Am from Chennai and I had placed a request to port out from Airtel network on 1st February under MNP.
On 2nd February I received a message from my desired service provider stating that Airtel has rejected my port our request for legal reasons.
I called up 121 and 198 at least 5 to 6 times and not even one person knew what these 'Legal Reasons' was.
Mine is a Pre-Paid connection and there is no question of any outstanding bill. Moreover, I now have about Rs. 400/- balance, which I am ready to forfeit the same to escape from the torture that Airtel has given me during all these 6 years.
As advised by the Airtel customer care official, I visited (taking half a day's leave) the Airtel customer service office in Adyar. The people there were even funnier. They lead me to a telephone and picked it up and asked me to talk to their back-end team. After about 15 mins of explanations, and proving that I am myself, the guy on the other side of the phone asked me to clear all my dues and make a fresh request along with the proof bill payment. I gently asked that gentleman, do you really generate bills for 'Pre Paid' connections?? Then the 'Service' representative asked me why did I pick this phone up, because this is only for Post Paid customers. I said, I didn't pick it, it was your officials at the Airtel centre who did it. I was then asked to lift another phone which was meant for Pre Paid customers. A lady on that line promised me that all my problems will be solved by 10:30 PM today. It is already 12:38 AM and nothing has happened.
Today I had received a call from Airtel asking me the reasons why I wanted to leave Airtel. The person who called me tasted some solid reasons why due to the paltry Airtel signal that we enjoy in our office first floor!! He also promised me that the port out issue will be soon resolved... just waitng in wings.
I have had this Airtel number for the past 6 years and I had innumerable bad experiences with them. I converted this number, which was a post-paid connection to a pre-paid one after enormous billing. I never used to check my bills and used an ECS from my bank account to pay the bills. On random check, I realized that they were milking me to the core. So, decided to convert the number to pre-paid after settling all outstanding bills. They asked me not to use the number for a day so that no more outstanding occur, which I followed with care. Next day, I received a call from Airtel saying that I used the phone and had to pay Rs. 200/- for migrating to pre-paid. I took another leave and visited the Airtel office in Saidapet to make them understand the fact that I never used the mobile the previous day. It took an hour's time of heated debates before they admitted their mistake and convert me as a pre-paid customer.
My tearful story with Airtel does not end there. I had a landline (with broadband) connection with them. That number was previously allotted to some other person and each time I call up the customer care, they would address me with that person's name!!
While signing in for that broadband plan, I was promised that I would get a recharge of Rs. 100/- every month on my Airtel pre-paid mobile number and so filled in the form accordingly. I had that connection for over 5 months (I had to because no other service provider had broadband connection in that area at that time). Not even one month did I receive that promised recharge of Rs. 100/-. But each time I called the Airtel customer care, they maintained that they had duly recharged my account with that Rs. 100/- every month without fail (I still have a call recording to prove this).
Since the Airtel call center officials maintained that they cannot take a request for this complaint, I personally visited an Airtel centre to place a complaint for this. There, to my shock, I realized that the field for the mobile number on which the offer recharge has to be done was blank... so obviously, the Airtel customer care personnel was lying to me when they said they had duly recharged my mobile number.
I always do a full-talk time recharge of Rs. 777 or Rs. 333 and so it was easy for me to confirm from the Airtel mobile customer care whether I had received any recharge for Rs. 100/-. But to my dismay, they said, they don’t have records of my previous recharges other than the last one!! I was made a tennis ball between the Airtel Mobile customer care and the Airtel Landline customer care.
When another service provider came to my area, I opted for them and closed my Airtel landline and broadband connection. I personally visited the Airtel service centre at Adyar and handed over the telephone, modem and all other paraphernalia and obtained a signed acknowledgement from them. Despite this, I have received at least 10 calls from them asking me to return the telephone instrument and modem.
While settling the bill, I paid the total outstanding less Rs. 500/- for the recharge which they should have been done for 5 months. Now I started receiving collection calls. I had taken this issue with all the highest nodal officers of Airtel Chennai (I still have all the mail correspondences), but in vain. Since I had to make an overseas trip, I decided to pay up that paltry Rs. 500/- and travel with some mental peace.
I still receive call from Airtel with broadband plans 'Specially and Exclusively crafted for me' for re-activating my Landline... I told them... even if Airtel decided to give a broadband connection free-of-cost, I would reject the offer without even giving it a thought...
Since then, I had been desperately waiting for MNP so that I can severe all my ties with Airtel. But they have now rejected my request for 'Legal Reasons', that too on a Pre-Paid mobile connection.
Well, dear Airtel, it is high time that I turned 'Legal' against you.
I'm starting my crusade against Airtel on this 5th day of February.
Requesting all existing and/or previous customers of Airtel who have had such sad experience to join hands with me. May be we can form a registered body to seek justice for all the harassment that we faced and are facing at the hands of Airtel.
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Wish to point out another beauty by Airtel! Whenever we call the customer care, the first instruction is press 1 for Tamil and 2 for English. Irrespective of whether you choose 1 or 2, the customer care official will speak to you in Tamil!! Then why do you ask the customer to choose the language at the first place??!!
Moreover, calls to 198 were charged till about a few weeks... they seem to have made that free now... thanks to MNP!!!
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I dont say that all other service providers are any better, but my personal experience proved that Airtel is the worst...
Pramod.
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