Most of the below narration might sound as rhetorical to many, but this is my real experience.
I had made the decision to cancel my landline for two reasons,
a) it has become obsolete with smartphones for each human being on this planet
b) draconian service quality
so I searched for the relevant documents and 4 different government issued ID's to prove it is who I claim to be, reached the bsnl office after being redirected twice as they have weird circle offices
my observations:
1) Government offices are the ugliest buildings occupying prime real estate in the centre of the locality
2) Antique offices - teak wood furniture, solid iron office equipment, great quality stationary.
3) Antiquated staff - here comes the interesting point
I have no disrespect for the people who serve the office but...you simply cannot get to the right person without being bounced off to multiple people. it is like musical chairs.
once you have reached the right person, you start to cover up for the wasted time by sputtering out the purpose of your visit.....hold on.....they will not let you complete your statement but instead start asking you questions....
What is your Name..?
What is your Address..?
Do you have the Original invoice..?
Do you have the Last invoice bill..?
Have you paid all your bills..?
....and then the original documents to validate your answers.
at the same time the officer is one-finger typing into the x86 pentium 2 computer and adjusting his/her glasses to view the clipper program to render the results on the crt monitor.
sometimes the results don't match because your aadhaar has last name+first name and your original was based on your SSC certificate which followed First name+ Father's name+ Surname.
this is a total mismatch....!!!
you are declared a persona-non-grata.
So here you realise this torture. you beg to prove you are yourself.
after some convincing, the officer says come back after a week.
Do I need to tell you S/He never meant an earth week.
Second week I reached the same officer who was first busy in a call, then talking with a colleague bitching about the work load, then it was a small tea break...and then..Who are you?
This time I am prepared.
I start handing my ID's as i tell my demographic information.
The officer realises my game and throws a googly at me.."Have you brought your phone instrument to surrender"
wow, I did not...i start sweating and sheepishly grin, realising i have made a blunder and will have to seek appointment next week. i apologize for wasting the officers invaluable time and obstructing the development of this nation. without any further delay i gather my papers and scoot-off red-faced.
week 3 - I re-run my introduction with documentary proofs, and also place the beetel instrument for surrender.
the officer scoffs and whispers curses while collecting the instrument and throwing it in box where all telephones die.
S/He punches few buttons on the clackity keyboard and waits for the extremely screechy dot-matrix printer to spew off a paper roll.
S/He tears down the roll and takes a wooden scale to tear off a small piece from the roll. scribbles at the bottom, stamps indigo on it and hands me the scrap of paper.
I am speechless and cannot read the local language printed on the paper, the officer grunts at my illiteracy and says, "Just show the receipt to the accounts department, they will reconcile and settle your connection".
phew, now I go ahead bravely, experienced and wise to the accounts department.
i was lucky there an old gentleman who is going to be retired in a month took my request, he went on grumbling about how many years he has spent with the department, how good it was before and how bad it is now.
he asked me for a cancelled cheque, and bam...said everything is done, my deposit will be refunded in my bank account.
it was 1pm and I was about to turn and go back home with a victorious grin on my face. i noticed the old man was toe-ing behind me.
he smiled and said, "Lunch break!!" and we walked together, he asked if I had tried tea at the cafeteria and pledged it was the only thing left original, thanks to the old chef.
I liked the idea, went with the old man and got myself a cup.
I asked him how long has he been working..."40 years"..wow.
I praised him for his service and quality in getting my settlement within a hour.
He then asked me if I knew what was the problem..i drew my dumb face..he laughed and said
"Beta, it is the recruitment process.
Earlier recruitment was done only on the basis of merit in academics, entrance results and aptitude in interview.
now, 65% of the staff has passed neither academically nor in the interview. the only ticket is the caste certificate and reservation quota. 33% is for women too. there are some bright people, but if I tell you that don't struggle or compete just get 40 marks and your job is secured... will S/He really be motivated to work hard.
what does this give the citizen...poor customer service, bad quality, and attrition.
people like you are switching to the Jio and Airtel's. they charge you more, they are almost untouchable and have no obligation except for the revenue you generate for them.
I am retiring in a month but I don't think I will ever be able to explain my grand children what I did, where did i work for....?
it is like telling them i was a sailor on a boat that sank".
