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Super Zoo Zoo or a Super Customer ? Why should Vodafone think

By Rupesh Kumar Shah on 18 Comments / 2859 views

I am writing this discussion as an open letter to our Super Zoo Zoo.

Dear Super Zoo-Zoo

The intent of this blog is to make your Vodafone Senior Management aware of my experience, even though how trivial as a Customer I may be. I know you are not conversant with human problems like us, but I hope you can atleast land a punch on your Customer Care head.

Past few months, Vodafone has been unnecessarily charging me on data bills. I had been ranting about it on my twitter time line @rupeshkumarshah. So irritated I am, I had decided to switch to prepaid (never used a prepaid connection since last 7 years) to retain my number.

Here is my experience. I have spent a total of 5-6 hours on this issue which means significant to me

The logic by @VodafoneIN

U can’t convert a postpaid number to a prepaid without

1. Paying the extra rent for number of days (because they can only accept a request once the bill is generated). My rentals amount to Rs 2000. that logically implies Rs 70 per day till the process gets over. if Vodafone takes 5 days which means Rs 350 gone, gone for what ?

2. U have to visit a Vodafone store ( which I have already done twice) and submit the same proof. Why, when @VodafoneIN already has me as a client. Why doesnt Vodafone do an internal transfer of docs and users.

Few facts for @VodafoneIN to ponder :

1. I pay a bill worth Rs 75,000 ($1500) a year. Direct and indirect loss ( we have 30 plus CUG connections in our office. Atleast rs 4 lacs a year ) for Vodafone is approx Rs 4.5-5 lcas ($ 10,000-11,000) . What does you business logic says. Plus I am also (every client is) an influencer as well as saboteur for other connections.

2. The customer care is being ordinary and lousy day by day. On 2 occasions, My call is transferred to some random dept. ..kept on hold for 15-20 mins with no logic. Yesterday a prepaid guy picked up the call which was supposed to be transferred to a senior. He said “salle ne yaha transfer Kar diya”. If @VodafoneIN records, then please listen to slang used. One one ocassion When I asked for mobile number portability, I was told “Sir, aap please asia mat kijiye naa, sir, aap aisa nahi kar sakete naa… ” . Where is the sophistication which you show us in Advertisements ?

3. Few nitigirites : I was advised to activate a particular plan of 3G. I frequently travel due to my nature of my profession. So, during my first travel (after the plan was activated) , I landed in Delhi with no connection. No internet means no email ? Do you have any idea of the difficulty faced due to no internet when business are dependent on quick exchange of data And feedback ?? The epic reason given by customer care is that “sir, you have activated a 3G plan ( I activate a rs 1250 – 8gb plan) and since you are in roaming it wont work , so ‘we are sorry’ (saying ‘I am sorry’ is eventually an anthem for customer care chaps)”. I eventually was without internet on my phone as I saw no point activating yet another data plan and then see confusions in my bill. But, In my Bill , they had activated Rs 250 idata plan. Who on the earth gave them a consent for it ? Why didnt the Customer Care guy inform me that activating a 3g plan doesnt allow data usage in roaming ?

Thank God, I am in a habit of caring a Data Card, but the nuisance of opening a laptop to check emails are high, specially when it is the only purpose.

——

My Take :

1. Please have neatly defined Data Plans and Call Plans with all mentioned fine prints. I mean whats the harm in being transparent ?

2. Please train you Customer Care so that everyone is on the same page, have the same info and do not just promise anything and everything. You spend crores on commercial. If some portion is utilized to bring a sophistication in your customer care, won’t it help to retain the customers or grow them too ?

3. In the era of FB, Twitter, Blogs.. where companies, individuals or a group where opinions, discussions are so instantly created, how can Mobile Companies afford to do a shody or a hanky-panky kind of stuff.

4. Why invest in Social media (for a mere presence) when you can’t have an expert run it ? I have tweeted a lot on this ? No calls received from an expert on this issue till now. I always believed that an oppurtunity used is an oppurtunity lost ? So what is Vodafone loosing ?

——

I hope we see some responsible Indian Customer Care soon, other wise smart Customer Care like Flipkart, Book My Show may soon take over existing giants.

 

– Rupesh

 

My Profile can be seen at https://about.me/rupeshkumarshah and https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=56851767&trk=tab_pro

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18 Comments

  1. This is scary and pathetic. 

     

  2. My Simple (‘Marwari’ )  Business Sense applies

    1. Send a  smart Vodafone Relationship Executive (read lazy people) to hear the issue

    2. Leverage this an oppurtunity to get more customers from my Ofifce, from SINE Incubator. Sell other things too

    3. Put this a SME case study on their Social Platform to get customers and receive applause for genuine. They can actually get them in an exponential manner

    4. Tick off this a One minus nuisance from their long list

    I am sure a big company thinks only of big ‘Jhol’ rather than this simple stuffs.

     

     

  3. This is terrible.. how could they do this ??

    Why don’t you write to the senior management in vodafone..may be they will act

  4. @Rupesh, There is a group for bad Customer Support on facebook.. have posted it there.

    https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_147785465294492

  5. May be Alok can help. I don’t have their ID’s . Do u have them

  6. This is nothing new, Vodafone is famous for there Hopeless customer care services.

  7. Any Update from top people.

  8. https://www.vodafone.in/pages/vodafone_offices.aspx?cid=kol

    Choose your city and forward your link to Nodal and circle head.. think they will respond properly

  9. Update : Thanks Rodinhood (Alok) and Team. I got a call from One senior Executive and One linkedin message from Rohit Adya (CEO – Vodafone Mumbai) . 

    However, the solution is still awaited. No sensible steps taken by Voda yet. 

  10. Wow.. i am glad to read that. Lets Hope they solve your issues and also improve their Customer support

  11. wow!

  12. suggestion – just paste that CEO letter here – will make it even more important for Voda to close this

  13. Yes great Idea.

  14. Here is the linkedin message recieved from Mr. Adya (CEO – Vodafone Mumbai)

    RE: My Concerns with Vodafone

    Rohit Adya

    https://www.linkedin.com/miniprofile?vieweeID=19677485&context=inbox&anetID=item&view“>Rohit Adya Chief Executive Officer at Vodafone Essar – Mumbai

    To: Rupesh Shah

    Date: May 27, 2011

    You replied to this message:

     

    Hi Thanks for your update you , will tke care you will get a call

    On 05/27/11 5:34 AM, Rupesh Shah wrote:


    I am thankful to you for accepting my request. The intent is highlight my concerns with your company

    Please see the blog post https://rupeshshah.in/2011/05/27/yes-vodafone-is-also-an-indian-company-my-open-letter-to-super-zoozoo/ or a discussion at https://www.therodinhoods.com/forum/topics/super-zoo-zoo-or-a-super

    Would request you to please read through.

    Reply

  15. Update :

    1. Received some 5 calls from Vodafone Complaint Dept. (Head of Complaint, Nodal Office Mumbai, Relationship Team, Manager – Nearby Vodafone Store). Emails from Top Office and linkedin message from CEO – Rohit Adya

    2. Rent reversal of Rs 450 and a courtesy offer of 2 months of ‘Rental Waive’ Off for next months

    The Offer for rental waive off, didn’t appeal to me as that wasn’t my intent. My Intent was to make the Senior Management aware that ‘chalta hai’ attitude doesn’t work. 

     

    I have offered them a ‘free’ discussion session with their Customer Care Managers and Team Leaders if they feel the need and worth for it. 

     

    Thanks Alok & fellow Rodinhood, u guys are awesome 🙂

  16. Vodafone – thanks for listening!

     

    Rupesh Kumar ShahPermalink Reply by Rupesh Kumar Shah 1 day ago

    Delete

    Update :

    1. Received some 5 calls from Vodafone Complaint Dept. (Head of Complaint, Nodal Office Mumbai, Relationship Team, Manager – Nearby Vodafone Store). Emails from Top Office and linkedin message from CEO – Rohit Adya

    2. Rent reversal of Rs 450 and a courtesy offer of 2 months of ‘Rental Waive’ Off for next months

    The Offer for rental waive off, didn’t appeal to me as that wasn’t my intent. My Intent was to make the Senior Management aware that ‘chalta hai’ attitude doesn’t work. 

     

    I have offered them a ‘free’ discussion session with their Customer Care Managers and Team Leaders if they feel the need and worth for it. 

     

    Thanks Alok & fellow Rodinhood, u guys are awesome 🙂

     

  17. Update – 2

    Mr. Rohit (CEO) seems to ask all the department heads to look into the matter. I again received call from their Head Complaints today, saying that they have issued warning letters to few of their folks, and verbal warnings to rest (Vodafone Store, Executives). 

    She went on to say that this is now a case study for Vodafone internally and they are making sure to escalate all my complaints as a point of improvement. 

     

    My Bill which generated yesterday had some generous discounts. 

     

    Thanks Vodafone for listening. I hope I am not a ‘one off’ case whom you have attended meticulously. I hope this post and Rodinhood brings out the best of customer support. 

     

     

  18. Great.. its working.. Working great!!

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