To whomsoever it may concern,

I had to complaint here because I was disappointed even with Airtel Delhi's top level customer care authority- Delhi's Appellate Officer Ms. (I am intentionally not taking any names here - I can tell all the names personally).

I am an Airtel post-paid customer (number: 9650868666) and have the following grievances with Airtel:

When 3G internet was started by Airtel in Delhi, I called customer care on 121 and 198 to understand how Airtel charges for 3G internet. I was told by many customer care representatives that internet charges are calculated on per day basis ("perota basis") but the amount of free MB given remains same, however small the usage period of the internet plan may be. That’s if I use Rs.100 3G plan for half a month then the bill charged would be Rs. 50 but the free MB given will still remain 100MB. One of the interaction ids where I was given this information is: 847019551 (Interaction ID) - Called on 1st week of April 2011. This person attended my call on 198 and told me the same scheme, I can tell you his name personally. To take advantage of this scheme I used my internet intensively but when my bill was generated on 9 April 2011, the internet charges were calculated in a different way than that explained to me by the customer care representatives. Since then I have been requesting on Airtel customer care so many times that please hear the voice recording on interaction ID: 847019551 and then charge me according to the scheme explained to me. But Airtel staff is not listening to the voice recording! I've complained around ten times that please hear the voice recording but I don't know what's the problem with Airtel customer care people! I register my complaint that hear the voice recording and then someone calls me after few days and says "Sorry we didn't hear the voice recording but you have been charged correctly"! I want Airtel to hear the voice recording of this interaction ID: 847019551 and charge me accordingly. If my internet charges are calculated as per the scheme explained to me then all my internet usage of bill period 8-March to 7-April 2011 will fall under free MBs. It's same as telling a customer that you have unlimited free calls and SMSes for today and then when the customer has intensively used his connection that day, he's told "Sorry we gave you wrong information about discounts - Now you have to pay for all the usage". Nice tactics!

When I registered this complaint I was told that the complaint will be completely processed and concluded by 20th April. 20th April went by but I did NOT get any call from Airtel regarding that complaint, explaining what has been done and on what basis it has been done.

I called at the Nodal Officer’s number (9818334865). Mr. (Name intentionally not given by me) attended my call and gave me a commitment that he will call me back within 24 hours. It was 22 April 2011, around 6PM. He has NOT called back.

I got an SMS from "AD-Service" on 15-March that "your 3G data usage as on 14-3-11 is 0MB". I called on customer care and asked that what does it mean, because it can’t be 0MB as I have been using the internet. I was told that this means that "you have expired your free 100 MB". Hearing this, I upgraded my plan but now when I have checked in the bill I have found that my internet usage was just 3740 KB (=3.74 MB) and NOT 100MB+. I used 4MB and I was told that I've used 100MB+, hearing that I upgraded my 3G plan. 4MB usage told as 100MB, Nice way to get customers take a costlier plan!

The bill period is from 8-Mar to 7-Apr, then why I have been charged for GPRS usage on 27-Feb? Also, because my bill exceeded the credit limit, my internet was disconnected on 6-Apr and 7-Apr from your Airtel’s server side. My internet wasn’t working and a customer care representative informed me this. When Airtel disconnected my internet for these 2 days then why I am being charged for these 2 days? So Airtel, don't charge me for 27 February, 6 April and 7 April 2011's internet. Note that credit limit was exceeded because of the wrong mathematics done from Airtel's end.

If my bill of 8-Mar to 7-Apr is charged fairly then the bill would be:
Calls: Rs.469.5
SMSes: Rs. 160.7
Internet: Rs. 151.62
Total: Rs. 791.82
Tax: Rs. 81.56
Total+Tax: Rs. 873.38
Amount Payable by 27 Apr: 873.38 - 0.6 (Pvs. Balance) = Rs.872.78

I want my bill of the said period (8-Mar to 7-Apr) to be reduced to exactly this amount or to a lesser amount. I have been charged excessively by Rs. 2328.41. This amount is calculated as:
Rs. 3201.19 (calculation from your side) - Rs. 872.78 (calculation from my side) = Rs. 2328.41

I called at the Appellate Officer’s number (9958444865) and shared about this excess charging with Mr. (Name intentionally not given by me). He understood the issue but then instead of hearing the recording of 847019551 and reverting back Rs. 2328.41, he tried to bargain with me! , saying "OK I can revert back thousand rupees and thus let's close this issue with this amount". Airtel trains its executives to bargain like this with its customers! What a shame! I revolted back saying that I now want to talk to your head Appellate Officer Ms. (Name intentionally not given by me). He said that OK he will ask her, he put my phone on hold and then he came back to me and told me that he has asked her (The Appellate Officer). He said that the Appellate Officer has said that I will receive call from her desk by 6 PM that day. I kept waiting that day but no call came - Even Airtel's Appellate Officer lacks integrity to keep her commitments?! This has happened more than once. I sent an email to the Appellate Officer at appellate.del@airtel.in on April 28, 2011 5:07:28 PM, sharing my grievances with her and asking for fair action. I got an automatically generated acknowledgement email and as far as I can remember it gave me a promise of reply within 24 hours. I got the reply on May 3, 2011 10:29:57 AM ! Despite of the 24 hour commitment, I got reply to my email after 4 days, and that too for an email to the Appellate Officer! And what did I get in reply? This was the reply: "We would like to inform you that,we checked the details regarding the 3G charges from our end and the service is used by you.Hence the charges are valid." What sense does this grammar makes? And I shared so many grievances and my queries in the email but she (The Appellate Officer) did NOT reply to them!

After getting disappointed even with the Appellate Officer, and because of some important works in my life demanding my attention I left this issue for some time. Then I started getting SMSes from Airtel warning me that if I don't pay that extra amount then Airtel will debar my outgoing services. I called Airtel customer care, explained the person the issue and told him that I can't spend time arguing with Airtel till 7 June 2011 because of some important works ending on 7 June, and then I can get back on argument immediately after this date. So I requested him that Airtel should keep services alive at least till 8 June. He noted down my request but even then my outgoing call, SMS and internet services were cut by Airtel on 7 June! Airtel cut my outgoing (and then incoming) services for its own fault! -Given that I had already paid more than the correct bill amount. I called the Airtel customer care explaining them that I have already been paying extra to Airtel so Airtel has to pay me back and not me! They refused to start my services, so I called at the Appellate Officer’s number (9958444865) and explained the situation to Mr. (Name intentionally not given by me). I told him that I want to talk to the Appellate Officer and I am ready to fix an appointment with her, but he refused! He didn't let me talk to the Appellate Officer! He at least reinstated the outgoing facilities which had been unfairly cut. He also launched my complaint again with service request number: 37851078. But this time also the voice recording of 847019551 (Interaction ID) wasn't heard even though I requested it to be heard, my complaint was not resolved. After getting disappointed again, I called again at the Appellate Officer’s number and demanded that I want to talk to the Appellate Officer. The person on the call committed me that I will receive a call from the Appellate Officer by 6 PM that day. Even this commitment was broken! I kept waiting for the call which was promised to me but I did NOT receive any call from Airtel! Then my connection's outgoing facilities were cut again! And this time without giving me any warning and without prior informing me! Then my incoming facilities were also cut! This also without any prior information! Stopping my connection's incoming calls and SMSes without any prior warning or information led to creation of misunderstanding between me and my friend!

Then I called on Airtel customer care and had a talk with Mr. (Name intentionally not given by me) at 10:23 AM, on 25 June. I asked him to launch a complaint stating that "I want Airtel to hear the voice recording of 847019551 (Interaction ID) and charge me accordingly, and then I want someone who has heard this voice recording to call me and explain me the situation". He launched it, giving me a commitment that I will receive a call regarding this complaint within 24 hours. It has been more than 56 hours and I have NOT received any such call from Airtel despite the 24 hour commitment! The interaction ID of this call is: 887720504.

I want Airtel to at least revert back the extra charges of Rs. 2328.41 from my Airtel account. For the proof, Airtel can hear the voice recording of interaction ID: 847019551. Airtel can't snatch away the schemes committed by it after the customer has already used those schemes.

- 9650868666