India Broadband

Hi everyone,

I got my Tata Indicom Broadband connection 3 months ago and I must say that it has been a terrible disappointment!

Here is why:

1. Customer support is terrible even when you book the connection. The "Postpaid" connections (using the Dishnet Technology) are not offered to home users, only the "Prepaid" connections are. As nobody bothered to tell me this when I registered for a connection, I had to wait 3 weeks before I got a call back saying that I could get the prepaid connection. After I agreed, it took them 3 more weeks to get the connection set up. So, it would take you about a month to get a connection - but do ask for the Prepaid Option.

2. Connection speed was fine when it worked - I had a 128 kbps connection. About once a week, there would be problems - the server wouldn’t let me log in, the network cable would be unplugged, etc. Calling customer support (and waiting for about 10 minutes before you speak to someone) resulted in the problem getting fixed the next working day. This means a complaint on Friday gets attended to only on Monday!

3. But the most important reason why I regret taking the Tata Indicom connection. Earlier this month (July 2006), the connection just went dead (network cable unplugged). After calling customer support everyday (!!!) for 2 weeks, they sent someone to check the switch in my building. The technician said that the switch had gone phut!, so it would take some time to fix the problem. One week later, nothing was done, so I called Customer support again - this time they were quite rude telling me that changing the switch would take its own time, so I might as well stop calling!. Thats when I gave up...

So, I’ve had the connection for 3 months, out of which downtime has been about a month in total - no connectivity the last 3 weeks. I have absolutely no idea when they will restore my connection.

I would strongly advise looking for an alternative ISP if one exists in your area. The only reason I took Tata Indicom is because there are no other providers (Reliance, Airtel) where I live (well, apart from my neighbourhood cable walla).

Guess Tata Indicom/VSNL have a long long way to go before they understand what Customer Support and Quality of Service mean...