Worst Customer Service!!
If there is anyone out there who wishes to do a case study for “Worst Customer Experience”, Sun Direct would be the best option. I can 200% vouch for that.
Everything was going fine but all of a sudden, one fine day, my set-top box stopped working. The screen went blank. Initially, there was some error code being displayed. My mother is the only person who makes use of the DTH facility to follow all the daily soaps. When the DTH connection failed all of a sudden, she didn’t panic. Thanks to Hotstar, where she could still follow her daily soaps without any hindrance, in fact, she watches it much earlier to the time it usually gets telecasted in television.
Since my mother did not press the panic button, I was involved in my usual routine. I got reminded about the fact that we had taken an annual subscription and delaying it further is going to be of no help. So on a daily basis, I was whatsapping the area technician personally and asking him for help. I got no response. My mother was yet to press the panic button and hence I was following up with the technician at my own convenience.
It was almost a month since I had been following up with the technician with no progress being made and hence I decided to get in touch with the customer care executives whom I believed would lend a helping hand.
DAY 1: (I wasn’t home when I made this call)
I call the customer care executive(CCE). A female picks up.
CCE: Thank you for calling Sun Direct. How can I help you?
Me: My dish is not working. I just get an error message (E50–32 No Service Available).
CCE: Can you please confirm your Smart Card no? (And she reads out the number)
Me: Yes it is correct.
CCE: What is your name sir?
Me: Karthik S.
CCE: Thank you for calling us from the registered mobile number sir.
Me: That’s okay.
CCE: I will definitely help you with the problem. Are you in front of the TV?
Me: No, can this be sorted out with your guidance or is there any technician who would be coming home to sort it out?
CCE: This can be sorted out over a call.
Me: That’s great. I thought there would be some technician coming home. Fine, I will do one thing, I will call you once I reach home and when the set-top box is switched on.
CCE: Sure sir. Thank you for calling Sun Direct. Have a great day.
Me; You too!
DAY 2: (I was in front of the TV with the set-top box switched on)
I call the customer care executive. A male picks up.
CCE: Thank you for calling Sun Direct. How can I help you?
Me: My dish is not working. I previously reached out to one of your executives and informed her that I get an error message (E50–32 No Service Available) but now when I switched on, there is nothing but just a blank screen. She asked me to call you people when I am in front of the TV so that you guys can guide me and sort this out.
CCE: Can you please confirm your Smart Card no? (And he reads out the number)
Me: Yes it is correct.
CCE: What is your name sir?
Me: Karthik S.
CCE: Thank you for calling us from the registered mobile number sir.
Me: That’s okay.
CCE: I will definitely help you with the problem. Are you in front of the TV?
Me: Yes
CCE: Tune into channel no 123 and tell me, sir.
Me; Yes, I am on Channel no 123.
CCE: I am initiating a process from my end. Let me know if the channel comes back.
Me: Sure
Waits for 2 minutes
CCE: Do you see anything on your screen?
Me: No.
CCE: I am initiating a process from my end for the second time. Let me know if the channel comes back
Me: Sure
Waits for another 2 minutes
CCE: Do you see anything on your screen?
Me: No
CCE: I am initiating a process from my end for the third and final time. Let me know if the channel comes back
Me: Sure
Waits for another 2 minutes
CCE: Do you see anything on your screen?
Me: No
CCE: Have the set-top box turned on for the next 2 hours, the picture will be back for sure within the stipulated time.
Me; Are you sure?
CCE: Yes sir.
Me: Okay then!
CCE: Sure sir. Thank you for calling Sun Direct. Have a great day.
Me: You too!
I had kept the set-top box turned on for 5 hours with no luck.
DAY 3:
The entire conversation repeats again without the slightest change in the content.
I was really in a good mood that day, I didn’t bother about tell this rep that I did the same thing the previous day but nothing turned up. I just listened to his instruction and left the set-top box switched on for 5 more hours expecting the picture to be back anytime. It was a failure again.
DAY 4: (This time I was really pissed)
I call the customer care and a male picks up.
CCE: Thank you for calling Sun Direct. How can I help you?
Me: My name is Karthik and this is my smart card number (I read out the number). I am calling you people from my registered mobile number. I had raised a concern about the picture not getting displayed. I have spoken to a couple of your executives and their suggestion didn’t work. If you can do something about this problem, it will be appreciated. If not, please refund the amount I will look for other alternatives. I don’t want you to initiate any process from your end as this has proved to be futile. Kindly let me know an alternative solution.
CCE: I will help you with this sir. (God knows what he wanted to help me with). Can you confirm the smart card number? (He reads out the number)
Me: (In a slightly pissed tone) Yes.
CCE: What is your name sir?
Me: Karthik S.
CCE: Thank you for calling us from the registered mobile number sir.
He goes on and on and on and on with the process that was followed earlier. I interrupted him and asked him not to repeat this process as it had failed already.
The reply that I got from him was, “Sir listen to what I say. If the picture comes back do tell me.”
I was shouting at the top of my voice asking him for an alternate solution. He didn’t give a damn (I am not exaggerating). He didn’t speak a word until initiating a process from his end was completed for the 3rd time.
After all the attempts failed and me asking him to listen to what my problem is, he nonchalantly says that he would raise a complaint and the technician would get in touch within 48 hours.
Wasn’t I asking for this right from the start? These people are literally given a hard copy of the conversation that needs to happen I guess. They just read it out from that. They don’t care to listen to what you have to say or what your problem is.
I don’t even know what the role of a Customer Support Manager there would be. Such a pathetic experience.
They literally sound like goons and are least bothered about your association with the product. If you wanna stay, stay. Else keep moving, that’s the kind of an attitude they work with.
Is this how they are trained? Chatbots, Assistants like Siri, Alexa etc are being trained to talk politely whereas these human species act in a pathetic way.
Apart from switching vendor, what is a better solution to this problem?
It is not that I want to stick to this vendor, my assumption is every vendor is as spoilt as these guys.
