Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Idea Netsetter - Wifi

 

IdeaNetSetterUSB.jpg 

What an Idea, sirji

Well, it was a tough time getting the damn thing in the first place, not many people actually know what it is. Shocking. Not even in Bombay. The few people who did understand what I was looking for, told me that it was new and would be difficult to get it. (same problem for Tata’s plug 2 surf thing, as well)

pl-2-surf 

Anyways, did finally get my hands on it. The guy selling this to me, seemed to have no clue how the different data packages worked. He too says – it’s new. We don’t have all the details.

Idea’s customer service / helpline is actually helpful - IF you do manage to get through.

The irritating part is the Thank you’s and all that nonsense at the call centre. So fake and so annoying and it’s after every damn sentence. BTW - the English really needs to be worked on. Anyways, I found it much more effective for me (and for the Customer Service Rep), if we both conversed in Hindi.

Like I said, these guys are helpful once you get through to the customer service line, which can be rather challenging at times.

The guys sitting at the shops (retailers) are also helpful. They might not know about the product, but once they find out the details, they will go out of their way to help you out.

The regulatory and security issues going on in India (or perhaps just bombay) make life extremely difficult and don’t always make sense.

Paper work, photograph, photo identity, address proof. Even for a bloody prepaid connection they want this (cell phone or the Wireless Internet). Address proof has to be address proof for Bombay!!.

I asked the guys, what if I am visiting India. I don’t have an address in Bombay, what the hell do I do? The answer – Passport and photograph will do. But Passport should have Bombay address. Heights of stupidity. I thought I would find more sensible people at the authorised Idea / Tata Indicom Galleries.

Hell they were even more pathetic. I knew more about the services than they did. I ask a question, the answer is – no no.. can’t do it that way. I ask why and the take the liberty explain how it should work and how it could work. The guy picks up the phone, makes a few calls, and then says ‘yes sir, sorry sir, can be done, you are right’

Excuse is – Security issues (for the paper work) and for not knowing how wifi internet works it’s - sir, new technology, will take time.

And don’t even get me started on what these guys call HIGH SPEED. (seriously, mate.. this is NOT high speed. I have surfed the net.. and what I am doing now, is NOT surfing, it’s CRAWLING). This is the case with the USB Wifi thing for now at least. The DSL and ADSL Broadband lines are fine though.

psst. 3G hasn’t caught up yet. The other day BSNL put up this huge ad in the paper that they finally had 3G but it’s probably going to take another 2-3 months (min) for these people to get it to the public. Plus perhaps another 6 months for people to finally be able to tell you how the data packages actually work. you see.. NEW TECHNOLOGY.

1 Opinions:

Agnel said...

Technology in India sucks bigtime. You feel a big change once you have tasted the "real technology" from other parts of the world.

It took nearly 30 days to activate GPRS in my mobile... by that time, I left the country.

Idiots at the helm, we are suffering.

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