Feb
23
I went to the Reliance Communications store in Green Park in New Delhi to buy a datacard sometime back. It was a couple of days before I went on a long road trip, and I needed this card to stay connected when on the move. Here are my five reasons why I almost cried during the purchase process and later too:
- I paid for the card in the morning around 11:00 am. The dealer did not have it in stock but promised to pick up a piece from another company store nearby and deliver within an hour. Till nine in the night I was calling him - and he would not take my call on most occasions - asking where the datacard was. I wanted it up and running before I left town the day after. Eventually it came around nine after I had sent innumerable SMS messages threatening to file a written complaint.
- I was up till well past midnight but could not install it. Why? First the software CD was one of those small ones and it almost ruined the drive on my Mac by getting stuck inside. And then I was on the Reliance site - and all over the internet - trying to find the drivers for Mac. No luck.
- The next day I go back to the store and the salesman I was dealing was not there. When I asked him where I could find the Mac driver on the net, he said nowhere. Not even on the CD provided. And this after I picked the model which was supposed to be compatible with the Mac. He said he has the software which a Mac dealer had helped him find. No one else in Delhi has it. And to activate the datacard, I had to come to the store only and configure something on their computer. WOW!! No one told me that. And I spent all of the previous night trying to set it up.
- He loaded the software and tried to make it work. It did not. We tried everything we could but could not figure out. And the salesman kept asking me to show what I am doing as he himself did not know how to set up the datacard on a Mac. Eventually, he gave me the number of the Mac dealer and asked me to ask him. He would not do it for me. And then he disappeared for lunch. When I asked his manager what to do, he too went off somewhere. I called the Mac dealer who wanted to be paid to help me. But after a couple of calls and a few more hours wasted, he agreed to help me on the phone at no charge. Why should I have had to pay the dealer when Reliance is supposed to make it work for me? Thankfully it worked.
- And then a few days later, it went bust when I was in Jaisalmer. Can you believe it? Fortunately I had an office boy I could call in Delhi and asked him to go to the store and check the problem. It transpired their verification department had lost the document I gave them (In India you can buy telecom connections after submitting proof of identity and address). But the store had a copy and would forward it again. And restore my connection in a few hours. So I lost some more blood platelets and manpower time to get my internet on again for no fault of mine. (Did I tell you when I went back to the store the second day, they asked me for another document. But they did not ask me for it when I bought the connection the previous day? Too bad. If I didn’t submit it, my connection could go off. It did anyway even though I made yet another trip back home to provide the document).
Is that enough? When people ask how the connection speeds are, I say it is better than no internet. Is that reason number 6 to cry over Reliance?
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30 Responses to “5 Reasons You Cry Buying a Reliance Datacard”
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Well these datacards are quite useless. I had the misfortune of having one from Reliance and another from Airtel.
The Airtel USB thing looks like a cheap plastic toy phone, and the Reliance ones are the same Huawei devices with a Reliance sticker on it, showing some adventurous guy surfing the net off a cliff or something.
I didnt have the adventure of running through Reliance’s customer care, but the connection speed of this P.O.S. is like the postal service.
Dont you have internet on your phone? It’s about the same speed as data cards (after all they’re the same things) and it’s one less device to carry (and fail). I use my Airtel data connection on phone with laptop. Nearly all Airtel networks have data (although you’ll get the slower GPRS outside Delhi).
Tata is no better. Service is pathetic:)So it is choosing amongst the bad/worst.
I am really scared of the Data Cards now.
Has any senior Reliance Customer Care guy taken pains to talk with you, Ajay?
Welcome to India, as usual: ye india he !!!!
Yes Younes, customer service seems to be a non-existent virtue here. Sigh!!
That’s a joke Vinod - it will be a cold day in hell when someone from Reliance will care to call.
As the tagline goes…
KAR LO DUNIYA MUTHI MAIN(this is what reliance is best at, capturing market by offerin almost free services or at dirt cheap rates and then goin all outta..)
Gemini… Rohit
By the way, who the MAC dealer was?? (who asked u to pay??)
Oh Ajay dont worry… The brothers are quite good at this.. they will buy all the old data cards from us and give us 50% refund(everyone blessing them to have refunded 50% of the amount), they will put a new sticker on it and ta..da.. u’ve got all new RELIANCE DATA CARD PLUS… Rs.****?
Hi Jesal,
LOL. But the unfortunate truth is this is how the Ambani business model is preceived by all - no matter which sector they are in. I wonder if they care about the reputation they have built for themselves?
Cheers… Ajay
Hi Ajay,
I always use to wonder how people work, what different they do, how creative their minds are.. then i read this article INDIA EMERGING in Economic Times(10/04/09). I got all my answers.. Both you and Amit(the other guy who shares the article along with you)are way too good..
Hey Jesal,
All I believe in is decide what you want to do, be confident you will be able to do it (one has to be practical also) and go for it. We have only one life - we should not have regrets when we look back upon it in old age.
Cheers… Ajay
Hi Ajay,
thank you for giving so much info regarding the data card.Now let me know are u still using data card?If you are using,which one is that?.Actually i was planning to buy one from reliance store,they claiming the speed of 3.1 MB/sec,which I cant believe.Can you suggest me the solution to find the best one.
Regards
Brij
Hi Brij,
I use this card but only in emergencies - its pathetic otherwise. I have heard some good things about the 3.1 MB card but still to use it or know for sure. So far, datacards are best used when there is no option.
Cheers… Ajay
Hi Ajay,
Damn man I thought Reliance were better guys than the market around and now I realise how better they are. All for nothing some say for it but the actual saying should be nothing for everything. This article has almost given the upright notice to the readers’ about the reputation and work of Reliance. Thanks a lot for the article which has given me an exact knowledge about it.
Precise in your work as you said it and I like it.
hi Guys,
I am planning to buy a data card. Can u please suggust which one is better for use in laptop as i am in servicing department and most of the time i am in field.
thanks in advance
Jile singh
Hi Debi, Thanks for writing in. I really wish companies would start taking note of what the market is talking about them. In their own interests as well as their customers.
Cheers… Ajay
Hi Jile,
There are really no answers here. You could check out Airtel. I use GPRS on my mobile and it seems to be pretty decent. Their datacard should be better too. And they seem to have more attractive tariff plans. Unless you want to wait for 3G.
Cheers… Ajay
same thing happened with me, and im going to file a complaint against them.
I also have problems when I have bought the reliance data card.
I have ordered the data card online from vriti and the provider came to my home and gave it to me. But I couldn’t be able to use it because it was not activated. The person who came to give the card said It would activate in 24 hours. I have gave him the required documents.
The next day spend fully but card couldnt be activated. I have called the person who came to give the card , he said tomorrow he would talk to his center.
Another day spend, I frustated by calling them no one picking up the phone. I have called on all the numbers given on website but no one picking up the phone. In the afternoon sales department picked up phone by mistake and said he would talk to verification department, first they need to check my documents.
The next day I got the call from verification department that they havent received my documents yet so I need to give them documents by coming to their office.
WTF!!! I called the guy to which I gave to documents he said that was sales department and I need to give the documents to verification department also.
OMG!!! Couldnt they sent a copy to verification department in same office???
Finally the another day I went to their office in Nodia from delhi and submitted the documents.
Another day I got the call from them to tell them the MDN numner of my data card to activate the card.
But I have found that the the back part of data card cover already been rubbed since when the salesman gave me the card and MDN number disappeared from it.
They also dont have any record of it.
What I Could Do !!! Why they gave me such card?
Another day !!! no one picked phone
yet Another day , No one again
Finally I have sent messages to them about to file a case against them.
Finally , I got call from them and told me to connect the data card to laptop.
They have done some programming from their and the during activation process I got to know the MDn number from voicemail came during activation process.
Finally a week after my card got activated.
Thanks to my message who got this work.
I have a Reliance data card connection for about three years now, I want to give it away or sell but can’t since Reliance itself has floated a faster wireless connection and there is no buyback or up-gradation scheme for existing customers of Netconnect card. I am wondering what to do with my data card.
Hi Poonam, this is a problem we all face. Despite so much competition in the market, all companies behave the same. In the western market, all of us would have received offers to upgrade by now.
hi Ajay,
I also bought the same Data Card at 1900/- take the higest plan of Rs 1700/-2 months usage are free, after that i used it for next 2 months and make lot of callsand SMS but did not pay the bill. after 2 months Reliance called me for a bill, they begging me for the money, but i refused to pay. they disconnected the data card, after few days I got the call again. They change my plan from postpaid to prepaid free. I just dial *228 and it has changed to prepaid, i get the Bonus talktime Rs. 250 and 30 days validity. so i used 3+ months internet aound 2000 calls/SMS and now i am using same as prepaid in 1900/-.
DO NOT BUY RELIANCE NET CONNECT
i have bought the same Reliance net connect on 9th sept. 09 and my connection is still not active. the people at Bangalore office are so careless they never receive your call -9980566266,080- 42110150 (TRY)
I don’t know now whom to contact, as i have ordered online and their executive has delivered and collected the cash and require document.
i have even calling to Vriti infocom pvt.Noida, but in vain.
if they won’t address my problem soon, i am going to consumer forum. this is no more tolerable
Dear biswa,
The same is the case with me. The vriti infocom guys sold me the data card on 21st August and still today my data card is yet to be activated.The bangalore guys never take the phone.The only way out is to go to consumer court.
Sir, I am Rafiullah Khan Using reliance Data card with No 9345177810, I am based at Villupuram , Tamilnadu.
I am using reliance data card, since quite some time, more than 06 months,
i do recharge that prepaid data card for Rs1099/- on a regular basis,
the data card is used only for checking email, browsing only.
It is connected only to my LAPTOP with windows vista OS.
Recently, I recharged the same on 09-09-09 for Rs1099/-
the internet did not connect since 16-09-09 Wednesday, today it got
connected as i have recharged it for Rs111/- ,
Today, 22-09-09 also I recharged for Rs111/-
Just Imagine a customer recharging 1099 x 12 months is paying 13200/- per year - In spite of this frequent top us are just looting ,
the data card just gets disconnected and works only after a top up ,
Imagine using RELIANCE DATA CARD IS EXPENSIVE THAN YOUR ELECTRICITY BILLS , WHEN YOU COMPLAIN OF YOUR PROBLEM - RELIANCE DOES NOT BOTHER.
SEARCH FOR THE LOCAL CONTACT NUMBER FOR THEIR LOCAL OFFICE ON GOOGLE - YOU MAY NOT GET DETAILS-
Local dealers do not help you, they Magnanimously suggest to contact THE SO CALLED CUSTOMER SUPPORT - BUT IT IS REALLY CUSTOMER HARASSMENT.
People in so called reliance customer support -they do do not bother to respond,
I have sent emails many times. They do not bother to reply or rectify. Are they ABOVE LAW.
The internet did not connect since 16-09-09 Wednesday, I got
connected as i have recharged it for Rs111/- ,
Today, 22-09-09 also I recharged for Rs111/-
Just Imagine a customer recharging 1099 x 12 months is paying 13200/- per year - In spite of this frequent top us are just looting ,
the data card just gets disconnected and works only after atop up.
Imagine using RELIANCE DATA CARD IS EXPENSIVE THAN YOUR ELECTRICITY BILLS , WHEN YOU COMPLAIN OF YOUR PROBLEM - RELIANCE DOES NOT BOTHER.
SEARCH FOR THE LOCAL CONTACT NUMBER FOR THEIR LOCAL OFFICE ON GOOGLE - YOU MAY NOT GET DETAILS-
Local dealers do not help you, they Magnanimously suggest to contact THE SO CALLED CUSTOMER SUPPORT - BUT IT IS REALLY CUSTOMER HARASSMENT.
HI,
This is Suresh from Hyderabad recently I have taken reliance data card but its was not working its showing your out going call has been bard ,then I have called up customer care there told that its a problem in verification for that he told to contact reliance web word after that I have gone to the web world and I have given the details of all then there told that it will activate in 1 hour but till date its was not done ,now when I am forcing to terminate the services there are saying sir we have forwarded the mail to activate but we dint get any reply from them don’t know how much its will take to give the reply ,its more that 4days.pls conform whether its will be activated or shell I go for the termination. I dint expected this kind of services form the reliance.
can anyone suggest me what to do.
I am originally from Jharkhand, now living in Hyderabad. We had only Reliance GSM (Branded as SMART) as the sole mobile service provider in Bihar/Jharkhand circle. It seems that their policy has not changed a bit in all these years. I used to say “Never rely on Reliance” and I still say the same.
HI
I have reliance Netconnect broadband data card offering 3.1 mbps speed,which I bought 3 months back and have used only 2-3 times.
I dont need it any more and want to sell it off now @2200 INR .plz contact at 09900246737