[Resolved]  Idea Cellular Prepaid Phone — Deactivation of connection when cell-phone is lost

Dear sir,

My name is Vipin Yadav and my number is [protected]. I am currently working as Scientist with DRDO lab, RCI, Hyderabad. I have been using idea prepaid cell phone for more than three years and in this time, I didn't need to call ideas customer care(12345).

I would like to tell my experience with idea customer care when I lost my mobile.

I lost my mobile[protected], Friday, 11:00 am and as soon as I found about it I looked for a way to reach idea customer care executive and deactivate my mobile. I called 12345 from my friends mobile [protected] and listened to it, but the automated lady voice did not tell any way to talk to customer care executive. Earlier 12345 followed by 9 used to connect to any executive. By hit and trial, somehow I dialed 2 followed by 0 and got connected with executive after struggling and listening to 12345 many times. There was no option to deactivate my phone straightforwardly. It was 12:30 PM now.

I explained to customer care that I have lost my mobile and want it to be deactivated so that other person who has got my mobile cannot use my balance or my mobile illegally. The executive asked me about validity of recharge and last top up to verify my identity. I was able to tell last top up, but did not remember my mobile validity date as I used to purchase one year validity and so did not remember my validity. Moreover I was never reminded that validity date is worth so much value and can be used for authentication also. It sounded absurd to me as they could have asked my birth date, mother's maiden name and even address to verify my identity and I would have told easily. The executive took my request and asked me to wait for an hour for deactivation. I got really angry with it as it was an emergency as in one hour a person can lose all his phone's balance also if the person who has got lost mobile choose to make ISD/STD calls. I asked him why he could not deactivate it immediately as I knew other person (with my mobile) was making calls from my mobile. I was calling again and again at my number and getting busy tone. He was not receiving my call, but he was making calls using my balance on my mobile. I do not know what that executive concluded from my answers and request to deactivate my mobile, but he deactivated the phone I was calling from ([protected]) to add to my misery in spite of deactivating my number [protected].

An hour later, when I called back from [protected] to confirm deactivation of my mobile [protected], I have to repeat whole story again and to my surprise [protected] was still activate. I again requested them to block my mobile [protected] (not knowing that soon only number I was calling from [protected] will be deactivated in place of [protected]).

When I found that they have deactivated [protected] in place of [protected], I immediately visited and filed complaint in police station for loss of my mobile phone. Until now my first priority was to block my sim [protected] and I tried for three hours for that and went though all this trauma. Meanwhile the other person enjoyed my balance by making calls of around Rs 150 in those three hours. The police men then called customer care and explained them to activate [protected] (friends number) and deactivate [protected] (my number)

Highly disappointed at ideas customer care, Irushed to khan lateef khan (taking half day leave) idea customer center to get a new SIM (sim replacement for [protected]) as I was no more sure whether they will ever block my mobile [protected]. Mean while, on police inspector's request my number was blocked ([protected]) and my friends number ([protected]) was activated again.

I got new SIM at around 5:30 PM with my number [protected] assigned to new SIM. The executive there at Khan lateef khan told me the number has been activated. Again to my disappointment, my number was not activated. Customer care told wait four 6 hours. 6 hours over still not activated. Again I called, "wait for 24 hours, we have not received papers from khan lateef khan ideas center". Again I called, "wait till Monday, 10:30 pm, it will be activated."

Now its Monday and I will check at 12:30 pm whether my number is activated or not. This whole series of event has severely disappointed me and I really feel idea people should stop "walking talking campaigns" to promote awareness among people for health rather they should look to improve their processes and customer care services so that stress in lives of people due to bad customer care support is no more. It seems customer care service of ideas is same as babus of bsnl of old times with only difference that here you can call them on phone and need not visit for giving requests.

"Every person can make a difference" with this in my mind I have written my experience and I want no other person to go through same experience as I have gone through. I would like idea cellular to improve its services and take immediate and shift actions to improve its babus/call center executives.