A case history of how an angry Airtel customer site engineer harasses the customer and then the customer care center gives 3rd degree torture.
12:30 pm 9th October
Called Airtel about broadband slowing down tremendously and most sites including their own internet website timing out, even though i have 2 Mbps line.
First time half-way through discussion - call dropped. Around 10 minutes waster
The customer care never calls back, if your call drops, by the way.
Around 1pm:
Called back again and this time, I insist that they first generate a ticket. Finally a ticket is generated.
Ticket Number 38572324. Explained the whole problem again and finally they said someone will come in. Spent another 15 minutes
Around 2:30pm:
Actual visit by an airtel site engineer!! fantastic. He goes through the motions and finally says things are better. Your PC needs a health check, though. Okay fine, buddy. Thanks.
But please do not close the ticket. I want the situation under observation for 24-48 hours. The last time a problem came and it was fixed, it recurred in 24 hours. The guy is furious. He says, to maintain his SLAs he wants to close the ticket now. I tell him, i prefer to keep it under observation and then close it by Monday. His manager comes on the line, Gautam, and says, lets close it. I explain I would prefer to keep it under observation for 24 horus. He says, close the ticket and if you need help call me on my mobile number!!
After 15 minutes of arguing, I tell him, i want it under observation and he can still go ahead and close it if he prefers it.
The site engineer is furious. I try explaining my past experience of problems recurring. He only understands that he has done a good job and I am not letting the case close. His SLAs are suffering and he is furious.
And then he leaves the premises and within 10 minutes my ADSL Line is dead. Is it possible that the guy was mad and he disconnected the line in the basement before leaving. Old trick in the book. It is called SABOTAGE the network and screw the customer (or the management when u are on strike). Possible? Yes. Probable? Definitely.
What are the chances that the ADSL line which has been stable and okay for four months goes down within 10 minutes after an angry and irritated Airtel site-engineer leaves the premises. I wanted the case to be open for 24-48 hours, so here is a good reason Sir, I will yank your line for 24-48 hours and observe you. Hypothetical possibility. Yes.
3pm:
Call up Airtel. Again 10 minutes of explaining and same thing happens. Priya tell me case is open (wow, so it is open for observation). But says "Sir, it was a PC problem and our guy fixed it". I explain the line has been down and I need help. They said someone will visit before 7:20 pm. I also get an SMS from them that this is the case.. Quite professional.
7:00 pm
I call up Airtel again. Spend 70 minutes this time.
After 15 mintues with Jeetesh who says "Sir, it was a PC problem and our guy fixed it". Your case is under observation. I explain that at 3pm I had called to complain that the line was down. Has it not been updated? aah.. yes is your line still down..?? He apologizes, sorry for the inconvenience, but it is now past 7:00 and there is nobody to come to your house now. So we will see it Monday.
7:30 pm
Escalate to floor manager :
Manager Ashish comes online, after 30 minute call. Completely clueless. Not briefed about anything. So "Sir, it was a PC problem and our guy fixed it". I ask him if he has got a briefing before coming on line. No sir, just read the case report. Normally case reports should be in REVERSE CHRONOLOGY. Last update first. So that when you see it, the most recent update is what you need to know before talking to the customer. After i explain everything to him for the THIRD time in a day. He apologizes, sorry for the inconvenience, but it is now past 7:30 and there is nobody to come to your house now. So we will see it Monday.
After another 40 minutes of discussion I ask him if he is the guy-incharge or anyone else is there to help.
I ask him to take someone from Operations on the line to understand why nobody showed up. "Sorry sir, we can't take them on the line." But someone will definitely come tomorrow at 3pm.
In a nutshell, at 3pm on Saturday they say 7pm. And at 7pm on Saturday they say 3pm on Sunday. I ask Ashish, why am I to believe you now? No answer. What if the guy doesn't show up. No answer.
Request further escalation.
8:10 pm
Escalated to Abhinav Goswamy - not sure who he is. "Sir, it was a PC problem and our guy fixed it". I give him the story again for the FOURTH time today. He apologizes, sorry for the inconvenience, but it is now past 7:30 and there is nobody to come to your house now. But we guarantee you tomorrow someone will definitely show up.
I insist that the problem has to be solved today. Says he will call back.
9:15 pm
Still waiting for the resolution and my DSL link yellow LED is blinking and the browser keeps giving me the same message "DSL link is down".
So, basically the moral of the story:
Do what the airtel site engineer wants you to do. Close the case to help his SLAs. Otherwise, bad things will happen to you and you flush down the weekend trying to get your Internet working. You can never prove it, but you will suffer his wrath..
Wonder if Consumer court is an option...
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