Rambling on ...: May 2014

To,
Mr. Harit Nagpal
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer
Tata Sky Ltd.

Dear Sir,

I have been a TATA SKY ‘preferred’ customer (purely because I believe in the ethics & principles of Tata, or used to) for more than 6 years. Two years ago, in May 2012 I moved from Tilak Nagar to Chembur, Mumbai. I also switched from an SD connection to an HD one.

Prior to 2012, I had some problems with the connection, but they were promptly looked into by the engineers. But since 2012, the services provided to me by Tata Sky have only been deteriorating.

When we moved, the installer said that there was a fault with the LNB (low noise block down-convertor) and it would have to be replaced. I’m certain that there wasn’t any problem with it at all. (I have still preserved the old LNB precisely for a moment like this). We still trusted your engineer and installed a new LNB, for which we had to pay. While fixing it, the engineer broke a bracket himself and then had the audacity to ask us for more money to replace the bracket. (I was present when the installation took place.) Later, when I complained to the authorities, the installer apologized. However, instead of fitting a new bracket, he has now tied up the LNB to the dish with plastic straps.

We have two connections- the primary connection was changed to an HD one in May 2012 and we were given the new set-top box.

Before continuing, let me put this on record. We had installed new cables in May 2012.

I have been persistently complaining about the disturbance faced by us in certain channels (Regional Marathi channels, Movies now HD, VH1, FX, Fox crime, etc.) and a technician comes in very punctually, but the problem has yet to be resolved.

Kindly note, we have been complaining for the past two years now. We’ve had technicians coming in practically every month, each one giving us new reasons for the problem, but offering no solutions. Most, if not all of them have only one answer if they’re unable to find the source of the problem- “Aapka cable mein fault rahega.” They don’t even bother checking the cables. From the moment they arrive, they make clear their impatience to leave. Most of them are out of the house within 5 minutes after pointing out a problem, which we know very well, isn’t the actual problem. I can say this with certainty only because I’ve had well over 20 technicians visiting my house over the last two years. The incompetence of your engineers is intolerable and ludicrous. I’m a Mechanical Engineer myself & I’m left laughing at the nonsensical reasons your technicians come up with.

Over the months, we have been made to replace small parts on the dish, add an amplifier to boost the signal, change the cable splitter etc., all of which we obviously had to pay for.
In Jan/Feb 2014, we started facing disturbances in a few more channels (Star sports, Ten sports, etc.) The technician was on his way out within a couple of minutes after giving us the expected answer. Can you guess, Mr. Nagpal? Yes, ‘Aapka cable mein fault hai.’ Agitated, I called up the call center again and requested to speak with a Supervisor. What happened next was completely unexpected and shocking. The supervisor was extremely rude. I told him that I would discontinue using your services, to which his reply was to do so, and that he couldn’t help me. Is this what I get in return for trusting your brand and your company for 6 years? Is this the so called ‘quality of service’ you promise? I honestly felt betrayed and I continue to feel cheated. Meanwhile, the technician decided to check the set-top box after overhearing my exchange with the supervisor. He then came to the conclusion that the set-top box was faulty. He connected my secondary box (which was also an HD box that I had purchased) to the primary TV and the Sports channels were clear.
So, the box itself that you provided me with in 2012 was faulty. Of course, we had to pay for a new box. We have been shelling out money ever since, money that we shouldn’t be spending at all. We pay a hefty price of Rs. 8000 annually. (which is to be increased to Rs. 9000 at my next renewal) This is by no means a small sum. Were we wrong to expect excellent service? Do we really need to be spending so much for the service we get in return?

The set-top box was then replaced, but the disturbance persisted in the channels I mentioned earlier.

I would like to bring one important thing to your notice- of late, your technicians have been giving us their personal phone numbers. They promise to help us but then none of them answer their phones. None! If they do answer however, they tell us that they’re on leave and will resume soon. I have 4-5 personal Tata Sky employee numbers now.

I constantly receive calls every afternoon from the Tata Sky call center asking me if my problem has been solved. On what basis are they asking me this question? On what basis are they even making this call? Do they not possess progress reports from their technicians? There is Absolutely no communication between the technicians and the call center.

I will now tell you why the cables aren’t faulty, if you still believe that your technicians are right and aren’t just taking the easy way out.
For one, the concealed cables are new. We installed new cables when we moved.
We have two TVs in our home, a cable splitter in our junction box (which we replaced with a new one after one of your technicians asked us to and paid for it ourselves, obviously) and amplifier in the building duct (which, again, was installed at the request of your technician and was also paid for by us).

The most recent technician was somewhat competent. There are very few of the like among your staff. Please pay attention to my usage of ‘somewhat’ and ‘very few’. He was the only one who bothered to check the cables. He brought along with him a device to check our signal strength. He found no problem in the dish and said that the dish was receiving full signal strength. He then checked the signal at the junction, so the connection from the dish to our house was fine. The signal from the junction to the primary box, however, wasn’t. He showed me that the signals from the 11^th transponder were weak, hence these particular channels weren’t clear. (Finally, some answers) But, the signal from the junction to the secondary box was fine. We were facing the problem on both the TVs. When I asked him why the problem persisted on the secondary TV even though the signal appears to be fine, he answered by telling me that a signal is bouncing off from the first TV and causing this disturbance in the second TV. WHAT? Do you really expect me to believe that, Mr. Nagpal? But, guess what? I decided to trust your technician once again. However, I told him to disconnect the line from the junction to the primary box. If what he said was correct, there wouldn’t be any problem with my secondary TV. Quite logical, isn’t it? Do you see where this is going, Mr. Nagpal? I’ll tell you anyway. The problem still persists.
If you still believe that your technicians are right and the problem is indeed our cable, I would be grateful if you sponsored the cables yourself. I really don’t think I should be spending anymore. Especially after all that I have actually spent on solving this problem. Money that clearly wasn’t well spent.

As of now, our latest work order is still on hold. All we have been getting so far from your employees are assurances, nothing more. So, Mr. Nagpal, please tell me, what is a customer like me supposed to do? My subscription is due in a couple of days. Every year the charges are increased and your services given in return are shameful.

I was forced to write this letter even though I never saw myself doing so. I was very upset that I could not make my problem heard beyond a Tata Sky call centre executive. You all are literally hiding behind your outsourced call centers. I was shocked to see that I couldn’t find an email address or contact number of a single manager, let alone the CEO of the company.

I have had enough of this debacle but not without spreading the word about your service amongst my friends and family. There’s no doubt that your company is incompetent or completely unprofessional. A number of people have voiced similar opinions about the treatment given to them by your company. I don’t know what effect this letter might have on your customer service, but rest assured that you will now be able to deduct Rs. 9000 from your annual profits if not more. Although that might be just a whisker in your overall mess, it’ll be one which was done with due diligence. We’ve had enough of your staff’s condescending attitude and have received completely inadequate of service, as well as ignorance of enormous proportions, something I would have never expected from a company as big and ‘reputed’ as yours.

Allow me to be clear, we do not use your services for free. You have failed miserably in meeting the expectations of your customers based on the promises you've made to them.

Regards,
Pranav Sawant.

Tata Sky Subscriber ID No.1015949926