I am from Bangalore and I got the ZeeNext broadband account 3 months back... The package I got was the 1 month unlimited package for Rs.615... initial payment of Rs.3000(non - refundable). thro Cable TV operator... or the 1st 20 days the account was working well and the download speeds were 7 - 8 Kilo bytes.After that it has been like 20 - 24 kbps which is lesser than dial up.

It was at this speed for the last 10 days of the 1st month... i called the customer care which is I think of no use and not needed at all.They all give the same reply stating that they’ll call back...Most of us buy broadband connections to reduce telephone bills.

I can tell you that ur bills will increase by calling customer care of ZeeNext... but no other go i had to renew at the end of 1st month... and was working well for 3 days after which the speed was dead slow.It was half of dial up and after calling it an unlimited account someone calls up and tells me that they reduced my speed since downloads were high.After that the speeds did not improve for 5 - 10 days, the speeds were 6 - 7 Kilobytes only at nights for another 5 or 6 days... and after that the speeds never improved and i feel like i could use dial up account which’ll be faster than ZeeNext broadband..

I kept calling the customer care as the amount was non-refundable and i now know y the amount is non refundable... Someone from customer care called up and told that the bandwidth of the unlimited package has been increased to 64Kbps and assured me at least dial up speeds which prompted me to renew it again.But the 3rd month for me has been the worst. After the 1st 2 days the account stopped working and it keeps giving the message ’’authentication failure’’.

After lodging a complaint with the customer care Absolutely nothing was happening and no action was taken even though I kept calling like 10 - 15 times a day... and after 4 days I was furious and telling the whole thing to a person in ZeeNext customer care my account started working but at the same extremely low speed. And it actually took only 10 mins to solve the problem which was there for 4 days and i do not know what they were doing for 4 days.

I was irate and went to the ZeeNext office to talk in person with someone... and now they tell me that even though it is called as unlimited they’ll reduce my speed when the data transfer per day exceeds 75MB... And now after using this useless thing for another 4 days, the speed is always only a max of 24Kbps even if I don’t exceed 75MB. Actually I haven’t used it for the past 2 days and there is no change. And I think this’ll never change since it has been like this for the past few days.

ZeeNext is just fooling customers by telling that they are giving an unlimited internet connection. The truth is the speeds’ll be good only for the 1st 15 days just to make you feel good. The initial amount is non-refundable since I think they know for sure that no1 will stay with them for more than 3 months. I can assure you ZeeNext WILL TEST YOUR PATIENCE.And you can use the dial up connection instead of ZeeNext broadband. I’ve thrown 3000 bucks into a garbage called ZeeNext.

Right now touchtel (now changed to airtel) as promised is giving night 10Pm - 8Pm free download and lots of my acquaintances have given very good reviews and I myself have got a connection with touchtel at another place... Been downloading like 400MB everyday for the past 2 months without any hassles.The customer care is very good and they do give 128Kbps connection. I checked the speeds at http://www.2wire.com and the speeds were always above 105Kbps and maximum at nights.

Dishnet DSL is a very good option for people who can spend big money on a high speed internet connection.The speeds were always minimum 256Kbps. I suggest no one buy ZeeNext broadband and get fooled by their false promises. There is nothing called ’’unlimited package’’ in ZeeNext.The speeds will be reduced very soon after you buy the account.You’ll go mad seeing the speeds which’ll be half of dial up. I know many customers who have experienced similar problems.

To sum it up ZeeNext broadband is undoubtedly THE WORST with poor service and a customer care which is actually not needed since they do absolutely nothing unless you keep calling them again and again.

Ppl who are planning to go for broadband can go for airtel which is economical and giving speeds as promised.

ZeeNext Broadband sucks.I am a franchisee (CTO). The first time i took up the franchisee i had to pay Rs.1, 60, 000 by cheque. They told me the after 100 connection they will provide a technical engineer. I have more then 200 connections but till now no sign of any technical engineer. Coz i am technically savvy i am managing it. But the other CTO are paying from their pockets to keep their connections alive and if they don't they will have to be in jail. They don't give a damn coz they are getting their money in advance. Their slogan is “Maximum connection minimum staff”. If you have called up their call center you will know what kind of idiots are there.They cant even speak. If complain to the call center they forward it to the local office and the local office due to shortage of staff will forward it to the CTO maybe after a day or will send the case as closed without even informing the CTO. This what ZeeNext is all about. Please send me a mail at [email protected] so that i can nail these ZeeNext bastar's... who has made my life so miserable.

ZeeNext broadband most pathetic service.

After enjoying super broadband service in US last 5 years. Recently when I returned to India, I wanted a broadband connection at home. To my horror situation here is so pathetic!! In my area Old Madras Road it seemed to have only one service provider ZeeNext. Sify wasn’t there, BSNL started DSL just now. So I subscribed to ZeeNext unlimited plan. In my Opinion worst ever ISP service I have seen. Here are some highlights of pathetic service provider.

They call 40/64 kbps unlimited connection a broadband and charge 1000 for 64 kbps connection is really a joke. These guys call themselves an India based best ISP provider. Rob customers by charging 1000 Installation charges ( I don’t know what the heck is installation charges and it seems that every service use this term to rob customers) At least 20 hour’s downtime every day. Hardly up for 2 to 3 hours Download speed of 5 kbps is a joke. When change a plan you gotta wait for at least 7 days to resume the services, In which world these people are living? When you lodge complain to CC, technician calls you after 2 days and ask you to do basic trouble shooting, like restart machine, modem!! Common broadband users are not that idiots. Last month when my connection broke down I lodged complain to CS. It took three days for them to discover that someone has cut the cable and took another 3 days to fix it. * Sigh*. At the same time Guys came to me for renewal as service was to finish in 2 days time. Sooo when connection established they demanded that I must renew and pay upfront then only I can use the service. But then how about my 7 days of disruption of service??? These guys really s*ck!!

Now Sify and BSNL is available since last month. I didn’t bother to change the provider since it takes another 8 days to resume the services and anyway I will be moving to NY soon so I wont be needed any service. Overall I think there is terribly wrong with the service providers in India, especially with ZeeNext. 1000 Rs for 60 kbps connection is looting and nothing else. When there is cheap labor available and operating cost is so low, I just do not understand why these people are robbing customers. These guys wont enjoy it long for sure. Sometimes word of mouth is quite powerful and these players will pay the price when better alternatives are available. I really feel for you guys. But lets hope that we get better service in future, which is value for money.

Pros:
1. None

Cons:
1. Unlimited connections are not truly unlimited (150 MB download limit per day)
2. Shared connection (hence, shared bandwidth)
3. Sloppy customer care, very rude staff - red-tapism
4. 15 to 20 days of downtime per month on average
5. Last mile of the connection is handled by the local Cable Transmission Operator
6. ZeeNext is not responsible for ’omissions and commissions’ on part of the CTO to provide connectivity - how much you are charged as the non-refundable installation fee is at the CTO’s will - ZeeNext itself is only responsible for account renewals and payment collection for the same.
7. ZeeNext dialer software forces you to use Antivirus Software of their choice.
8. A very lengthy Automated Voice Response at the customer care end, which might in the end ask you to leave your number for them to call you back in an hour - takes a minimum of 4 hours - you may not receive that call at all.
9. ZeeNext dialer software takes you to ZeeNextmax webpage - a news site with video feeds, eating up precious MBs that you pay for.
10. Internet Explorer is always the default browser when you connect.
11. Linux dialer software is seriously user-unfriendly
12. Offers connectivity through cables, susceptible to damage by induction by high power transmission lines in the vicinity, cables are easily torn by a gust or by a passing heavy vehicle. Your computer hardware might be at risk.
13. Does not provide a static IP address, impossible to track hack attempts from ZeeNext users.
14. Uses MAC address binding for your connection - you cannot connect your laptop to the ZeeNext connection you use on your desktop.

My experience:

I had applied for a ZeeNext Broadband connection through the local CTO on 17.02.2005 and was subsequently connected on 28.02.2005. My reason for choosing ZeeNext was their very attractive night time unlimited 128 kbps plan. Additionally, I opted for a 200 MB / 128 kbps limited account. I had to pay an initial non-refundable deposit of Rs. 2500/- for installation to the CTO (however no receipt was given to me for that).

On 03.04.2007, barely a month later, the ZeeNext Subscriber Unit (SU) in my locality blew up following a power surge due to the proximity of one of the ZeeNext network cables to a high-tension power transmission line. The high voltage was transmitted to all the subscribers connected to that SU. My Compaq system was barely 6 months old! My integrated Ethernet card and my UPS were severely damaged. Although the UPS was promptly repaired under warranty, Compaq warranty would not cover the motherboard for damage caused by a power surge. My only option was to get an add-on Ethernet card.

The local CTO was thoroughly uncooperative regarding the repair of the Subscriber Unit and replacement of the damaged components. I got tired calling up their Customer Care. They would note down my complaint, giving me a Reference Number every time. There 24x7 Customer Care consists of a bunch of highly trained smart talkers who know absolutely nothing about the technicalities of ZeeNext broadband connections.

To make matters worse, my father was admitted to hospital at an advanced stage of lung cancer around the same time. I desperately needed the internet to communicate with my brother in the US. But these guys at ZeeNext would not relent. Finally, I got fed-up of it all and emailed all in my address book speaking of my predicament and asked them to forward it to everyone they knew. I ‘cc’ed a copy to all in the ZeeNext management, right from their CEO to their Regional Manager.

Within three hours a guy from the ZeeNext technical department turned up to assure me that my connection would be restored within a week’s time, which they did. I was finally reconnected to ZeeNext on 03.05.2005, exactly a month after the aforesaid incident. However, the service was really appalling as I could not connect to the internet most of the time (ZeeNext dialer error BB101). This they attributed to the unpredictable voltage fluctuation in my locality. To get the CTO to fix this was again an uphill task. Finally, they installed an UPS in their Subscriber Unit and the problem was temporarily solved.

After a few weeks, the connectivity started to trip frequently. My calls to the CTO would go unanswered. I had to personally go and report this at least thrice on an average, every time it happened, before somebody would turn up to fix it. On 09.07.2007, I was working on my computer when I heard a small explosion somewhere near my house. Immediately, I noticed the Local Area Connection tray icon on my desktop changing to one with a red cross. Upon investigating, I discovered that a similar power surge had reoccurred in the Subscriber Unit and confirmed that all of the ZeeNext customers in my area had lost connectivity. Since then I have paid numerous visits to the CTO. Surprisingly, the only person from ZeeNext who turned up at my place after that is from their Bill Collection department for the renewal of my account!

Last night, I called up the ZeeNext Territory Manager (South Zone), Mr. Raman. As usual, he started telling me the same old stories, “We are looking into it..., ZeeNext Technical people will get back to you..., You contact this person who is looking after your area..., Meanwhile I’ll give you a dial-up connection...”. I finally lost my cool and told him that I wanted him to refund my money and withdraw the connection (obviously using a few expletives). Surprising, ‘His Highness’, Mr. Raman, took grave offense in that – “Mr. Souvik you should not talk to me like that... Do what you can..., I cannot help you about getting a refund...”.

Apparently, ZeeNext is aware of the poor level of service of the CTOs. Till sometime back the payment collection for renewal used to be done by the CTO. Surprisingly, nobody came to collect the payment for my renewals initially. Then ZeeNext setup a Bill Collection cell to personally collect all payments for account renewals, clearly indicating that they are not oblivious of the lethargic attitude of the CTOs.

Another gentleman, who is my neighbor got his new ZeeNext connection in March about a week after I did. The power surge burnt his motherboard, taking with it his 64 MB AGP card. He got back his connection only on 08.07.2007 . On 9th morning the incident recurred and again burnt his motherboard.

In the receipt for payments, which proudly carries the ZeeNext logo on it, ZeeNext clearly mentions that “This payment is being collected on and behalf of the local CTO and under no circumstances will ZeeNext Ltd. be held responsible for omissions and commissions on the part of the CTO to provide service” . This is ridiculous! The CTO is a franchisee of ZeeNext – yet ZeeNext is not responsible for the lack of service to its customers! Why the hell maintain an ornamental Customer Care when ZeeNext itself is not responsible for any network problems?

ZeeNext claims that the initial deposit is being collected by the CTO for laying the cable and as quoted above it is not responsible for ‘commissions’ charged by the CTO, how then does ZeeNext mention an amount of Rs.3500/- (conditions apply of course!) as initial deposit on their website?

ZeeNext management should realize that gone are the days when people had to be satisfied with what they were getting due to lack of options. Indians are now a major force in the IT sector, and computer literacy has a strong upward trend. They are going to lose it big, if they don’t come out clean.