I have been using vodafone connection for approx 11-12 years. In kolkata it first started with Command. Then it became Hutch after a few years and now Vodafone. I have been using both prepaid and postpaid connection of Vodafone. So far, I must say, they have a good network in Kolkata. Now, in stead of a long discussion, I will mention here my own experience so far by categorizing its service in 2 broad categories like below:
PROS:
1) Vodafone(both prepaid and postpaid) has good network coverage in West Bengal, particularly in Kolkata and its adjacent areas.
2) Getting a prepaid connection is easy. Some documents like ID Proof, Address Proof, Passport photo etc is required. They start the line very quickly.
3) Vodafone.in is a good website. Online recharge is completely hassle free and paying the postpaid bill is also very easy. One good thing is that every time u pay your bill or recharge your prepaid, u will get a 7% discount voucher for shopping in Ebay.in.
4) Postpaid connection that I am using has great offers, though it is a corporate connection with CUG features. I have been using this postpaid since 2010, and I don’t have any complaint regarding the billing.
5) If u are a postpaid customer, u can recharge vodafone prepaid numbers of your friends, family members(within your circle area). In Kolkata I can recharge an amount ranging between 50-100/-.
6) As there is now a uniform Customer Care number(198 as introduced recently), getting to the Tele-calling Executive is easier than before.
7) There are many Vodafone kiosks named as’Vodafone Store’ or’Vodafone Mini Store’ throughout Kolkata to serve the customers and also to pay bills.
8) They have many offers already and are introducing more within a small gap. And there is a wide variety of recharge offer like Full Talk Value, Bonus Cards etc.
9) 3G with Vodafone is an overall good experience for me. Speed is decent(when the network coverage is ok). I also got a surprise offer of 1GB 3G pack for Rs.147/-(which is used to be approx Rs. 201/-) in this month of APril, 2015.
10) The Self Service Menu. i, e, *111# is very handy.
CONS:
1) First and foremost, I never got any 64k sim card from Vodafone. I got one from Airtel many days ago. These 32K sim cards of Vodafone has very less Contact and SMS storage.
2) In some weak coverage zones, the signal drops like anything(though its coverage is much better than Idea, Aircel, Docomo etc in Kolkata). Also many times I faced absolute’no signal’ in some not so weak coverage areas. This is not expected from at least from Vodafone.
3) You may face some issues which will be un-resolved for lifetime. Recently they deducted some amount from my prepaid balance and started a new Bonus Card service without my request and consent. I called them, told them what happened and requested to stop the service and give my balance back. They raised a Service Request.even after 2-3 days they sent me a message stating that my issue is resolved. When I checked my balance, nothing was refunded.
4) They sometimes give Mobile Number specific offers which are very good. Unfortunately, most of us dont know how to check them. And there is no initiative from Vodafone to educate their customers regarding these offers.
5) There was a time when Vodafone often changed the Service Numbers without any proper information to the customer like balance checking, best offer, internet usage etc. But the scenario has changed now.
6) Every operator revise their prepaid and postpaid plans and Vodafone also did that many times. But very recently their revisions affecting us adversely, particularly in prepaid. They have increased the charges almost in every bonus card and curtailed the validity period by 2-3 days. I dont know whether TRAI has anything to do with that or not, but recent changes in prepaid recharges have gone bad.
7) One common thing I noticed among all the Vodafone Tele Calling Executives is that, they are always in a hurry. Sometimes they even dont bother to listen to our issues completely and start talking immediately. This is a very peculiar nature of them. They are so eager to attend more and more calls to fulfill their monthly target that very often they forget about the quality of service they are rendering.
Every network operator have their own merits and demerits. But honestly speaking to my experience, Vodafone is better that many other operators in our region(i dont know the whole picture for our country). It is true that sometimes I faced problems and also got irritated by their sudden balance deduction etc, but I am more or less a satisfied customer of Vodafone. I would recommend Vodafone as a primary connection to anyone, particularly who reside in Kolkata.