Tata Indicom Photon Plus: BEWARE: Prepaid can suck your pocket up! 4GB negative balance !

If you have thought prepaid connection is safe because the connection is automatically disabled when you run into negative balance, you are wrong.
Hear my story:

I recharged my photon+ prepaid around June 10 by 4GB by paying Rs. 1000 at an outlet.

When the expiry date was nearing in July 10, I wanted to use up all the currency left, so I started using photon more and more and I realized that I was not at all getting any SMSs from Photon about the balance. I used to get a few SMSs a day earlier.

Anyway, I never worried as I was expecting the photon will stop working once I cross the usage limit.

On July 11th, it stopped working.
I charged for Rs1350 on July 12th online.
Now when I checked the balance online, this is what I See:

==================================================
Destination Number Date of Call Time of Call All Charges (Rs.) Call Duration (Sec.)
0 12-JUL-2010 10:56:48 AM 586.0 0
0 12-JUL-2010 10:56:47 AM 2952.99 0
0 12-JUL-2010 10:53:30 AM 10240.0 0
0 12-JUL-2010 04:15:17 PM 2.0 0
0 12-JUL-2010 04:14:51 PM 2.0 0
0 09-JUL-2010 09:15:20 PM 165.01 0
0 09-JUL-2010 05:51:31 PM 471.0 0
0 09-JUL-2010 05:45:09 PM 41.0 0
0 09-JUL-2010 03:56:58 PM 267.0 0
0 09-JUL-2010 03:46:34 PM 5.0 0
==================================================

It is beyond my brains to understand how can I use 10240 units at 10:53 and then
2952 at 10:56

It says my balance is zero :-(
Worried, I called the support.
A guy said someone will call me back.
Nothing happened for a day.
I call back today, the Lady who attended me said that I had a negative balance of 4GB.
And there was a technical glitch at tata side which could not disable my card when it went into negative balance. (So they decided to recover the leaked bandwidth by penalizing me when I charged next time! It is like when I goto a gas station and ask for 10Ltrs of gas, the attendant fills 20Ltrs and ask me to cuff up more money...)

Well we buy prepaid hoping that we will never get into this problem.
I think tata deliberately program it that way to cheat their customers.
If I had charged for Rs. 1000, which I normally do, I would have left with no balance,
whole 1000 rupees would have gone.

Attached are conversations between me and photon support staff.
First day: 12 July:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=AioRM6rUJF8

Second day: 13th July:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cXPgAL_Uf-w

Its Very shocking....Hollappa.

If you have thought prepaid connection is safe because the connection is automatically disabled when you run into negative balance, you are wrong.
Hear my story:

I recharged my photon+ prepaid around June 10 by 4GB by paying Rs. 1000 at an outlet.

When the expiry date was nearing in July 10, I wanted to use up all the currency left, so I started using photon more and more and I realized that I was not at all getting any SMSs from Photon about the balance. I used to get a few SMSs a day earlier.

Anyway, I never worried as I was expecting the photon will stop working once I cross the usage limit.

On July 11th, it stopped working.
I charged for Rs1350 on July 12th online.
Now when I checked the balance online, this is what I See:



It is beyond my brains to understand how can I use 10240 units at 10:53 and then
2952 at 10:56

It says my balance is zero :-(
Worried, I called the support.
A guy said someone will call me back.
Nothing happened for a day.
I call back today, the Lady who attended me said that I had a negative balance of 4GB.
And there was a technical glitch at tata side which could not disable my card when it went into negative balance. (So they decided to recover the leaked bandwidth by penalizing me when I charged next time! It is like when I goto a gas station and ask for 10Ltrs of gas, the attendant fills 20Ltrs and ask me to cuff up more money...)

Well we buy prepaid hoping that we will never get into this problem.
I think tata deliberately program it that way to cheat their customers.
If I had charged for Rs. 1000, which I normally do, I would have left with no balance,
whole 1000 rupees would have gone.

Attached are conversations between me and photon support staff.
First day: 12 July:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=AioRM6rUJF8

Second day: 13th July:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cXPgAL_Uf-w

Dear Mr.Holla

Greetings from Tata Indicom!

We regret for the delay in responding to you.

We have confirmed from concerned department that the issue has been resolved, as the negative GB has been credited back to your account.

Hope, the issue has been resolved to your satisfaction.

Should you require any further assistance please mail us at Customer.care@tatatel.co.in.

Thanks and Regards
Customer Care
Tata Indicom.

Dear Customer care,

No Sir, you have not resolved this issue.
Please provide evidences or more details.

Well, the credited bandwidth is not reflected in the SMSes you send everyday.
Nor it is reflected in the usage statistics displayed on your page, posted here.





My photon stopped working on 11 Aug when 6+GB bandwidth I had got when recharged was used up.

I recharged after that for 10GB and now 9GB is still remaining, as per the SMSes I am receiving.

Now tell me, when did you credit this bandwidth to my account?
Please give me more details so that I can verify.
I am expecting a reply on the line of
"On XX Aug 2010 at 12:23 PM, you had 5.3GB of usage remaining,
Then we credited with 3.7Gb of bandwidth and available balance increased to 9GB"

Do you have such info?
I bet not, because I have all the SMSes that I received, which tells the balance is gradually decreasing.
The SMS messages sent report from your page is joke. It prints the same SMS X times. No change in usage.
Someone programmed it, then no one tested it I guess.



I will give my username and account to anyone who is interested in. if there is any volunteer who can check for the false
claim Tata indicom is making, I will be much obliged.



Dear Mr.Holla

Greetings from Tata Indicom!

We regret for the delay in responding to you.

We have confirmed from concerned department that the issue has been resolved, as the negative GB has been credited back to your account.

Hope, the issue has been resolved to your satisfaction.

Should you require any further assistance please mail us at Customer.care@tatatel.co.in.

Thanks and Regards
Customer Care
Tata Indicom.

Hello tata Indico customer care,Are you there?

As of 2010 Sep 11, 23:10 IST, this issue has not been resolved.TATA claims they have credited the bandwidth. But in fact they did not do it.Please show me which transaction, exactly when did this happen?I have all the transaction information and SMSes received from time to time.I do not see an increase of 4GB anytime.

As of 2010 Sep 11, 23:10 IST, this issue has not been resolved.
TATA claims they have credited the bandwidth. But in fact they did not do it.
Please show me which transaction, exactly when did this happen?
I have all the transaction information and SMSes received from time to time.
I do not see an increase of 4GB anytime.


Dear Customer

Greetings from Tata Indicom!

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to you.

We would like to inform that your complaint has been put before the concerned department. We have accorded it top priority and are expressly working towards resolving it at the earliest. We should revert to you shortly, request you to kindly bear with us in the interim.

Should you require any further assistance please mail us at Customer.care@tatatel.co.in.

Thanks and Regards
Customer Care
Tata Indicom.

Dear Customer care,

Greetings from your customer!

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to you.

I would like to inform you that this complaint has been put before the concerned department by you many a times already. I have recorded it as least priority and least bothered about resolving it at the earliest, as I have started enjoying your competitor's services. The longer you take to revert to me, the more I would get opportunities to post on various user review forums.

I would be much obliged if you could let me know how long I should 'bear with you', in terms of time units, with a precision of a decade.

Should you require any further grievances, please mail me at photon.sucks@gmail.com

Thanks and regards,
Customer,
Tata Indicom.

^^ owned hahahaha

dear customer care,

greetings from your customer!

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to you.

I would like to inform you that this complaint has been put before the concerned department by you many a times already. I have recorded it as least priority and least bothered about resolving it at the earliest, as i have started enjoying your competitor's services. The longer you take to revert to me, the more i would get opportunities to post on various user review forums.

I would be much obliged if you could let me know how long i should 'bear with you', in terms of time units, with a precision of a decade.

Should you require any further grievances, please mail me at photon.sucks@gmail.com

thanks and regards,
customer,
tata indicom.
lmao!

Dear Customer care,

Greetings from your customer!

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to you.

I would like to inform you that this complaint has been put before the concerned department by you many a times already. I have recorded it as least priority and least bothered about resolving it at the earliest, as I have started enjoying your competitor's services. The longer you take to revert to me, the more I would get opportunities to post on various user review forums.

I would be much obliged if you could let me know how long I should 'bear with you', in terms of time units, with a precision of a decade.

Should you require any further grievances, please mail me at photon.sucks@gmail.com

Thanks and regards,
Customer,
Tata Indicom.


Dear Mr. Padmanabha Holla

Greetings from Tata Indicom! Regret the inconvenience caused to you.

Our team is unable to reach you on your alternate number 9449219***, hence, request you to kindly provide us your contact number.

Should you require any further assistance please mail us at Customer.care@tatatel.co.in.

Thanks and Regards
Customer Care
Tata Indicom.

It is beyond my brains to understand how can I use 10240 units at 10:53 and then
2952 at 10:56

the same thin happened to me a year back with asianet data line.
they charged 1gb between 5 mins. i actually checked usage every day. an i noticed the date and time. and the bill came with extra money for 1gb. i went to asianet office to pay bills and i complaint them that i didnt use this much data. the girl went reception girl went inside and said its showing that you used that much data. then only i told here the time and date and ask shai download 1gb with in 5min with a 2mbps connection. After that she again went inside and gave me actual bill deducting the extra 1gb usage.

Dear Mr. Padmanabha Holla

Greetings from Tata Indicom! Regret the inconvenience caused to you.

Our team is unable to reach you on your alternate number 9449219***, hence, request you to kindly provide us your contact number.

Should you require any further assistance please mail us at Customer.care@tatatel.co.in.

Thanks and Regards
Customer Care
Tata Indicom.

Dear Tata Indicom Customer Care,

Greetings!

Sorry I missed your call. I was eagerly waiting for your call sitting by the phone from 10 July 2010 until today morning.
I just happened to attend a separation meeting and had to switch off my mobile phone from 1600 to 1800 hours this afternoon.
I think that is when you called me.

Please call me again. The number is valid. It is provided by a self-respecting vendor whom so far I have never felt like cancelling, unlike Tata.

And, it is (N)etiquette to use the same media to communicate.
That is if you get a mail complaint, reply by mail.
If you get a phone call, reply by phone.
If you get a posting on newsgroup, you post the reply in news group.

I bet you dont get it, do you?

Ok, Finally Tata Indicom Called me.
To say that they credited my account on 11 th Aug. Same story, I asked for evidences. The Nodal Officer for Karanataka, Ms. Stell Thomas said she will send me a mail.
After a minute, she calls me back to ask the email id. I give it to her. The email arrives soon.....

Low and behold!!!!

It has an excel sheet with all the transactions.
And you know what? Stella has Highlighted the transaction that she claims the credit Tata returned me.

Surprise!!! Surprise!!!!

IT is not the credit....
It is the bandwidth I got when I recharged my photon on 11th Aug 2010.

Here is the excel screenshot and next below is the screenshot I got when I recharged.



Proof that I recharged it on 11th Aug:



Now, dear Tata Indicom customer care, If it is 11th Aug, which row number says that you returned the eaten up usage?

Surprising that the above image does not tell it is recharged on 11 Aug.
I thought the time of transaction will be printed...
Neverthless...
here it is. This is the evidence that I recharged on 11th Aug. 2010

Holla.