Getting things done in India, especially in the personal space, requires a lot of push and chase, even to ensure that the concerned people respond.
While I have been experiencing this phenomena for many years, I still feel new pain every time I try to get something done. A simple example this past week was to get the telephone line reconnected at my new place from the government telecom service provider.
Nothing has changed – I mean in the government sector, when it comes to delivering a simple, specific service to the average consumer. Even if one follows all the processes as per the rule book of the service provider, the expected level of service is not delivered.
Funny that I experienced the same poor level of service from both the government service provider as well as the private telecom service provider – I had both connections at my old place. In the case of the private provider, their helpline could not achieve what I wanted – which was essentially the termination of their telephone and broadband connection, since they could not provide the same service at my new place. I had no choice but to email the termination request to them, and when there was a poor response, had no choice but to escalate the matter to a known contact in their organization.
In the case of the government service provider, the situation was comic in several ways. First, they said that since I was changing from one telephone exchange area to another (though adjacent to the current area), the jurisdiction will change, and I have to approach the new exchange. Secondly, they asked me to be ready with the explanation of why I am changing my residence ! They wanted an explanation and further, proof of the new residential address. Thirdly, they said that I better be at the new place when their officer visits the place to check if I am there.
But, the most outlandish thing that they told me is to go and find out if they had indeed provided their own service connection to anyone else in my apartment building. Why would I do that ? But, I had no choice – do we have any choice in dealing with any governmental organization in India, I seriously doubt it.
So, here I was with this funny situation that I have to go around in my apartment complex and find out if anyone has this fabulous service provider’s telephone connection – amazing, isn’t it ? I thought in this era of total computerization, in which one can with a flick of a switch find out if a particular location is connected on one’ network, I am being asked to do something as stupid as this one.
I called the facility office of my complex, and asked them if they can furnish anyone’s details corresponding to the above requirement. Pat came the reply – their office itself uses that service provider ! I was relieved, and went ahead and submitted that number to the service provider.
They came couple of days later and wanted to activate the connection at my place. I said, yes fine go ahead. They asked for……for a ladder ! To climb up and open their own switch board and activate my connection. I did not have a ladder on hand and asked them to use a stepper stool, which they rejected. I thought, this is really amazing – how can a consumer tolerate such a telecom service provider, and why should he tolerate such nonsense at all ?
In any case, they said they would come back after a day and told me to keep the ladder ready. There goes another day of productive use of the telephone.
All the above taught me that India is indeed faraway from a consumer orientation when it comes to delivering a service satisfactorily. And, it again proved that government should not be running a telecom (or for that matter, an airline) service company. No wonder this company has been making huge losses.
Now, I am afraid that this humongous company may go down on one fine day and I will be again left out without a telephone !
Cheers, come to the 21st Century India Folks,
Vijay Srinivasan
19th February 2012
Mumbai
