Pay More – You don’t get More: The BSNL Paradox

One always feels, that when we pay more, we always get better service and more benefits. While this should be the norm across many industries, it may not hold good if you are a BSNL telephone user. If you are not a BSNL user you may stop reading further.

I am one of those satisfied BSNL users of both mobile and landline broadband till couple of days back when I got a very unreasonable bill. Four years earlier when I shifted to the current place, I got a FTTH connection (Fiber To The Home). It was always ON, blazing speeds, unlimited downloads for Rs 1099 a month. I was happy paying the amount. Somewhere down the line around 6 months back, there were pop ups stating I have consumed my quota and the speeds would throttle to lower speeds unless I clicked a top up amount of 300 bucks. The slow speeds were good for me and I did not bother. But I still got a bill two months back for an additional amount. I thought either my wife or kids must have clicked for higher speeds. I paid and kept quiet. This month that bill increased by additional 800 bucks. That’s when I realized something was indeed fishy.

Reliance has disrupted the internet data market and was giving away 1 GB data for 10 bucks and here I was paying so much. I called up the BSNL Customer Care and conveyed my apprehensions. The girl at the other end said, “Sir, why are you in such a plan where you get far too less data. You need a plan change.” I got irritated, – “What? Do you mean that I have to shell out more?” She immediately corrected me “No, Sir, there are far cheaper plans out there with much more Data. Your Plan is really really very old”. It was then I realized that my ancient unlimited plan had just 8 GB max download at 10 Mbps and unlimited thereafter at much slower speed. I was smug and happy with the service totally unaware that the world of Data had grown bigger with lower costs. I requested her to change the plan, to which she asked me to visit the BSNL Office.

Next morning I was there at the BSNL Office in front of another lady. I asked her why I was being fleeced when I am paying more. “Don’t you think, I should be getting the best service, for the amount I am paying?”. She just shrugged her head and in a typical Govt fashion asked me to change into another plan that would only cost me half but will give me nearly 10 times the Data at even higher speeds. 75 GB at 15 Mbps speed for just Rs 645/- That shock did not stop. I also found that if I paid another 98 bucks, all my calls would be free from the landline to any network. Then I got yet another shock, that at half my present post paid connection rate, I could have three times Data, and unlimited free calls to any mobile or landline network. I realized the cost of not keeping abreast with the changes. I have been shelling out far more for far less. I immediately opted for all the required changes which will save me at least 2000 rupees per month.

To all my friends in whose mind the bulb just lit, go to your BSNL office and change your plan to the current ones. And check every July and April for changes. They never tell you if you are paying more for getting less.

I was thinking how much we paid for a call way back in 1995. A five minute call on STD used to cost me nearly a hundred bucks. Thank You Mr. Ambani. You have really whacked the shit out of these sleeping giants. I got benefited.

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