HUTCH IS VODAFONE-Does the service remain the same...bad, pathetic?

Hutch is Vodafone..The service still sucks, pathetic and bad, I reckon.

I was introduced to the Hutch Group Talk family plan last year and I was happy with it. This is what the HUTCH family plan actually has:
Member to member call rate: Free
Member to any Hutch subcriber: 50 paise per minute
Member to any other service provider apart from Hutch:1.69 per minute.
The leader of the plan can call any network provider at 50 paise per minute


There is nothing wrong with the above plan...However two months ago, a female from Global Direct, Mumbai came to my office. She told me they have a scheme in which every member in the plan will be able to pay only 50 paise per minute. She said that the benefits that the 'leader' gets would be transferred to one and all.I subscribed to the plan, they told me that they would also give a complimentary sim card free of charge. However I had to shell out 600 odd bucks for the benefit of 50 paise per minute to every member in my group.

One month transpired and when I called Hutch, it refused to acknowledge the plan. I got the bill (a good lofty 2000 bucks) but there was no discount of 50 paise per minute as promised. It was the same plan. It was then that I realized that I had just paid 600 bucks to buy another sim-card. The slashing of tarriff at 50 paise per minute to all network providers was all ball-talk..

Now you will see that it is all Global Direct's doing..why blame Hutch! Well both are affiliates of each other. Hutch uses Global Direct to cheat customers. Okay this is just one part of the story...

Next, being pissed, I called up customer care to remove the promo pack put by Global Direct. I told the customer service provider there to take off the promo pack of 50 paise per minute to every network provider. This female told me that they are not in a position to remove the promo pack. I called up again, this time a man picked up. He said, "we can remove the promo pack but you can do so only if you call up 4 days before the bill cycle date." Pathetic service from Hutch(sorry vodafone) at its best!

I called up Hutch 4 days before the bill cycle date and told them to remove the promo pack whch was levied on the date July 28th 2007. She went ahead and remove the privilege of the leader, ie, 5o paise per minute to every network provider. As a result my tariff was being charged at Rs.1.69 per minute. I went to the Hutch gallery in Churchgate and said that I should get some compensation for this but he said that it is not possible. He did change it back to the 50 paise per minute. Why? I don't understand why should customers have to pay for the mistake(read ignorance and arrogance) of the customer service reps at Hutch. The Hutch executives closely guard their computers and do not show or tell what changes they are doing to your account even after giving verifiable details. It is really scary!

Hutch simply said, is a crook company and Global Direct is its accomplice. The benefits which they talk about do not reflect on the bill. The big talk about discounts are written in a complicated manner on the bill, so you cannot really figure out which is which. I could not really understand which the multinational brand could stoop so low to sell a simcard.