Why I don't use Reliance India Call...(cont'd)

So, here is the update - nothing much happened. But, lot of fun. See for yourself...

Here is my first email to Anil Ambani

Dear Mr. Ambani,
I am writing to you about my experience with Reliance India Call - your group's long distance calling service in the US. I hope you will take some time to read this.

I happened to open an account (#: ) on RelianceIndiaCall.com on Nov 11th and buy pre-paid card for USD 111.75. On Nov 12th after trying to call India for two hours on that service and not getting through, I decided to cancel the service. I called the Customer Service and the lady cancelled the account and promised to process the refund and send confirmation to that effect. In spite of email reminders I never received confirmation of the refund. So, on Nov 18th I called the Customer Service again. This time the agent told me that the company does not make refunds on a prepaid card.

I was not told of this when I called to cancel the card. And, I don't expect to pay for a service that I never used/ never worked for me. It would be great if the company could process the refund.

I wish the company can improve its service and customer service aspects.

Thanks

And, here is the response I got


Dear XXX,
Thank you for your mail dated 19-Nov-04.

I have carefully read your concerns regarding Reliance Infocomm.
Details mentioned in your email have been noted and passed on to the concerned people.

For further assistance please call *333 from your RIM or the number 3033 3333 if you are calling from a non-RIM phone. You could also send an email at customercare@relianceinfo.com

Thanks,
Anil

And, since I had nothing to do with Reliance Infocomm, I followed up with this email.

Dear Mr. Ambani,
Thank you for the very prompt response. My concerns were not related to Reliance Infocomm but Reliance Communications International Inc. - the company that runs the RelianceIndiaCall website http://www.relianceindiacall.com and provides long distance calling services in the US/ Canada. I am not sure if it is part of Reliance Infocomm.

I must say that the CEO/CEO's office is more responsive than the folks who manage the customercare@relianceindiacall.com email account. I have sent three or four emails in the last week to that email and received no response. And, as a Reliance shareholder I am not sure if it is a situation that I should feel happy about.

Also, the last time I contacted the RelianceIndiaCall customer service over the phone (1-866-6-Reliance, I live in Chicago) to get the company's registered address in the US, the Customer Service Agent was not able to provide that. I have never had such an experience with any other Cutomer Support.

Thanks

And, here is the response I get to the above email

Dear XXX,
Thank you for your mail dated 20-Nov-04.

I am in the process of reading the numerous proposals that are being sent to me. It is a matter of pride and joy to me, that people like you are giving thought to the future of this country and are sending in concrete plans for the same.

Your proposal is under consideration. Please give me time to go through it carefully. I shall revert to you at the earliest.

Please do visit my website for regular updates on my plans and the activities that I take up.

Thanks,
Anil

Why I don't use Reliance India Call...

So, last week I found that the calling card Valucom that I have used for the last five years had very few minutes left. And, since I needed more calling minutes to my dad who was recovering from a surgery in India I decided to try Reliance India Call - recommended to me by a few good friends.

I bought a prepaid card for USD100 (and, plus taxes it put me back by $111.75). I thne tried using it the next day... for full 2 hours but could not get through. Finally, I decided to cancel it. So, I called the customer service explained the situation and the lady cancelled the account and refund the money. She asked me to expect an email confirmation in the next few days.

On Wednesday I decided to check on the status of the refund by sending an email to customercare@relianceindiacall.com. And, when I did not receive any response I decided to call customer support on Thursday.

And, when I called them on Thursday the service rep said they do not refund money even if you never used the service. Of course, that was not what his colleague had told me when I cancelled it but it did not matter to him.

So, I decided to send one more email, threaten them that I would report them to BBB.org. But, I realized that I did not have their mailing address. So, I called the customer support center and asked for the registered address of the company in the US. Guess what! The person did not know the address.

So, I sent off a note to Anil D Ambani, who thinks he can save India. Lets see what happens...

Holy Crap... One down many more to go...

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Jayendra Saraswathi: Revered cleric

So, finally it has happened. One of the many holy men seems to be in trouble. Now, I am not saying that this guy is guilty of the crime but I do believe that he should be treated as any ordinary citizen would be.

I have always felt that being a holy man or running an religious institution is an incredible enterprise in India (probably world over) - lot of clout, lot of money, little taxes, no accountability and absolutely no transparency. And, if your organization happens to represent "minority communities" even better - even the govt. won't meddle with your affairs.

Wonder who will be next - the dude with bad hairdo, the incredible hugger or any of the number of folks who are trying the "save" the natives.