Telecom Companies rather mobile phone companies in India started its operations in Monopolistic Competition. Which means each telecom circle was allotted to just two players. This monopoly lasted for about a decade. During those hay days of windfall profits, telecom companies did not care about expenses. They spent unnecessarily on marketing operations. Two operators in one circle could live comfortably but they did not. They wasted large sums in marketing something which was discovered to be essential by every one. But that discovery happened, not with marketing, but by competition.

Invention of austerity

Everything changed with six or even more operators. Pruning expenses was no more easy but desperately needed. So these companies started at customer care. Less care means less expenses. At first the call to customer care would entail long wait and now a call to customer care cost half buck for three minutes. Small amount but sure. Amount increases if people are kept on hold longer or unnecessary information is sought.
Wastage of time is converted into money. As recorded earlier, it appears that it is the official policy of the Vodafone to keep customers waiting, without reason, so that they may not have to serve them and they continue to charge them with higher tariff. It became clear from the fact that despite showing photograph of lethargy, on the part of its employees, no action has been taken.

Never buy a post paid connection from Vodafone.

There was a time when call charges were heavy and recharging meant buying one coupon and entering a long pin number etc. Therefore a phone with monthly bills was convenient. But everything changed with competition. Now post paid customers became a milking cows. New lower tariff were offered to pre-paid customers. Post paid continued for months to seek change in tariff. Than there was above Time Wasting Game. Yet another grift.

By promising one beneficial scheme after another, when infact pre-paid customers were offered lower tariffs, the vodafone continued to trick me into continuing with this post paid connection. Finally I got rid off the post-paid tag yesterday. From today I am free as a teenager with a pre-paid connection. Now no one can rob me with wrong billing and I order by paying to get what I want. Not the other way round.

BTW this was the last email send to one Mr. Kapil from Vodafone, who had approached me earlier, before I took above decision:

Mr. Kapil

I hope you remember me. If you do, it is interesting to know that your company has done it again. All I had asked was that I may be reverted to same plan as I was enjoying before June 2012 when I was tricked into accepting the free blackberry plan. It appears that instead of charging Rs. 99/ for 2 GB I am being charged a la carta of Rs. 1500/ for approx. Same usage. I think I committed a mistake in trusting you and in continuing as post paid customer.
This is for the record.
Regards

No reply was received. Hence the conclusion is inevitable that it is the official policy of Vodafone to trick its customers by adopting schemes/acts which may be morally questionable but the customers can do little for such small amounts of grifts, even though Vodafone may be making millions from such actions. TRAI, the official telecom regulator is napping.

© Sandeep Bhalla