It takes a while to persist with the suckers. It has taken 3 weeks of persistent emailing and hammering them and finally conceding that they need to straighten up their act. The round II of the offensive has been fired against them which included threats to go to court and set the TRAI after them. All these morons need to do is to set up a base station inside the premises; it has taken over two years to make them see reason.

I have realised one thing. The whole system sucks because we have allowed it to be so. We have not taken them to task nor demanded any system of accountability. The myth that customer is the king, is good in theory and the private investors have covered their asses really well. At a deeper level, it isnt the fight between a ‘lonely blogger’ and a corporation. I dont fancy such loose ideas for myself. Frankly, the whole purpose is to understand how the system works and how best I can derive the value for my hard earned money.

Below here, I reproduce the email sent to the customer care and the nodal officer. I have cc’d to their appellate authority; probably staffed by some brain dead asshole. So far, I haven’t recieved any of the email from the higher ups and it is next to impossible to break their opaque walls to approach their “CEO” of the likes of such idiot.

Dear Sir/Madam,

This is in pursuance of the earlier emails and the telephonic conversation which I had with one Ms. Geetika Ahuja. I am sorry to say but your company is giving out different versions with each OFFICIAL interaction. You REFUSE TO DOCUMENT the verbal exchange on the telephone.

I quote three different instances:

1) On July 22nd 2009, I had mentioned about one Mr. Rahul who claimed to be a “senior executive” from your company. Despite my insistence, he refused to give me his full name. Further, Mr. Rahul verbally claimed you needed permission to set up an EXTERNAL CELL SITE and that you were awaiting a permission from the Government for the same. The same would be rectified in October. When I challanged him to give me the proof, he hung up.

2) The second email recieved, you had clearly documented in writing about this on 28th July:
However, despite our best efforts towards optimization of the network, due to technical and other problems beyond our control, there could be certain points where indoor coverage may not be that good. This could be due to the presence of big structured buildings, as in your case.
Nonetheless, our network engineers have thoroughly investigated your complaint and have tried to find the possible solution under the circumstances. Maximizing and optimizing the network for an error free service is an ongoing activity of Vodafone.

3) The third email recieved on 4th August 2009 from the nodal office:
“At the outset, we would like to state that our current outdoor network coverage is adequate and comparable with any other network.Nonetheless, our network engineers have thoroughly investigated your complaint and have tried to find the possible solution under the circumstances. Maximizing and optimizing the network for an error free service is an ongoing activity of Vodafone.Further, we would also like to inform you that to enhance the network connectivity we require the approval from concerned authorities regarding installation of In-building solution.

The point here is that on 22nd July, you needed permission to install cell site. On 28th July, you blamed the building for the poor network coverage. On 4th August 2009 you agreed that there was a problem with the coverage and to “enhance” the poor coverage you needed an inbuilding solution for the same.

YOUR COMPANY HAS BEEN UNABLE TO STICK ON TO ONE STAND.

Then on 07/08/2009 I get a call from Ms. Geetika Ahuja who informs me VERBALLY that they have sought the permission from the hospital authorities and wanted me to meet Vodafone’s network engineer in person to liase with the concerned people to have the required inbuilding solution installed. I refused that point blank because I am nowhere concerned with the nitty gritty of this matter and I need a working solution at the earliest.

There are several points here:

1) Your changing statements with every email can be put up in court of law because each time you are misguiding a customer. If I have to claim compensation PURELY on these grounds, I can easily claim that. I am sure that your “legal eagles” and the smart battery of lawyers WOULD understand this. For the same reason, you as a NODAL OFFICER, can be hauled up in the courts for CHANGING you official line of communication to a customer. I have full right to press charges against you for deficiency in service, for causing me mental harrassment and for misleading me in your official communication with me.

2) If you agree that an inbuilding solution needs to be installed to “enhance the coverage”, I have VERY CLEARLY mentioned in the earlier emails to your customer care department. WHY WAS NO ACTION TAKEN EARLIER?

3) I need to have a time frame, the details of the permission sought for from the hospital authorities in writing and the refusal if any, to be documented and shown to me in writing. I cannot TRUST a company which changes it’s version in every email.

4) It is only because of my persistence that I am seeing a change in your statements. Had I NOT PERSISTED, you would have JUST IGNORED MY EMAILS.

SHAME SHAME VODAFONE. Your credibility has gone down to the pits. I cannot expect a multibillion dollar multinational to have it’s corporate ethics gone down the drain. I am surprised that this is not in the notice of the higher ups because I am sure that they would be pained to see such crass behaviour from the nodal office and NO RESPONSE from the appellate authority who HAS SO FAR NOT EVEN RESPONDED to EVEN ONE EMAIL.

The matter would have simply ended with your admission of the fact that there is a problem with the network reception and if you would have paid heed to my earlier emails. Constraining myself to a civilised public discourse, I am extremely sorry to say that I am anguished and frustrated at your behaviour and you have caused me undue mental harrassment. The least I can expect you to do is to expedite the matters at your end and give me my network coverage.

Needless to say, my lawyer has examined the contents of the email and if need be, I would be pressing for the charges and claim heavy punitive damages from you and your company for causing me UNDUE MENTAL HARRASSMENT, WASTE OF MY VALUABLE PROFESSIONAL TIME and GROSS DEFICIENCY IN SERVICE.

I hope and expecting that there are qualified people in your department WHO CAN UNDERSTAND THE CONTENTS OF THE EMAIL and ACT ACCORDINGLY.

I am awaiting response to the latest tirade against the morons