BSNL Broadband: My stinker

Lav Gupta is heading BSNL’s broadband division. I have nothing personally against him; though he famously remarked that higher speeds in Indian context make no sense. This means that price it high enough so that we as ordinary Indians have no respite.

I sent across no less than 6 mails to rectify the issues with BSNL Broadband pricing details. Here is the last one written in abject frustration after I recieved a reply to the first mail saying that “BSNL would do something”. (Indeed that left me surprised, really).

Dear Sir,

Despite repeated emails, there has been no response to my queries.

I hope that you can understand that there is a build up of anxiety as my exams are approaching near (in first week of April) and still no respite from the limited bandwidth and downloads.

Sir, it isn’t expected from an officer that mails go unanswered despite repeated pleas as a customer. Granted that there cannot be an overnight change in the BSNL’s policies, it would have been pertinent enough if you would have bothered to provide me with some firm answer instead of a very lame reply that “BSNL would do something”.

It’s indeed unfortunate that no reply can be elicited from CMD office either. Is it the unstated policy of BSNL to feed fat on hapless consumer at an end who probably has no ways and means to request for information otherwise? The discriminatory and monopolistic pricing is playing havoc with the spread of Broadband and it’s been reported all over the media. Due to unavoidable circumstances, I am forced to put up with this practise or else I would have my phone disconnected long time back given the fact that customer service from BSNL is in the pits and as lousy as it can get. No replies from your office have just reinforced the same fact.

I am looking forward to your reply on the same issue and hope that the discriminatory price bands would be removed soon.

This post comes in the wake of UPA’s attempts to set up another Pay Commision. As it is these Govt. employees are overpaid to the extent of bleeding the exchequer dry. 100,000 crores is the dole out in pays, perks and priviliges for 2 crore employees.

As it is, their public perception is low. This incompetency on behalf of Mr Gupta is irritating. Do these people think that they have some ordained divine right to keep the customers on tenterhooks? Is it justified to keep him in employment as the considered opinion is a major and stumbling roadblock to our own access to information? It is only the time factor that’s keeping me from filing the information under Right to Information Act; this allows me to sue the concerned officers if the information supplied is vague or even misleading. This is a REAL hope and hopefully, I shall explore this option too.

Before I end, a primer from TDSAT. That’s the abdjucating body for deciding Telecom complaints. Unfortunately, they don’t take suo moto cognisance of the complaints sent to them. I believe that any case has to be filed in front of them as per the established laws in Civil Procedure Code. The only way out is the Consumer Court where I could file a class action suit in Public Interest.

Well, surely this blog has taught me a lot!