touted as the poor man’s cell phone are more expensive than GSM phones. I would advise all readers of MouthShut not to be mislead by the name of TATAs and stay from their mobile service.
I wonder if this is the brand value of the house of TATAs. I understand that the rate of surrenders (people opting out) is very high for TATA Indicom. Mr Ratan Tata, do you have any idea what is going in your cell phone company or will you wake up when they fold up?