This review is based on my experience with Hutch & Airtel in Delhi and Bangalore. It is more specific to Hutch Bangalore though at times, the observations tend to be comparative in nature.
I have found consistent technology advantage in using Hutch, both in Delhi and Bangalore. Customer requests are handled in a much orderly fashion in Hutch and the experience thus far has been rather pleasant. While this is consistent in both the cities, Bangalore lacks behind in terms network coverage and operating redundancy.
I have been told the Hutch customer in Bangalore is the root of this problem. There just aren’t enough customers to mandate huge expenditure in providing a good and efficient network apparatus. Unfortunately, this is a catch-22 situation. You can’t get new customers if you network service is poor, and without customers, you aren’t willing to spend that extra buck.
Coming back to customer service, Airtel in Bangalore is rather smug in its interactions with customers. Being the largest player in the Bangalore market, over 50% of the cellular connections, has made them rather inefficient and very bureaucratic and nonchalant. Their attitude is typical to that of a govt. owned monopoly of the yesteryears. ’Take it or leave it’ seems to be their motto. Being small and nimble has surely helped Hutch in developing and sustaining a happy customer base.
If Hutch chooses to, it can easily become a market leader by investing more. Give the customer more bang for their buck. I would recommend Hutch over Bangalore any day but hesitate on account of the network. To give you a more objective picture:
Network accessibility: Airtell is miles ahead of Hutch on this domain, but that’s the only advantage Airtel has. During peak office hrs, not only is the traffic in Bangalore clogged, the Hutch network slips into oblivion. I have had to endure ’’Network Busy’’ on a daily basis, and in some cases, for a couple of hrs at a stretch. On top of that, there are areas in the heart of Bangalore where you will only get a very weak signal, even none at times. Who would want to use such a service, and even pay for it? :)
Securing a connection: As I have stated earlier, Airtel is outright arrogant when it comes to providing new connections. Hutch on the other hand, is supremely friendly and eager to be at your service. My interaction on getting a new connection was part of a corporate deal. I mean getting around 200 connections in one go didn’t seem to have enthused the sales/marketing folks at Airtel. Hutch on the other hand, was very prompt and professional when it came to servicing corporate customers. They gave us the best offer by a long shot and stood by their commitments. Airtel folks on the other hand, just didn’t respond to any calls or acknowledge any issues. Only after Airtel lost their huge customer base, did they actually seem interested in addressing customer concerns/requests.
Customer interaction/satisfaction: I wouldn’t have mentioned Airtel in this category at all, as they are oblivious to such a concept. When was the last time you visited a govt. enterprise involved in ’providing service’? Well, Airtel continues to exemplify that notion and does a great job of it. I have to hand that to them, even the devil gets its due.
I would recommend Hutch to anyone, with the hope that they improve on their network infrastructure.
Thanks!
:-) Anuj.