CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
TATA SKY DTH
TV – Taking the Customer for Granted
Musings
By
VIKRAM KARVE
I love
watching old English Classic Movies.
That is one of
the main reasons why I selected TATA SKY DTH TV since TataSky had TCM Channel
which showed evergreen Hollywood Classics.
Suddenly, on
the 12th of September 2012, I found to my dismay that TCM Channel
had disappeared.
When I
complained to TataSky Customer Care, I got a terse reply that TataSky had
dropped TCM Channel. That’s all, in a tone that implied – “we have dropped the
channel and you can go up the gum tree for all we care”.
They hadn’t
bothered to inform loyal customers like me regarding this abrupt unilateral
decision. Of course, In India, no one bothers to take the customer’s consent or
feedback. Everyone takes the customer for granted. Very few companies treat the
customers with courtesy and respect.
I have written
this about TataSky but I have had a similar experience of dropping of channels
with Dish TV as well.
If a customer
does not pay his subscription on time these DTH companies immediately stop your
service and charge a penalty for reconnection, but they do not keep their end
of the bargain and do not deliver the channels they have promised. For example,
I had paid my monthly subscription in advance for a pack which included the TCM
Channel. Just imagine the fate of those who had paid an annual subscription for
this pack in advance.
When they drop
channels from their packs, they do not reduce the monthly subscription. I feel
TataSky must refund subscription on pro
rata basis for the channels they
drop from time to time.
Like TataSky,
most other DTH and Cable TV Companies also seem to be indifferent to the
customer and take customer loyalty for granted. They never deliver what they
promise. Maybe it is because the customer really does not have much of a choice
owing to monopoly due to cartelisation. Maybe genuine competition will improve
things for customers.
Is abrupt
dropping of TCM Channel by TataSky a deficiency in service? Can some one tell
me if there is a regulator for the DTH Industry where I can complain.
Well, after
such experiences, I have learnt one lesson.
Never fall for
traps of various “offers” these DTH companies keep luring you with from time to
time, since they can always drop channels and change packs once you have paid
up the entire subscription.
Always pay on
a monthly basis and never pay a lump-sum advance subscription which will
restrict you with the DTH operator for one year or more.
If you pay
your subscription on a monthly basis you have the option of “dropping” DTH and
Cable Operators like TataSky if they abruptly drop channels.
There is a
slogan: CUSTOMER IS KING
Maybe that is
true in some cases, but I have seen that, at least in India, on many occasions
customers are treated like dirt – with indifference, and sometimes, with
contempt.
From time to
time, I will share some of my experiences of customer service – where I have
been treated like a king, where some companies make sustained efforts to get customer loyalty, and I will also tell you about instances where I have been treated like dirt, with indifference and disdain.
