Rashmi Ranjan Padhy | My Thoughts

I was coming back from the Bangalore Airport (it is a pain, but some other day), when I got a call from an unknown number.

Me: Hello

Caller: Hello, Am I speaking to Rashmi Ranjan?

Me: Yes.

Caller: Good Evening Sir. I am calling for Airtel. This is regarding your number 0804*******.

Me: Okay, what about it? ( Thinking: I have paid the bills and not given any complaints, so what cld this be for?)

Caller: You have been getting the bill thru courier.

Me: I have not received any bills since day 1 of my connection. (Fact!)

Caller: You mean you have not got the bill for the past 3 months.

Me: No, I have not.

Caller: Okay. ( and conveniently brushes away the fact that I have not received the bill. I ended up paying fine every month.)

Caller: You can get benefits if you convert that to e-bills.

Me: Yes, I am listening. (Thinking: It is my lucky day. Airtel actually calling up and offering me some benefits.)

Caller: If you change to get the bills thru email, we will give you the bills thru email for F.R.E.E. and you will get the bill in 5 days, as against 10 days now.

Me: What is the benefit? ( Thinking: No lucky day. They are just trying to save their costs, offering nothing to us.)

Caller: We will give you itemized bills for free.

Me: I do not need itemized bills. I do not make any calls on that number. Just Broadband. So what benefit are you giving?

Caller: The benefit is, you will be getting this bill for free.

Me: I am not paying for the bills even now, so what is the benefit you are saying about?

Caller: You will get it within 5 days from your billing date.

Me: Again, that is not a benefit. Let me explain. Benefit will be something, if you give me a discount/Rs.100 off for getting electronic bills.

Caller: No sir. Airtel  never gives any offer.

Me: Okay (Thinking: Well I was hoping against hope.)

Caller: Thank you for your time. (Click.)

Now, I wonder, what exactly was Airtel trying to offer me. They are trying to reduce cost, courier cost, man power cost for preparing the bills, Printing cost and least of all paper cost. And what they are offering me? Free bills to my email and sending the bill in 5 days!

No way in hell, I am going to help them reduce cost, without passing on the benefits to me.

So, ……….. Airtel, it is good to reduce cost, but if you pass on the benefit to the consumers, it would be really great. But again knowing how Fu**ed up a company Airtel is, I am not expecting you will do that. In fact, you will be looking at avenues to increase the cost to the consumers without improving your services or offering.

Thanks, but no thanks. I am not taking your carrots.

P.S.: Before you guys start jumping and saying about saving paper, saving trees, etc…. I am already subscribed for bills thru email. Just that they fuc**ing got my email wrong as well. Even after giving a dozen complaints, it is not getting corrected.