Grievance in snapshot :
"When a continuing customer who has been making timely payment of all currently billed amounts, and some outstanding keeps continuously getting reflected out of old billed amounts, is it not professionally as well ethically required from a service provider to really look into and resolve the problem??? "
If this cannot form part of the professional ethics adopted by Hutchcare, with their current team of Hutchcare Executives, then at least they should try and put responsible professionals for handling their customer queries. If this is not addressed, Customer Service carries no meaning and better the entire Department / function can be wiped off (at least Hutch can save on considerable costs on Administrative overheads!)
Grievance in detail :
I had been a loyal subscriber of Hutch over the years, almost last more the 5 years. Initially I started off with a connection in the Gujarat region and the service was found to be excellent right since the date of activation till the date of termination, which was purely due to my personal reasons owing to my relocation from Gujarat.
Subsequent to my relocation to Chennai, it has been more than 2 years now that I had been subscribing to Hutch connections. Right since the beginning, it has been harrowing experiences all through, that I have been faced with. Still the height of pity has been my continuing loyalty wherein I started with 1 connection and consistently grown to 3 connections within my family as on date.
Just wanted to bring to this forum, my terrible experiences with Hutch, for creating awareness among the existing / planning to be subscribers.
1) Initially when I wanted a connection, I actually applied along with my official colleagues and we opted for a CUG and the entire scheme was finalized with almost 19 of us subscribing to the CUG scheme. Once the bills started coming in, there were so much of irregularities in the filling pattern, that after 3 months, lots of complaints were addressed to Hutch by most of my colleagues. Luckily, I had no such problems, by the Grace of Almighty. However, when these complaints were addressed, Hutch came out with a DISGRACEFUL reply saying that the concerned executive who finalized our CUG scheme, was not at all a responsible official of Hutch. Issues kept on dragging and come settled and remaining unsettled, within a span of 6 months, our CUG strength got reduced to a staggering 3 or 4, from the initial number of 19. This in itself talks about the effectiveness of CUSTOMER SERVICE / CUSTOMER RETENTION strategised by Hutch.
2) However, as I said, I did not face any billing problems and hence I continued without any cribbing on Hutch. I had within the first month also gone in for the 2nd connection. Subsequently I also added the 3rd connection which has also been in use for more than last 6 months.
3) Over more than the last 4 months, I had been harassed in typically 1 of my existing 3 connections. It so happened that one particular month, I was out traveling and hence could not stick on to the due date for dropping my cheque for the amount due. The realization of my due amount happened I believe, close to some 4-5 days later than the due date. This attracted a penalty of Rs.100 on my next statement. I spoke to Hutchcare and explained the reasons for delay, but still nothing happened for reversal of this amount. In the same way, within the next 2 months, another delay happened for 2-3 days due to similar reasons, which attracted another Rs.100 as late payment charges. This again was discussed with Hutch verbally with Customer care and I was assured that it would be looked into.
4) Subsequently, on one of my calls with Hutchcare, I was told that I need to send out a request clearly spelling out the reasons for the waiver requested. This mail was sent immediately, which happened almost 2 months back. Immediately I got a response to this mail saying that my request was acknowledged and Hutch would get back to me in the next 48 hours. After another couple of days, I got an excellent mail from Hutch saying that my request was being reviewed and I would be getting a feedback in due course. Still that "due course" is continuing and I have lost hopes of receiving any feedback at all.
5) Meanwhile some strange developments that happened included :
a) every month there would be threatening SMS saying that the services would be discontinued if the amount outstanding (the same Rs.200 as above) is not settled within the same day of the receipt of SMS
b) due to the panic on receiving such a threatening SMS, I used to talk to Hutchcare and somebody would listen to my grievance / cribbing / disgusting talks and give me some momentary reply and pass it off
c) once a collection agent came to my doorstep demanding for immediate settlement of this HUGE OUTSTANDING which was basically an undue penalty -I call it undue because Hutch did not even have the spine to explain me properly the reasons for not being able to process /consider my request - It cannot be a simple DADAGIRI all the way like "for retaining connection active, you got to pay anything and everything that is billed". Ultimately I had to drive away the collection agent citing my ongoing discussions and hopefully anticipated feedback from Hutch. Though this happened almost more than 1.5 months back, I have not even heard from this guy or his agency. Nor has he dared to reach my doorstep subsequently following up for the same due
6) A couple of days back, my connection has got debarred, in the funniest of circumstances. Last week happened to be the due date for the bill amount and a couple of days earlier, I spoke with Hutchcare with a clear interest to understand and solve / resolve this issue of outstanding which has been harrowing me for quite some time. I was given a status reply that I would get a confirmed feedback the next day from Hutch and I was planning to make the payment after receiving this feedback.
7) As it usually happens with Hutch where guys promise to get back just for the sake of hanging up and gaining momentary relief, I never got a feedback. Hence with the same amount left out, I settled the remaining charges on account of utilization by dropping a cheque right on the due date.
8) After this deposit, now around 3 days back, someone by name "Rahul" had called up to inform that the waiver request was acceded to. The next day, came in another threatening SMS calling for the payment of the same dues immediately to continue the connection. Since this was not paid, the connection got deactivated a couple of days back.
9) When I followed up with Hutchcare after this deactivation, I got the shock of my life when someone initially said that there was no such person by name "Rahul" with Hutch (as if I got this name / character in my dreams and pulled out this piece of conversation from Heaven!!!).
10) While I was explaining the nature of these penalties levied and the running episodes, he came up with my next shock claiming that no such records of complaints from my side existed in their database / history of my transactions. The height of all these being the claim that not even a trace of my email request for waiver or Hutch's reply both in terms of acknowledgment and the ridiculous status reporting, was existent in their records. This call again terminated with a statement that my request was being updated in records and I would receive a call from a Hutchcare Executive the next day. Though I am still eagerly awaiting such a call, the duration assured has already lapsed, which is anyhow not new with Hutch.
11) In this scenario, I really fail to understand if at all HUTCH is having Customer Service / Customer Retention as one of its motives, at all. My simple question is that
"When a continuing customer who has been making timely payment of all currently billed amounts, and some outstanding keeps continuously getting reflected out of old billed amounts, is it not professionally as well ethically required from a service provider to really look into and resolve the problem? "
0 comments