An interesting conversation just to show what outsourcing did to our good old personal interactions of the yore.

I was a subscriber to Tata Photon service and had misplaced the device which was discovered over a month later and made a request via prescribed procedures to cancel the same immediately. Cancellation request turn around time 8 days for which I have to pay the rentals. Ok. No issues. Will also pay for the duration that the device was supposedly lost. But please cancel it.

A SMS is delivered stating Complaint number – Request for Cancellation received. Blah blah

Then began a barrage of calls from a sweet sounding lady to sweeter sounding call centre trained guys

“Sorry for the inconvenience”, “I understand your problem”, (What! I had no inconvenience, I had no problems, I lost my device so please cancel it). Please wait while I transfer your call to Cancellation department (it turned out to be Retention department) – Sir! since there is no usage whatsoever on your device, if you agree to continue with out services, we will waive the rentals charged since Nov 2014. My reponse was it doesn’t matter – Fault was anyway ours to have misplaced. Will pay up and please cancel the subscription, since I don’t need it anymore.

Another call from the same department and from same phone number 040-66570530 – We will upgrade you with a WiFi connection and waive all payables. But continue to be a subscriber. I assured them it is not due to any service issues, but it is only because I don’t need it anymore.

Next day, another call and more on the same day. The story continued to the next day upon which I agreed to upgrade it to wifi Max device – Rs 1000 for 20GB Unlimited. Ha ha ha. 20GB unlimited whatever that meant. Payment for the device Rs 2000 and within a year it will payback by way of discount of Rs 150 every month. Ok… Whatever since you insist. Device will be delivered on Saturday, please keep the cash ready. Ok Done!

Saturday comes and goes, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday – another call from the lady.

“Sir can we deliver the device this evening once you are back from office. Happy to also say, delay was because a scheme was coming up where you can get the device free.”

By 1pm someone guy calls up to say he is at our door to deliver.

“Hey Boss! You were supposed to only come for delivery after 5pm”.

“Sir, I have some urgent work,. Can I deliver with your security? Please have a word with him”

Done, delivers and goes away.

I connect it in the evening. Finds the device is mapped to some other number. Realized that it was not a new device, but someone who surrendered it after cancellation. But worrisome part. Device had all SMS’es along with the previous subscriber’s complete contact details, including his email address and contact number with his name. So much for Tat=Docomo’s concern for our safety and privacy.

Another flurry of calls to get this goddamn thing going and even the help centre folks had no clue how to change this MDN number mapped to this device. After an hour on the phone, he gives up. “Sir, in another 1 hour someone from Technical Dept will call you up to fix this issue”

Forget 1 hour, until next evening there was no response after which I make a call. Again the stock template answers which they don’t they never mean, and meant nothing to me anyway

I also bring it to their notice that the “sharing previous customer data via the device is something of big concern. Same kind of compromise about my data is well a possibility. I am seriously worried there are many unauthorized folks accessing my personal data”.

“Absolutely no Sir! This is a one off error”

Again nothing comes out of 1 hour conversation. I fiddled my way through the device and options and figure out a way to create a new profile and make the device work. But MDN mapping was still an unresolved issue.

Then began an absolutely nagging and irksome day (23/01/2015) where the call me 6 times and each time I tell them there are no access issues, but MDN no is not my number on default and there is no way to clear it. Listen to the conversation on how this panned out

The device current position is in the picture above

Not only he has no solution to my problem, this agent raises his voice and asks me only choice i have to go to his outlet for no fault of mine. Device programming, mapping is Tata Photon issue. Summarily at first request, he accepts request for cancellation and transfers the same.

Here is how that conversation goes about. Even my close family was not as concerned as my investment on the device going down the drain. He keeps repeating the same stock phrases.

Not arrogant but absolutely obfuscating issue and nagging to such a degree where except my question he answered everything else. I learnt the trick and kept on asking him the same question, till he had no choice but to say, yes Sir. You cannot do anything unless you visit our outlet. But I stick to my line – Repeated calls was for Tata Docomo’ internal training. This is how you needle a customer 6 times and how the degree of irritation increases each time when a customer is asked the same question about resolved problem.

Asked them to cancel with a specific request not to make any calls for retention. Good bye Tata Photon! Was my answer and at this time I have a cancellation request reference. As earlier 8 days of Turn around time for which I pay. That is their revenge 😛 on a unsuspecting consumer. But I guess it is cheaper in the long run.

Hence RIP my Tata Photon