Let me tell you the story of what happened to me in last three days. My so-called broadband connection was out of order (there was an area-wide downtime) for last three days.

That’s not really my issue (I’ve grown used to a major downtime every two months… you know, India’s infrastructure just plain rocks :-/ )… my issue was my experience with my ISP’s call center.

Well, my ISP is the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). Even though all employees are government employees, but I have to tell you my experience with 99.5% of them has been just awesome.

However, in order to improve customer service, they have outsourced their call center. And, in last three days I’ve experienced first hand that why even the mention of calling an Indian call center gives nightmare to most people.

Well, before I get started, let me tell you that I was born and raised in India. The people in these call centers are supposedly the same people who I grew up with (not literally).

Now, on to the topic. Here is my experience –

1. On Saturday at 1 PM my broadband link suddenly died while I was in middle of some work.

2. I called up the BSNL help-desk and it took me 20 minutes to explain to the lady on the other side that it isn’t my modem which needs to be reset but problem on the other side. Finally she lodges my complaint and replies — Thanks a lot for calling BSNL call center.

3. I wind it up and go take a nap after having my lunch.

4. I wake up at 5 PM and the net is still not working.

5. I again call up BSNL call center and they tell me that the whole of Vaishali Nagar (part of city that I live in) is down and they are working on it. After that the rep on the phone replies — Thanks a lot for calling BSNL call center.

I hang up and leave for the GYM early and workout overtime since it was weekend and I was planning to work on a new site of mine… which I could not now because the net was down.

6. I come back and check the net at 10 PM. I suck it up and go to sleep.

7. It is 7 AM and a bright Sunday morning. Sucks that the thing is still not working.

8. I call up the call center at 9 AM. The lady on the other end replies that since today is Sunday so nothing is gonna happen today. WHAT THE FUCK? It’s Sunday and you are not going to work on a major fault in one of the most posh areas of the city?

Trying to keep my cool, I ask her if it is joke that they don’t work on Sundays? *click* I am put on hold without any answer. After waiting for 15 minutes I hang up.

Mind you — not once was I abusive to her or lost my temper on her.

9. I call up again and this time the same lady replies. Hearing my voice she forwards it to another rep who starts of in a pretty abusive tone and when I asked if I could talk to his manager or any other BSNL official. In the same tone he asks me to call BSNL enquiry and ask for numbers.

Before I lose my temper on that little SOB I hang up.

10. I suck it all up and call it a day off. Even though my initial plans were delayed, but on a brighter note, it was a fun strategy-planning session for me and most of the day I read the economist.

11. I wake up today and find that the net is still not working. At about 9 PM I call up the call center again and I got the same canned scripts again.

12. *Magic* Net starts working at 11 AM.

13. The thing is down at 5 PM.

14. Right now I am in a mood to kill someone but somehow manage to keep my cool and directly ring up the Boss — Pritam SIngh, J.T.O Broadband Jaipur.

WOW! That person is so polite and lends me an ear to listen to all my problems. And ever few seconds he says that he understands my problem and they are working to get the current issue solved right now and are working to ensure that such problems don’t occur in future.

No wonder, Seth Godin’s suggestion to listen to your customer works and all of a sudden I am cool.

15. I leave for the GYM at 6 PM and come back at 8 PM and come back hoping the net will be down.

16. *Magic Again* the net connection is working at it still is as I am writing this entry.

Now, if these call center employees pissed me off so much, I can only imagine how those people who are not used to such culture might feel. No wonder even the mere mention to having to talk to an Indian Call-Center is enough to give creeps to most people.

God save my employees if they ever treat any of my customer in such way… NO MATTER WHAT.

You might have guessed that I am already pretty pissed off. Fingers Crossed that I won’t have to call up their call center again and things will be working fine tomorrow or I am gonna make it sure that every one from the Indian IT and Telecom minister and every senior BSNL official gets a big letter of complaints and suggestions to read.