The DSL adventures continue

I decided to check out Airtel first, since I know people who have had experience with them and it seems to me that these folks are easy to deal with. I've heard stories of how things can go wrong with Airtel, but it all points to the fact that if they can provide a connection they will do it with minimum fuss, if they cannot there's nothing they can do about it.

Unfortunately the person at their customer care helpline said they don't have service in the area in which I live. He did take down my name and address but that's probably just to populate their database, I don't see any indications of them coming to my area in the near future.

Then I thought of the wireless telephone providers, Reliance and Tata Indicom. Problem with these folks is that the internet access speed is limited, and I have heard horror stories of billing problems - even though people now say that all those have been sorted out. Decided to keep these as my final option.

Then I turned towards BSNL. People have good things to say about their access speeds and uptime, and the cost is also reasonable, i.e. in line with other providers. I'm not too keen on their red tape though. Besides someone from my area expressed his doubts as to whether they have DSL service in my area, though they do have an exchange there. I filled out the online form at BSNL's site in any case, and I got a call from them a few days later - saying that I could go to a specific exchange for my connection or to any other exchange near me. That was on a Saturday. I decided I would go on Monday or Tuesday and as usual I didn't. On Tuesday I actually got a follow up call asking whether I was still interested and if yes I could go to the exchange and fill out the form.

In my opinion, this is the big difference between BSNL and the private players, even though BSNL is being proactive in pursuing a potential customer. Airtel would have sent a person over with the forms and the authority to collect a cheque.

I did rustle up enough enthusiasm to make a trip to the ATM (since I have had previous bad expriences with BSNL where they accept only a draft or cash and no cheques), and landed up at the exchange the next day. I walked up the stairs and spent some time wandering around trying to figure out where to go! There were no proper signs that would have helped a first timer, though I daresay there were some faded pieces of paper on various doors that might have had something written on them. I even wandered into a central excise office once. The counter where people are supposed to pay their bills was shutting down even though it was just around 3 in the afternoon. Finally after asking a few people (who in the traditional manner sent me to difference places) I finally found the right room. Asked another young guy sitting at a computer and listening to music, and got redirected to another person who sitting at a desk and being angry at some other customer. Another customer had some billing problem which was solved by sending him to someone else and it was finally my turn. I asked for a broadband form, I didn't think he would care about the fact that I had filled out the same form online earlier. He decided to get angry at me too, and said I should pay the amount first before I came to him. I said I wanted a form, and I had no idea how much I was to pay, so he grudgingly took out a form from his desk and told me the cash counter was closed and that I "should have come before 2:30". I took my form and escaped and am still wondering whether I should actually go back to submit it.

So here's the other big difference. The BSNL website says that they have customer help desks manned from 8 in the morning to 8 in the evening without any breaks. I don't know whether the person I met in that dark dingy room was such a customer service guy, but what's the use of having an 8 to 8 desk if I can't pay my initial fees after 2:30? What's with the afternoon deadline? Can't they have a drop box or something like Airtel does? Can't they have service people who are not gruff as soon as they see a customer? I was prepared to sit there, fill out the form(s), pay my money and come back hoping to get a telephone and a broadband connection in a few days.

That's another point I'm sure I will have a confrontation over. Do I need to fill out separate forms for the telephone and the broadband connection? The broadband form says that I should have a phone before I can apply for broadband. Fair enough. But then the form also has a column asking whether I am an existing BSNL customer. The online form that I filled initially also had a box for whether I want a new connection. I am printing out a telephone connection form and taking it along just in case, but I fully expect to be chewed out by the customer service guy for not having the common sense to apply for a telephone before I asked for broadband.

I only hope they accept printed forms (their website says they will). I've had an experience with HDFC bank when they refused to accept a printed form that I had downloaded from their own website.

More after my next visit to the exchange... phew.