Broadband Internet Access

The trials of obtaining a broadband USB card for Internet access:

When we arrived in India, Paul Quigly, a fellow Australian had a card that he did not want anymore so we purchased it from him. It was based on time so it was not long before I had run out of time so I visited the shop to pay for more.

Enter the Indian Salesperson of the Year.

“This is not what you want”
“I have something better for you”
“You purchased the wrong thing for your needs”

This prompted me to ask him what my needs were. Not to be put off the slick sales pitch he continued:

“If you buy X minutes I will give you 120 extra minutes”
“If you buy 2X minutes I will give you 200 extra minutes”

I enquired innocently about the download limitations. This seemed to quieten him a bit and he started to reach for brochures and then crossing out all the figures on them and handwriting the deals he had just spoken to me about. The actual brochure was for unlimited downloads and time for a very reasonable price per month.

I asked could I have that deal for only five months as I would be leaving the country and did it mean that I could stay connected all day and night and download as much as I wanted. At this stage his English faltered and I could not get an answer I could trust. The extra complication was that I could not upgrade what I had to this new deal but had to get a new SIM card which requires verification of who you are and a permanent address in India.

We had this same problem when we purchased our phone a few weeks ago when one of the teachers had to come with us and purchase it in her name. We said thank you and said we would return with someone who could speak Tamil and had appropriate identity.

Next day we set off again with Becky (Our resident identity provider) to the store. All the facts were confirmed regarding cost, download limit, time limit and length of contract. Becky signs, we pay, great, now off home to get connected.

WRONG!!! We are informed that it will take 48 hours and they only record half the number on the SIM card then will personally visit our house to get the other half of the number, why I do not know. Wait patiently while daily visiting Internet Cafe, testing the USB daily. 48 hours comes and goes with nothing happening. The next day we go on our normal morning walk and when we return the doorbell rings. It is Becky, she has just been visited by the salesperson who wanted to obtain the second half of the number on the SIM card (that he gave us two days). He is going to ring back and if we can give him the second half of the number on the SIM card that he gave us (and already recorded on the contract) he will then activate the card.

We are still waiting for the return call. It is now 4 days since we departed with our money for the service.

Another day has passed and we have just been informed that the card is activated. Here we are back on line from our house and no daily trips to the Internet Cafe. Hallelujah!!!!!

If anyone has a plausible explanation for this I would love to hear it.