Misleading Docomo Recharge

Hola,

Finally something has given me the impetus to post here and reach out to the masses with an important discovery. 

Some of you who are Tata Docomo customers might have seen the new SmartLife plan ad that loads on the Online Recharge page - http://www.tatadocomo.com/online-recharge.aspx

Well, like every other Indian perhaps who loves bargains, this seemed like a wonderful mobile recharge plan to me. What this plan essentially gives you, is a Rs. 219 talk time on a Rs. 246 recharge. But this isn't the good part. Within 48hrs of doing this recharge, if one recharges for Rs. 4, he/she gets 1GB of 3G Internet Data with a validity of 30 days !! Yeah, awesome right ?

Yeah, but here is the catch. You will not be able to do the Rs. 4 recharge !! :D read - screwed !!

But I was definitely not gonna let it go that easy. I figured it's just a matter of time before I'll be able to do this recharge, because all that kept showing up when I tried to do this Rs. 4 recharge was that it's not applicable to my number.

So after waiting for a day, I called up the customer care. But again, I couldn't find a way to reach the Customer Care Assistant. The menu just didn't feature that option !

By this time I was starting to get really pissed. I got online to check if I could find a way around this hitch. That's when, hidden way inside somewhere in the website, I found that there is a hot line number to get to the Customer Care Assistant - Dial 9 after you call 121 (Customer Care) !

So then I managed to talk to the Customer Service lady. As usual, she was courteous and asked me what she could help me with. So I related the whole episode of the SmartLife recharge. At first she tried to convince me that the Rs. 4 recharge had to be done immediately after the Rs. 246 recharge. To which, I countered saying that's not what it says on the site. Finally she agreed to check it for me. And then came the stunner of the information which I was looking for all along !!!

One has to dial the MAGIC CODE to do the Rs. 4 recharge which is, WAIT FOR IT  ----- *141*15# 

Well, my first reaction was to ask her who the hell knew of such a thing. Then I realized she is just another poor pawn in the corporate conglomerates' little game of saving some money ! So I decided against shouting at her, thanked her for this information and ended the call.

And the minute I pressed the MAGIC CODE, Kaboom ! It all worked. Now I have the 1 GB of data for the next 30 days and the problem is solved.

But one wonders, how much a customer has to take care in order not be swindled by corporations ! Looking at the bright side of things, it reassures you that you still have to be smart to survive in this era (and not iBitches :D) even though technology is making things easier everyday (so even an iBitch can survive) ! ;)

Peace \m/

$ur