When customer care calls

A few months ago, I got a call from Vodafone customer care. They told me that they analyzed my phone bills and figured out that there is a new plan introduced for corporate customers which is much better than the one I'm subscribed to now. I hate it when I get calls from customer care numbers, or credit card companies, so I was trying to avoid being dragged into a conversation. But somehow, the guy on the other end started explaining the plan. The sad part was that he was speaking English in some weird Indian accent which I couldn't understand, and he was talking extremely fast. After listening to about 5 minutes, the guy asks, 'So can I activate this plan Sir?'. Now I didn't say no. Because if I did, I know he will start asking me why, and then explain the plan all over again. So I didn't give it much thought and said yes. And he concluded with the usual 'Thank you for your time, Have a nice day'. I had no idea what I just subscribed for, and I never bothered to check.

A couple of weeks later, I got another call from Vodafone telling me that the majority of my bill amount was contributed by STD calls, and he has the exact remedy for that - a new STD pack. And again, before I could say no he started explaining the plan. I was in the middle of some work, and so I didn't bother to listen to what he was saying. And as usual at the end of the call, I ended up saying YES to the 'Shall I activate the pack sir?' question. I didn't know what plans I was subscribed to at that point of time. Again, I got lazy and didn't bother to check my plan details.

In the next couple of months, my phone bill amounts started climbing for no reason. I used to pay around Rs. 400 - 500 every month on an average. Now I'm paying around Rs. 1000. And I don't even call anybody; at least that's what my mom complains all the time. So finally I decided to check my detailed e-bills in my mail. I saw that the rental for my plan has increased to around 399 per month, and some other charges all add up to around 1000 per month. Now I can't blame the customer care guy, because it was my carelessness that led to the whole mess. So what do I do? - Nothing. My laziness has grown to extreme levels by now, and knowing how much I have to wait talking to the IVRS if I call Vodafone customer care, I put it away for some other time.

So here I am paying around Rs. 1000 every month for my phone bill, and on top of that, my mom calls once in a while and shouts at me for not calling her. Then one day, I get this call from my beloved Vodafone customer care employee and I pick up. It was a girl.

'Hello good afternoon. Am I speaking to Mr. Anish?'

'Yes'

'Hi sir, I'm calling on behalf of Vodafone customer care. Our computers have found out that you are paying around Rs. 1000 every month, and most of this amount is because of STD calls......'

At this point, I’m pissed.

'…….We have introduced a new plan that can help you save a lot of money on your monthly bills'

'Hold on. Let me get this straight. You’re telling me that I pay a lot of money to Vodafone every month?'

'Yes sir.'

'And you, who work for Vodafone, call me with a new plan that will help me reduce my phone bills every month?'

'Yes sir.'

'So that's good for me. Now how is it going to help Vodafone?'

'It's like...er...it's like.....we believe in customer satisfaction. That's why....er...'

'Ok. Then reduce my rental amount to 50 per month. That will improve customer satisfaction.'

'Er...Thank you for calling Vodafone customer care. Have a nice day'

'But I didn't call you. You called me'.

CLICK. She hangs up. I felt really good. I call the customer care number, and waits till they transfer me to a representative, and tells him I want to change my monthly plan to the basic one I had a couple of months ago.

I was so happy. I slept like a rock that night.