I had switched from other mobile service to Airtel (Mobile # 9876045453) with view that Airtel is doing well in other states and it will be doing good in Punjab as well but it will not be incongruous to mention that it is the worst among all.

Please find enclosed the below mentioned facts proving the above mentioned fact.

1. I have got a connection, which is not accessible from landline phone from my native place (Ahmedgarh STD code 01675) so my parents, friends etc. are unable to reach me. (Utter failure in providing basic service).
2. SMS service (both local as well as National) is not working. I am unable to receive SMS from any service provider including Airtel (only received messages from Airtel customer care like activation of service etc.) but able to send SMS to Airtel number only.
3. All the outgoing SMS have been charged though it is not delivered. I was told by customer care that all undelivered SMS would not be chargeable.
4. Requested for GPRS connection under corporate plan on 18th Feb'05 and was not activated till 24th Feb'05 and on 23rd Feb'05 I was informed by Airtel customer care that I can't get GPRS connection under corporate plan committed by Airtel and on 24th Feb'05 I received SMS that GPRS connection under corporate plan has been activated. I have lost so much due to all this, which I cannot explain in this letter.
5. In my bill for this connection, I have been charged for GPRS connection as per normal plan i.e. Rs 600/- per month although I have received SMS that my plan charges are Rs. 99/- per month for first six months, Rs. 300/- for next three months and Rs. 600/- onwards. I had also confirmed my bill plan for GPRS connection after receiving SMS from AIRTEL and I was confirmed that it is same as mentioned in SMS.
6. My request for activation for roaming has been taken while stating that there is no roaming rental under this category (Corporate Self Paid plan) and during confirmation call for activation of roaming I was informed other way round.
7. Registered on www.airtelworld.com for e-billing and prompted a message that password had been sent by SMS on the mobile number but couldn't receive the password due to issue mentioned in point 2.
8. I had been informed that GPRS connection can be activated by sending SMS request 'GPRSCORP' at 700 (toll free number) which is free of charge. On the contrary I have been charged for this SMS as well.

I got different answer for same query from different representatives in Airtel customer service (121 service) and it indicates that Airtel doesn't have any process in place to look after their customers and only untrained people are handling customers and tell whatever comes in their mind. I was applaud to listen the suggestion from one of the executives attending my call that 'Get the roaming activated and I will come to know whether there is any rental or not' in my next bill. So experimentation on its customer is part of Airtel customer service process.

It hurts when one has to pay for services for which he is deprived of. Under such circumstances, I would prefer to discontinue with the service if Airtel is unable to provide tolerable level of service being a service industry.

Moreover Airtel customer care is hesitant to write customer complaint and providing the complaint number. On insisting to provide complaint number I was told that it is a general complaint fro other customers as well so we can write a complaint in this regard and it will be resolved within 24 hours.

I will appreciate the consistency maintained by Airtel customer care executives attending the call while answering any problems with the pet answer.

NEW SERIES PROBLEM, WILL BE RESOLVED IN 24 HOURS.

This 24 hour commitment is never fulfilled practically and I don't understand why do Airtel representative feel shame in telling the truth while attending customer call. Did customer do any crime that he should be victimized for this new series problem?

My brother is holding AIRTEL connection in Delhi region and he appreciates about the service level there so it is strange why same company is unable to maintain the standards in Punjab.

There is more to mention but I think it is sufficient to convey message to management about the service level of AIRTEL in Punjab region.

In Nutshell, I feel like that I have done blunder by switching to Airtel and don't hesitate to commit for services while issuing selling new connection which they are unable to provide at all in committed time frame and force customer to chase them. At the same time Airtel makes sure that customer is charged for above mentioned services.

Regards,
Vishav Bandhu Singla
Mobile: - +91 9357327472

For address verfication 2 weeks back itself one of your executive has come and spoke to our house owner, as am bachelor am wont be available at the office hours at home. Last wednesday(12-01-05) suddenly without any intimation my connection has been blocked and I called up your customer care center and I've been told its blocked due to non availability of person at home at the time of verfication, how come I will be there at come at the office hours, if your comming for verfication means before hand you must inform me so that I can make arrangements, and also he told the re verfication will be done only on
17 Jan 05 by 9am, but no one has come for verfication and again i called up the customer care and they told by tuesday(18-01-05) afternoon verfication will be done and number will be activated but esterday also no one has come for reverfication.

Now almost a week over no action has been taken from your side. If I am not resifding at the given address means, how come i received your bill, bill dated 06-jan-05 and also i paid the bill amount.

If the number is not activated by today morining, there is no way I AM GOING TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGANIST AIRTEL.

Because every fault is on your side, for the past one week without connection i had been disconnected from the world.

I never expected this kind of service from a reputed concern.

Lastly I would like to say one thing to AIR TEL. Let how great your AIRTEL Technology may be if the CUSTOMER was not cared , you will be OUT.

I had purchased an airtel student pack connection through my brother Vijay Karthik nearly 2 months ago, for my new Nokia 6230 i. I was so eager to explore the various value added services compatible in my new mobile. So, I requested the airtel customer care ( my service providers) for the activation of my GPRS facility, almost a month ago. I was repeatedly told that it would be activated within 24 hours, whereas nothing has happened in the last 30days *24 = 720 hours.

I have called more a dozen times and have spoken to as many customer care representatives too. But I must confess that only my calls were attended to and not my requests. (I wonder whether this is part of the training programme of the airtel customer care forum, to effectively mock helpless customers like us.)

Now after the first few calls that were obviously ignored, i was more persistent requesting for details of the actual procedure. I was informed by your customer care rep. Karthik of Chennai that I have to type MASALA in caps. and send sms to 646, which I have done several times. I only receive a message thanking me and promising some settings shortly, but nothing happens thereafter.Then he tells me that my request is already activated and all that must happen is just receive the settings, which he said would happen in 24 hours (of course - standard - right ?). But I must tell u i have spent another 24 *25 days = 600 hours but nothing has happened as yet. Well, this Karthik, ur rep. was also making it very obvious that he was annoyed with my repeated requests and was more than harsh in his language. (Of course they are tyrained to be so... one wonders. May be he expected me to keep my mouth shut like the many other helpless victims such as me.) He also gave a promise / word saying that everything would be ok within 24 hours, failing which I can reach him anytime. But that has not happened. Neither have i got what I asked for nor was i able to get him on the line ( obviously he was avoiding me ).

Now I have also made as many requests for a reference no. or a complaint no., something that would give me a hold, for me to follow up on the service that appears wanting regarding my requests. But i am never given any such a thing. All i hear is the same crap of 24 hours. They know as well as i do, that once they have seen my call through, They are scot free. I am not going to get them on the line the next time. Its going to be somebody else. Thats the probability. So, its just passing the ball to someone else so that they face the responsibility or they do the same passing game, for who cares for the customer around here. I have spoken to Farhat of chennai after my ordeal with Karthik. All these people are from Chennai. She even promised to send me a mail and took my e- mail id regarding my status. Its a week and half now and I am still waiting for her mail cause i am so stupid, right?

Well after Farhat came Rajkumar. I remember all these people so well cause thats what they put me through. Finally it was Ram this morning. He really made me go over the edge, with his same indifferent attitude, plus a bonus of being either too dumb to understand my request or was probably playing too smart to make me give up on him. This fellow even had the audacity to be snobbish and reveal the true attitude, that he or none of them really cares for the customer. His logic is simple, but unappreciative. If i had called for one whole month, i must still be capable of making one more call tomorrow. Well, if this kind of statement is what u call logic and care and help, I say the whole damn thing is that u r running is a zoo and what u really do tot he customer is fraudulence and injustice. Ur system and the ones I have mentioned about, have duped me of my money, my faith, belief, respect and peace of mind. Well, since its Airtel - express yourself, I thought it would be no harm to really express myself to whoever is out there to listen .Well when i asked for the supervisor of the customer care reps. to register the complaint, i was not given access and this raj Kumar as usual made the same promise of 24 hours and hung up on me.

Am i happy to be a customer of Airtel. You guess. We have 4 airtel connections, 2 reliance, 1 hutch, 1 tata indicom walky and VSNL broadband network in our house. Now I am sure there is going to be some serious alterations with the first 4 connections. May be u really don't care losing 4 connections cuase u have a huge customer base right. But I am sure u may not have the same luxury for long with this zoo u r running around here and the bunch of clowns working for u. I am sorry for belting my emotions right out here this way, but I really wanted to let someone know of my pain. I would appreciate a reply given by Whoever is concerned with this dept. and is in the authority to do the needful and give a suitable explanation. Thank you.

P.S. Did i mention about my brother Vijay Karthik - no. 98400 59718, who went through a similar ordeal two months ago. Well If not, don't worry, u r going to hear from a lot of us shortly. U have it coming, i promise. Thank you. waiting for ur response.

Another unhappy and enraged customer,
Vinodh.

I bought a mobile connection from Airtel Kerala (India) in the month of April. I specifically asked for international roaming. After waiting for 2 days it was confirmed that i can get the same with some additional fees. I paid the fees and a sim card was provided to me which they confirmed had access to international roaming.

When I went abroad to Moscow(Russia), i was not able to access any of the mobile networks. I complained through e-mail and with much delayed response, nothing much was done. I reverted back to the agency from where the sim card was bought just to learn that there is a defect in the sim card. In my next visit to India in June, they gave me another sim card, assuring that i can access international roaming.
But unfortunately, I could not access the network in Dubai(uae) and also in Moscow(Russia). After further complaints through email and usual delayed response, only reply i could get was to switch off and switch on the mobile again.

Being a telecom engineer I know the tits and bits of how mobile works. However the problem is not with the handset or the way i access the network.

Anyway, its around 5 months now and Ii am paying monthly rent for no use and its a heavy loss to my business.

At the end, I am fedup and dont know what to do. Moreover there is no response from AirTel.