Tata Docomo has grown up to become one of the top cellular service providers in our hugely populated country, but they certainly gave up too much to reach this huge customer base. I picked up a GSM connection as soon as the service was released in India and have used it since then. The sole reason of picking up was the expertise of DoCoMo (japan) in providing class leading voice and data services.
Initially, the service was great. Voice calling has never been much of an issue with Tata Docomo and is still quite fine at its price of 1p/sec for any complaints to be made against it. Coming to Data Connectivity, it was also a smooth experience due to the small number of customers that Docomo had. Years passed, new customers came, demand increased, smartphones started staying connected 24×7, but Docomo seems to have forgotten the need to upgrade the network infrastructure. Data Connectivity was still working admittedly fine, but since the advent of the 250 unlimited 3G pack which provided too much at the cheap price, the service kept on worsening and is now at a stage that you should be the luckiest person in the world if your data connection gets established in the 1st try (sarcasm) π
Contents
You’re Lucky… If you are connected
As of today, the network stays so busy that it takes over 10+ attempts to make a Data Connection (20+ at peak hours) and yet itβs no surety that it will work. Sometimes it works and at other times it merely sends data, but is unable to receive anything more than a few bytes. And in case you are lucky enough to connect properly, don’t be too happy because the data call/connection is suspended every 40 minutes. So you need to wait and watch for it to somehow connect again. The more you try, the more frustration builds inside you.
Customer Care has no answers
In such a situation, surely the voices are raised and then the Customer Service has no better answers than to put it back to your phone or dongles (whichever you use). They are not ready to admit the inability of network to serve the huge customer base and the blame will be pushed on to your phone. Okay agreed. Maybe just our phones don’t like Docomo, because the moment you put in a sim of Airtel or Vodafone, everything gets fine immediately π
Tata Photon also on the Same Track
For the time Indicom was related to the Photon service, it used to be better. In fact, I picked up a Photon after dumping two Reliance Netconnect Broadband+ connections. Reliance service had poor network reception (don’t know if it was my area or faulty dongles). Ever since the CDMA service was shifted under the Docomo brand, it’s on the same track as its GSM cousin. It connects fine, but at times won’t transmit any data. So itβs not that the pages load slower, but they don’t load at all. Another issue is that Photon Prepay (haven’t tried with Postpay) cannot upload files above 200 Kb on most of the sites, except Google and Facebook. Again the customer service has the same answers to reinstall the drivers, or to reconnect. Nothing helps though.
Don’t just Choose Tata Docomo
If you are looking to buy a new connection for internet purposes, please do look at the alternatives and try not to fall the Docomo’s trap. In case those catchy TV adverts are tempting you to buy Tata Docomo, think again because neither their network is well-built (poor connectivity even in a level 1 basement and rural areas) nor is it reliable (dropped calls are there too).
If you are a present Tata Docomo customer, I’m sure you too have experienced something similar. Please do let me know your views in the section below and if you are using a different operator, tell me about your experience with it. For now, I’m feeling that a BSNL connection would provide better dependence than this π
Frustrated with docomo,it has good offers but to connect to the Internet it takes at least 30 minutes after trying again and again..orelse its one of the best!
I m using docomo .its better than any other bcz it have more offers
Yep. Docomo has improved a lot and this article is hardly relevant anymore.
Being an x-Tata Docomo customer , i can assure that the connectivity is really pathetic and that basically is the reason for me to drop Docomo, at present i use idea and believe me it’s way better than Docomo! Happy that i ported to other network, Nice write up though , cheers π
Gonna shift to Idea or Airtel. Totally frustrated.
BTW, any suggestion of a Photon alternative?
It was a terrible mistake purchasing Tata Photon (my no. is 9243001982) as I wanted to use in my post graduate class showing students
Professor Kenneth Train;s lectures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7yC-5IDhKM. But I could not get the connection at all to show these.
The local dealer who sold me the Tata Photon phone number 8904424695 and the salesman who sold at my home Mr Uday phone number 8792156298, are both irresponsible. Their phone is always switched off and have no courtesy to call back for my questions asked. I am a Professor and head of the Dept and also member of the Academic Council. If this is the treatment Tata photon Docomo gives to its bonafide customer, what about the fate of ordinary customers?
I suggest you cancel the license given to this local vendor. I also suggest if you cannot render service properly, you better state it before purchasing so that I can make a decision whether to go for your company or Airtell or other reputed firms. I am sorry, I am totally annoyed and dissatisfied with your service and your device. It takes so much time to connect and even after connection, I cannot access the Youtube to teach a class. I purchased Tata Photon after calling the vendor who assured, I can get fast internet. But I am disappointed. Any way I will consider this purchae at best as a donation to your company.
MG Chandrakanth
Professor and Head
Dept of Agricultural Economics
Member of Academic Council
University of Agricultural Sciences
GKVK, Bangalore 65
9449486018