Idea Data Card

When it comes to ‘innovative’ ideas, be they good, bad or ugly, there is no one to beat IDEA CELLULAR or Idea Data Card.

In an advertisement on TV channels a few months ago, the famous Bollywood star, Ajitabh Bachchan, who has his own mobile phone in his pocket, asks another elderly man standing beside him for the latter’s mobile phone. The elderly person politely gives his own phone to Ajitabh Bachchan, who, gives it back saying that if the mobile phone is for mere making calls, he does not want it. The senior then is magnanimous to offer it again saying that he won’t ask for the charges and that he (Ajitabh) can use it. Then, Ajitabh takes out his own mobile phone to show what extra features he has in it. Insulting an elderly person this way is the height of cruelty and malignant and rude behaviour. The same role is donned by the Tollywood actor, Mahesh Babu in Telugu. Somehow, their fathers were saved the ignominy of donning the role of the elderly person. What a way to attract new customers for this product of IDEA!

And the moment a customer gets this product, he would be taken for a ride without his knowing. My son had bought me a USB Data card of IDEA when we surrendered BSNL landline with broadband at Machilipatnam. He gave it to me for my use. Even when there is balance in it, it prompts you to recharge. I innocently recharged online and surprise of surprises, the previous balance is totally gone and whatever recharge you made only remained. In a Savings Bank Account, if you have a balance of Rs.1000 and deposit another Rs.500, the balance then becomes Rs.1500. But, in IDEA data card, it becomes mere Rs.500. Can anyone explain the logic behind this? How TRAI has approved such unethical practices by the operators is not clear. Again, when I was out of station, the balance in it expired and I telephoned to one acquaintance in my place to go and deposit Rs.200 so that I can resume my internet activity through the data card. He did not do it for a day. I thought he was not inclined to do that and therefore, entrusted the task to some other person, who promptly went to the IDEA outlet and got my data card recharged with Rs.200. The earlier acquaintance, who did not act for over a day, also went to the outlet and got my data card recharged with a similar amount. By both of them recharging the account, only one amount remained and the other had just vanished. But, I had to pay both of them Rs.200 each on my return to town.

One need not shell out some money from one’s pocket, but one is not expected to loot another’s.

Another interesting feature is that you can recharge this on your own, on line, but when there is a balance, you lose the earlier balance on recharge and when there is no balance in it, it does not work at all and you cannot recharge it online.

Who else can get such unique ideas than IDEA?

Finally, I chose to bid adieu to IDEA.