Discuss Pros And Cons Of Reliance

[vikalp 0]

Well guys its been a high time Reliance has continue cheeting ppl and increasing its ARPU now is the time we should take action as to discuss this issue once and for all....

WHAT are the reasons to stay in RELIACE or switch to TATA.

i beleive reliance should get a lesson.... we can continue only when they try to make things easy for us and not just because we dont have choice...

so guys please get your views on this topic..

LET us dicusss all the VIKALPS

[anuragz 4]

I have both Tata & Reliance Connection. I believe Tata is much better service provider. According to my experiences i'v come to following conclusions....

Tata

I have 'Biz Silver 224 plan', Free Talktime Rs150 on any usage, Local outgoing 50p sms Rs.1

Reliance

Plan 'NJ199 SOHO', Free Talktime Rs150 on only local call usage, Local outgoing 50p sms Rs.1

Conclusion

Free talktime of Tata can be utilized on anything local calls/std/sms.

But in Reliance free talktime can only be used for Local calls. For eg if

a person don't makes calls & only sends sms then despite having free value he'll be charged for sms.

Tata

SMS pack Rs 50 for 3000 local/national sms (another onnet plan Rs 50 ubnlimited T 2 T sms)

Reliance

Rs 50 for unlimited R 2 R sms

Conclusion

I just don't understand what good is onnet sms plan if u don't have a big friend circle using same operator ? But when i take a look at my phonebook, not even 5% of it has Reliance numbers.

So, in general Tata pack is much better.

Tata

Onnet Packs Costs Rs 75 & Rs 99 Unlimited calls.

Reliance

Onnet plan Ranges from Rs100 to Rs225 Only 1000min free 10p/min thereafter.

Conclusion

On my plan for Tata i just have to pay Rs75 fro onnet pack whereas for my Reliance plan i have to pay Rs175. So again Tata has an edge.

Tata

Another add on pack i have is for STD. STD calls to any phone & incoming Roaming at Re.1/min Monthly Rental - Rs.100

Reliance

Std vouchers available.

Conclusion

One of the reason why i prefer postpaid plans is that i dont have to run to buy vouchers to retain talktime. Although Rel vouchers are bit cheaper but in my case i find tata cheap fro std (my std usage is 500min/month rs100 rental for pack= .20p/min. So Std call /min = 1.20p) but addon benefit is Rs1 for incoming calls on roaming, which also saves a lot of money.

Tata

Many add on packs available for your requirement like STD pack, SMS pack, 50p call pack, CUG pack

Reliance

No add on packs available except onnet calls/sms plan

Conclusion

In Reliance, u have to get your plan changed if u want any particular feature. So its difficult to have two good features on one plan for eg. u cant have 50p local + 50p/sms + Rs1 std in one plan.

If u have a Tata u can have any type of add on pack on your existing plan.

I have observed that Tata's cc is more cooperative than Rel

Tata's bills are more honest. Every month on my Rel bill there is some element which i don't understand.

Tata has very less palns on their website which are more easy to understand & less confusing. There are no hidden plans offered to specific areas or people. Moreover all plans are available throughout nation, there are no regional plans. But Reliance have regional plans & they provide cheap rates in heavy competition areas but in less competition areas they have high rates.(another business strategy for earning more money)

Well friends before u post any comments on my conclusions, i would like to tell u that as I have both Tata & Reliance Connection so above conclusions are only based on my my observations & conclusions according to my experiences. Do not consider me as a Tata agent on RimWeb

[raccoon 53]

Thats pretty comprehensive! Thanks!

Since you have used both RIM and Tata (...have you also used a GSM)? Could you tell us your experience of texting with Tata? I mean can you send and recieve long (greater than 160 characters) SMSes with Tata? if yes, can u send and recieve as one message (like in GSM) ...or do you get them in fragments? Any other problem whatsoever with SMSing?

[mmjain 0]

I had got one Tata connection about a year ago for data and internet for my office and it really ****ed. Many a times i did not get connected and there was no speed at all.

I was with Airtel before switching to Reliance and my bills very very high.

As per my exerience i am very happy with reliance maybe because i have more than 150 connections. The CC people at HUBLI are very cooperative.

Till date I was given every solution that i asked for at HUBLI

As of now no plans to switch.

[anuragz 4]

Hey Mahendra Jain,

I think u are the most lucky man among all of us as u have never faced any trouble with the cc & they solved all your problems. . But i really had very bad experience with rel cc. Once a psycho cc exec misbehaved & shouted at me just for the reason that i askerd for a paln which he did'nt knew about & was unable to find on his system.

Although i made a complaint against him to senior official & they apologized for it.

Raccoon, i do have a Gsm connection (idea) & the service is good. But i tell u that none of my friends using GSM have a plan that could beat Tata's 'Biz Silver' plan in terms of economy. Although i have a Special Plan for my idea (gsm) connection (Rs 699/- adv rental for 3 yrs, Free clip+free 50 local sms +free itemized bill. local=Rs1, std=Rs2, cug calls =30p, sms=60p, Gprs= 2paise/kb). This plan is much better & cheaper than any lifetime or adv rental plan.

As far as LMS on tata is concerned i haven't really experimented about it as i use gsm for sms. But i'll check & let u know. lol

Edited March 27, 2007 by anuragz

[raccoon 53]

Thanks Anuragz! Seems Tata is the way to go now ...but RIM has made me wary and I wouldn't invest in a middle or upper end CDMA handset now. And carrying two phones is way cumbersome (besides having to pay double rentals, etc) ...so GSM is the way to go for me. If Tata was on GSM, I would seriously consider it as an option for my new GSM handset..

It would be so much better if we can at least change handets between the CDMA operators. In my opinion, it would widen the market, and people may be more willing to invest in more expensive handsets ...besides the 2nd hand market would also grow. But apparently our esteemed telephone companies dont concur... I belive this inflexibility will be one of the factors which will eventually lead to the demise of CDMA...

Edited March 24, 2007 by raccoon

[KumaarShah 143]

@anuragz,

Pretty comprehensive comparison between TATA and RCL.

Any idea how is TATA's service in Chennai? I am fed up with RCL and want to shift to either Tata or GSM. And yes, I asked somebody who has a TATA connection in Chennai, he has told me that the service is good, though I am a bit sceptical of his opinion.

But as already discussed on this forum in several posts, the quality of services will remain good as long as there are fewer customers, the moment the number of customers go up, the quality of services definitely drop very badly. We have been experiencing all this with almost all operators whether GSM or CDMA. Till TATA reaches this milestone of about 30 million customers, their services will remain good. Once they reach there, everything and anything is possible, either service problems or tariff problems etc. It is not that I am pro-RCL or anti-TATA, but what I have been experiencing over the last decade and more that I have been mobile, is what I have posted here. All are rogues, no one's a saint. We have to analyse all the pros and cons properly before jumping to another service provider's bandwagon.

Before I sign off, please check on what raccoon has enquired about the LMS sending and receiving and post your results here for our benefit. I am also very keen to know this service parameter before making any decision. One more thing, can one take multiple packs of the 3000 SMS in one month or only one pack. What if I need 10,000 SMS per month? I agree with you that TATA has numerous add-on packs which can be added onto any plan on TATA.

Thanks.

[vikalp 0]

Well thanks a lot to all of you contributing ...i just wanna add that as i am a DAPO customer of reliance it has some what made me addicted to rel for free R-R and SMA but still i firmly beleive its not of very good use ... unless you are in love or want to flirt on mobile for long hours......

i beleive its just a waste of precious time.... but yes its fun but lately they have hiked R-R and now its has not left with a very economical plan though you try to use it to its limit just because you are paying so much....

still Dilemma continues as whats bad or whats good ...

But finally in my opinion no plan is perfect at times. as ppl are never satisfied what so ever as its just a human nature.

Now i conclude that keeping DAPO and having a GSM is a good deal as having a S60 or later OS nokia is definately a better choice.

Currently i am having 6265 but not happy with a price...

if invested same on GSM its more satisfying...

more over as in U.S. companies are given cheap handsets but better handsets(wellknown and new ones )with a plan....

this concept still has to start in india.. i hope when vodaphone comes into play in this segment with full throttle market will be much exciting..

Till then better stick to the current plan as may be some good gains might be there in current scenario or plan we are rt now.

[raccoon 53]

But as already discussed on this forum in several posts, the quality of services will remain good as long as there are fewer customers, the moment the number of customers go up, the quality of services definitely drop very badly.

There is truth in that statement, so we need to accept that nothing is constant! If you want good services and tariffs, be prapared to jump on the boat that offers the best deal! The biggest hassle to this is the number change! But since number portability is not likely to happen anytime soon, we have to choose between retaining our number or getting the best deal. Cant have the best of both worlds without number portability! Thats the sad fact.

[anuragz 4]

hey raccoon, who told u that u can't change handsets between cdma operators ? All nokia phones (atleast hi-end phones like 6265, 6275 & 2865) can be easily switched between operators. But i m also afraid in investing on an expensive cdma phone as forever it will remain dependent on service providers & i'll have to stick to it( both handset & service provider). No service provider either tata or Rel officially allows to use handset of other service provider. U can only do it with your 'hit n trial' method. So i still believe that keeping one high end gsm phone for quenching your tech thirst & one inexpensive cdma phone for cheap calls will be a good option. As the way gsm is slashing their rates (& cdma raising rates) very soon there will be no difference between call rate of gsm & cdma. Perhaps gsm will prove to be cheaper overall. That day cdma connections & handsets will become useless.

Even today if u properly search in your city about the gsm plans (ask some students & office guys b'coz good plans are never found on websites) you'll definately find some plan which matches your requirements & are economical too.

khs123,

i m not able to test LMS as my tata handset can only type upto 160 chars. & as far as multiple sms packs are concerned i think u can't have more than one pack in a month. As somewhere hidden on tata Indicom website i found this in terms & conditions section......

Service will be barred if subscriber uses

1. More than 75,000 seconds in 4 weeks
   
2. More than 2000 SMS in 4 weeks
   
3. More than 5 calls, each of duration greater than 180 min. in 4 weeks
   
4. Customer uses the phone as a Public Call Office, hotline, outgoing call center, internet calling.
   
5. Customer uses the phone for SMS spamming.

http://www.tataindicom.com/personal/mobile..._conditions.asp

Now i dont know weather these rules also apply on add on packages (having unlimited calls or sms) offered by the company ?

if yes, then tata too is a useless option.

[raccoon 53]

Anuragz, I am well aware that you can use certain handsets with both Tata and RIM ...but as you yourself mentioned, none of them are allowing this officially. I just dont have the time or incentive to figure out which ones and how right now ...and I certainly dont want to risk money in experimenting! And unless they officially allow it and make the process as simple as just changing a SIM/RUIM, that option is not going to go well with the mass of the mobile subscriber base.

You have said very soon the tariffs of CDMA operators and GSM operators will be more or less at par! Dude, just look at the plans - Reliance tariffs are ALREADY higher then most/all other operators! Nobody need wait for it - that situation already exists! LOL! As the most obvious example Reliance is still charging Rs. 1.79 under its base pre paid tariff! Not a single other operator as far as I know has such a high tariff, currently!

Even today if u properly search in your city about the gsm plans (ask some students & office guys b'coz good plans are never found on websites) you'll definately find some plan which matches your requirements & are economical too.

Is this so??? But tell me, even if I find someone who has a fantastic plan, how on earth do I get the operator to subscribe me under THAT plan? I reckon I'll most likely be told that that plan was a limited period offer or a special plan or something, and I cannot subscribe to it now! So how would it be useful to me???

[Kunal Hemrajani 1]

Also i want to add..

all the nokia phones under tata..have wap enabled..(unlik reliance)

and the best part is u dont have to shell out anything for using the wap..

[@ksh@T 20]

guys read all the arguments but one conclusion that i got out ..what tata is today reliance was almost 3 yrs back that. giving many facilities and damn cheap call rates (DAPO @ that time cheapest ever) and now when RIM is BIG they have increased their charges same is going to happen with TATA. . their service s**ks..... as far as i recall RIM has saved me thousands.... which TATA could not....

[raccoon 53]

Dudes, let me remind you that this is not about what Reliance WAS once upon a time! The problem is that RIGHT NOW it suxxxxx in all ways... And some people here really need to get out of this blind devotion to ANY company... they are all here to make profit 1st (and 2nd and 3rd...! LOL!!!) ...and our aim as customers, is to select the deal which is best for us, right now!

RIM may have saved you money ONCE UPON A TIME in the so called golden past ...but in the present you WILL loose $$$...

Edited March 25, 2007 by raccoon

[anuragz 4]

Is this so??? But tell me, even if I find someone who has a fantastic plan, how on earth do I get the operator to subscribe me under THAT plan? I reckon I'll most likely be told that that plan was a limited period offer or a special plan or something, and I cannot subscribe to it now! So how would it be useful to me???

Dear Raccoon,

well there are chances that u might get same fantastic plan. B'coz gsm providers still bother to add a new customer. Don't go to showrooms rather visit every provider's website & write a mail mentioning that u r intrested in getting a new connection. & when u get a call from them mention your desired 'fantastic plan' & u might get that plan. Atleast I always get the best deals that way.

By the way what kind of plan r u looking for ? & what plan r u currently using on Rel ?

if u r a heavy user of local + std + sms & are ready to pay 600+ bill then i find this gsm plan in your circle quite impressive......

http://www.ideacellular.com/IDEA.portal?_n..._super_549.html

Click above link---> Select your circle---->select 'Super 549' plan from dropdowm menu.

u can better judge a plan according to your requirements.

Edited March 25, 2007 by anuragz

[raccoon 53]

Dear Anuragz,

I really wish I had known this before!!

On Reliance I'm on pre paid and using the Rs. 360 Maharashtra voucher which gives RIM-RIM (local) @ 40 paise, RIM-other mobiles @ 80 paise, local landline @ Rs. 1.2. Not sure about STD. SMS is 1/2/5 for local/national/international. But fixed charges work out to be Rs. 160 on this voucher!

Getting fed up to my neck with RIM, Iv just bought a GSM with the Airtel Friendz pre paid card. Tariff is -

Voice calls-

10 paise /min for Airtel - Airtel (local) in happy hours (3-5pm and 10-8am) ....but Re. 1 if not in happy hours!

Re. 1 / min for Airtel - other mobiles (local)

Rs. 2.49 /min Airtel - landlines.

Rs. 3.49 for STD calls (ridiculous!!!)

SMS:

Airtel - Airtel local @10 paise per SMS

All others @25 paise per SMS (both local and national)

Besides this you can make a group with 4 other Airtel local numbers (but they must also be in this plan only ...and no Bombay numbers! ) and speak with them for 10 paise /min throught the day! Also, you can choose any one phone number to speak with @ Rs. 1.5/min for STD calls, etc.

Seems Airtel is now giving Rs. 211.83 talk time on a Rs. 350 voucher. (however 50 paise is deducted per day for availaing the above 10 paise calling rates, etc ...so deduct Rs. 15 from the above talk time).

As for my requirement - 95% of my calls are to local (including Bombay) mobiles ....and I could be v happy with say 400-500 SMSes per month. I hardly make STD calls ....and if required I can use other phones, so STD not so important for me.

And no, not willing to pay a minimum 600+ bill for my requirements!

If I can get a plan which is reasonably cheaper than the above Airtel plan, I would be willing to change! Dont mind going post paid for that ...but prefer pre-paid.

Im told a corporate plan would be the cheapest ...call rates Im told are 25/30 paise for all local calls, 50 paise for all STD and about 450 SMSes free ....all on a rental of about Rs. 150 ...if i recall correctly. But problem is how do I get a corporate connection?

Any suggestions? Do you think I could get myself a corporate plan by the way you have described?

Edited March 25, 2007 by raccoon

[anuragz 4]

Any suggestions? Do you think I could get myself a corporate plan by the way you have described?

corporate plans depends on many factors. The company where u work have some agreement with mobile firm. so the service provider gives a few add on advantage like...

1. no clip charges
   
2. strong network within office premises
   
3. free itemized bill
   
4. very cheap calls within the group
   
5. few free sms
   
6. no std deposits etc.
   

But nowdays other service providers also provide corporate connection even if they dont have an agreement with the firm. They normally send their representative outside your office with very attractive plans to offer. These people really offer good plans as compared to general plans. Ask in your office if anyone having corporate connection. & if u like that plan then call its cc & ask for that plan for yourself.

But now as u have airtel connection i suggest that u wait for sometime & keep an eye on new plans offered in your city. You'll surely get some great plan which will compensate foe the pain u suffered with Rel lol

[raccoon 53]

You said it ...RIM has become one long saga of pain!

I cant get a corporate conn thru company that way... Btw, arent corporate connections given in bulk? Or are they now even given individually? Many of my friends/neighbours/etc now have corporate connections ...and I feel like an idiot paying Re. 1 per call when they are paying only 25-30 paise! And most of my contacts are on Idea (Idea has better coverage here) ... so Airtel's 10paise happy hrs talking is of limited use...

Thanks so much for the info...

Edited March 26, 2007 by raccoon

[anuragz 4]

Many of my friends/neighbours/etc now have corporate connections ...and I feel like an idiot paying Re. 1 per call when they are paying only 25-30 paise! And most of my contacts are on Idea (Idea has better coverage here) ... so Airtel's 10paise happy hrs talking is of limited use...

hey Racoon, isn't it possible that any of your friend using a corporate connection buys another & give it u ?

well I know its a bit insecure thing but atleast i'v bought few for some of my very reliable & trustworthy friends. ( u can get it transferred to your name after a few months & if it does'nt; even then it hardly matters if u keep on using a connection on your friend's name for an year or two. lol )

[copperco2 24]

Many of my friends/neighbours/etc now have corporate connections ...and I feel like an idiot paying Re. 1 per call when they are paying only 25-30 paise! And most of my contacts are on Idea (Idea has better coverage here) ... so Airtel's 10paise happy hrs talking is of limited use...

hey Racoon, isn't it possible that any of your friend using a corporate connection buys another & give it u ?

well I know its a bit insecure thing but atleast i'v bought few for some of my very reliable & trustworthy friends. ( u can get it transferred to your name after a few months & if it does'nt; even then it hardly matters if u keep on using a connection on your friend's name for an year or two. lol )

ditto.

[raccoon 53]

Yes I'v alrady thought of that ...and trying to acquire a connection that way ...but its a bit dicy ...esp. if it cannot be in my name. Also the address needs to be mine ...no sense in the bill going to a friends house, LOL! So Id prefer to acquire it myself without anyones help ...but if thats not possible, Id be very much inclined to acquire it this way, as the difference in tariffs is so substantial! Hell ....I could kill for one!

Btw, what is the tariff of your corporate connection like?

Edited March 26, 2007 by raccoon

[anuragz 4]

Btw, what is the tariff of your corporate connection like?

i 'v mentioned my gsm tariff above in post #5

http://www.rimweb.in/forums/index.php?s=&a...ost&p=82890

well the call rates are not very cheap in my city but my plan proves to be quite economical as compared to other gsm plans.

[raccoon 53]

Oh ok, sorry...

Yes, its not that cool ...esp. when around 50p/min (local) tariff is not available with most operators ...and when corporate subscribers are paying 30p/min! Dont know about tariffs in your circle though...

[KumaarShah 143]

In Chennai, most of the operators are offering on prepaid the following rates: -

C2C Re 0.50 pm

C2L Rs 1.20 pm

C2STD Rs 2.00 pm (any network STD)

Local SMS free upto 100 per day and then onwards Re 0.20 per local SMS,

STD SMS Re 1.00 per SMS (any local SMS to any FWPs is considered as STD SMS and charged at Re 1.00)

Roaming tariffs as per TRAI (1.75 for i/c, 1.40/2.40 for local/STD o/g)

The best part is that you get full talktime with 6 months validity on a Rs 998 recharge.

RCL on the other hand offers the above tariffs on using the STV of Rs 49 (earlier it was Rs 33) with only one month validity and no special rates for R2R. If you want both the worlds, then use STV 99 in which R2RIM only is at Re 0.15 pm and rest all as above. The national SMS is at Rs 2 with RCL, whereas RCL offers unlimited local SMS to any network/number for Rs 30 per month. However six months validity combined with full talktime is not available with RCL, hence it is not popular with college and student folks. Add to that the SMS limitations of 160 characters (I mean LMS sending and receiving), lousy handsets (even if one is willing to pay much more), marriage or is it bonded labour to RCL, and lack of basic call mgt features like CW, CC, VM etc renders RCL unattractive where it matters most.

Anyway it is RCL's baby, let them make it run or falter every step. It will learn to run maybe after twenty or thirty years and not before that at any cost. I presume RCL is waiting for Vodafone to launch officially and then the fireworks will start, till then, RCL wants to sleep peacefully, and let whatever happen in the interim - let old customers ditch RCL, let existing rave and rant at RCL's policies, nothing will disturb their peaceful sleep. @ raccoon, anuragz et al, I suggest we allow RCL to sleep peacefully and let us leave RCL immediately, maybe after Voda wakes them and if RC has learnt to run properly, we may think of coming back, what say?

Thanks.

Edited March 28, 2007 by khs123

[raccoon 53]

Well said khs123 ...but as far as I'm concerned, at midnight today, my trusty RIM LG RD2030 died a peaceful death (nothing wrong with the phone ...just that that the validity of my voucher ran out). Now I have no intention of recharging. RIM's shenanigans aside, over the years, my old workhorse (handset) has served me well ...and I'v used it for around 3.5 years ....without letting it get a single scratch and havent dropped it even once. I'm kinda sad that this baby might never be a working phone again.

I bought a new GSM with an Airtel Connection last week, so now my stint with RIM ceases ...and I'm not sure if I belong here anymore, as I am no longer associated with RIM...

As for my experience with Airtel in the last week or so, I have no regrets at all about leaving RIM. Now I have all the things that as a RIM user I only used to dream about, namely-

1) Call waiting and all the other value added services. (Lack of this has been the chief factor of forcing me to leave RIM).

2) Can send and recieve much longer SMSes ........YAY!!! (the 2nd most imp. factor for me!)

3) Better tariffs and cheaper SMSes, in general. (other tariff details aside, Airtel now gives Rs. 211 talk time on 350 voucher ...and I can call local Airtel mobiles at only 10p in the aft/night)

4) Can choose much better handsets

5) Balance on screen automatically after every call/SMS ...and on demand ...and it ACTUALLY works every single time, unlike RIM!

6) Can get thru to customer service even at peak hours ...unlike RIM.

7) Everthing is a lot more flexible - can change handset at will or in emergency, etc, etc.

8) SMSes delivery is far more reliable than RIM ...and strangely, SMS sending is much faster than RIM ...in fact so fast, that one cannot get time to cancel the sending once the "Send" button is pressed! And have not experienecd a single "send failure" or "network failure" messges that were so common with RIM! Way coooool!!!

9) Can send/recieve MMS to all operators

10) Longer battery life ...GSM handsets generally have better batt life anyway.

11) Correct status messages when the phone is off/busy/out of coverage/etc.

The only disadvantage over RIM I find is that Airtel's signal strength isn't as strong as RIM's inside buildings, etc. But this is something you can live with considering all the other advantages...

As for Reliance's previously touted better voice clarity, I frakly cant really make out any difference. Perhaps it (Reliance) may shine in adverse conditions like inside dense buildings/basements, while travelling fast in car/train, in rains (humidity), etc. But I guess thats something I will be able to comment about only with time...

This said, lemme point out here that Airtel is openly advertising a 64 K SIM on its website for the Friendz plan ...and has given me a measly 16 K SIM. Also you cannot call Bombay Airtel nos at 10/paise, nor form your group with them insipite of Airtel stating clearly on its site that Bombay numbers are considered local, etc... A good reminder to the fact that no operator is really so trustworthy ...always keep your eyes wide open, ask other customers and always READ THE FINE PRINT!

If I can encourage even few other people to ditch the sleeping RIM and seek much better options with other operators, the purpose of this post will be served Ditching RIM is the only concrete contribution you can make to the situation...

Edited March 28, 2007 by raccoon