Loopholes in PTCL's Selling Strategy for New Connections

There was a time, when you had to search for internal contacts in PTCL for getting a landline connection. There was a term called “Demand Note”, which was necessary to be paid at the time of application and then you were given with a landline facility in weeks, months or even years, depending on authority of your contact.

If you remember, Fifty Fifty (a comedy show on PTV) made various parodies on PTCL, showing how lengthy and difficult was the process of getting a landline phone.

Couple of years back, PTCL changed its style by revamping its strategies; and came forward with a tagline of “Feel the Difference”. Company reformatted its policies for S&D (Sales & Distribution), Advertisement, Customer Services, Human Resources and many more.

If we talk about today, we see PTCL’s adverts on TV, newspaper saying “To get your new phone connection, dial 0800xxxxx and get new phone connection at your door step”, That is much appreciated selling technique that they have molded from the previous “Demand NOTE” culture to this new sort of connection acquiring.

BUT…

PTCL has failed to deliver what it claims. No doubt that it has attracted the customer, but who is going to live with promises and no actions? We come across so many stories on daily basis, people asking us about their pending landline connection application for months.

Loopholes in PTCL’s Selling Strategy for New LandLine Connection

Contact Relevant Exchange adviseConfession of communication GAP

Some one is going to sell you connection on phone by acquiring your details but in the last minute of  conversation, representative will advise you to keep connected with your “RELEVENT AREA Telephone EXCHANGE” to get your connection as early as possible. This is a joke with customer infect this is confession regarding “Lack of communication” among departments and many other customer service faults.

Deadlines are Missed

The time given for a new telephone connection is 2 weeks, this is for almost the same for every service that you want to acquire, like PTCL LAND LINE PHONE, DSL and Smart TV.

The time they give to customer is not at all a promise from the company. This 2 week’s deadline can and cannot be met with equal probability, where as in competitive industry people are habitual to prepaid SIMS on time DSL connections.

Contact Center has no update on new telephone connection status – (Lack of centralized Information Management)

The contact center has no update regarding the current status of new phone connection application. They can just inform you that “Sir, it is actually due to some technical fault we are still not providing you telephone connection” soon, we will install you new phone connection and this “soon” come not so easily.

Though they might offer you some other product sale offers, like EVO and Vfone etc. You know this “LOLz” because what would be customer’s reaction? Not getting the current deal and being offered for another one – that’s wow.

Conclusion:

All in all, the service being offered by PTCL is commendable, but deliveries of these services are irrationally designed and ill managed. PTCL management should think about the image they are creating in the mind of new customers and must not forget, these were those customers who were reluctant to get PTCL connection because of DEMAND NOTE dilemmas.

With “Feel the difference” tag line, lame excuses like “DP has no pair available in your area to provide you connection” are unbearable statements that you would have listen from PTCL Customer service representatives.

PTCL has to feel and realize the difference and dynamics of current market and should change its vision according to current standard of service delivery and service recovery.


  • I remember i applied on behalf of a friend for New line, but after 5 months no progress, every time i contact Ptcl helpline they came up with new excuses, the relevant lineman asked my friend to give him 1000 rupees and he will get connection in 4 hours. Then i decided to contact PTA, after one month he finally got his connection installed.

  • 1 Big problem is this…that lineman…request for money for connection…! Bribery…! is there any kind of software anti bribery…then please give me…! ;-)

  • true…and PTA is with them…
    Hathoo mai haath sathoo mai saath…
    PTCL asks the customers to contact the relevent exchange, and God know how to…
    They S-_-.
    Iss qabil bhe naheen PTCL k un k mutabiq kuch bhe kaha jayay…

  • ptcl sab bakwas hai….relevent exchange main log hi wo bethai hain jenhain computer on kerna hio nhain aata hai

  • hahaha u know what i called ptc for a new dsl connection. next day sales man from LDN called me and he had all my data. and within 2 days they installed da connection.
    The guys at PTCl are selling da info dey gather from calling and stuff..

    • Link dot people are great ….
      same was the case with me, i applied for LDN connection and in 3 days it was working…
      WOW services.

  • i apply for a 2 MB connection with new connection.but in return they install new connect with 1 MB package after a 100 calls.

    then i request that kindly convert my DSL connection into 2 MB.i request at 10 november 2009 and still no progress on it.
    when i call to 1236 then they say that u r using 2 MB package ,bt we are still using 1MB…..So funny

  • I applied for PTCL connection, relavent exchange was Chaklala Exchange. I was advised to contact them. The Management Trainee there never took a call whenever I called and I was told that ONLY he was the concerned person. Finally someone felt my pain and gave me his cell phone. I talked to him and started yelling on him, he was calm like anything. He told me that it will take 1 month saying “080080800 walay to bakwas kartay hai gee”.

    When I didn’t get it after one month I started calling DE but to my surprise his number was busy 24hrs, I went to his office & saw that he intentionally kept his 3 phones busy, I took a picture of it showing that pot belly DE phones as well with big mustaches & authoritative style.

    Finally I called Senior Engineer & I brought my anger out, told him about the picture I took and attitude of both DE and Management Trainee.

    After 1 hour (yes exactly 1 hour) a guy to install telephone line and DSL was calling me standing in the corner of my street on his motorbike.

    Moral: Call the right person, NEVER pay bribe to lineman, if you will pay others will suffer as they will expect this from other customers as well.

    • u did well and intelligently!! but prblm is that what abt those majority who dont know what to do next coz of lack of consciousness …and they give briberies… and this is again failure of PTCL because , Engineer had to intervene for your connection,, then question arise , What is need of exchange staff and sales staff if they can provide u single connection in 100% developed area of Rawalpindi…..

  • Feel the difference ,funny ,isn’t it ?
    I had ordered for a landline connection at least 6 month back .I was surprised as couple of days later a line man came to visit me and said that ” Sir I am hare to install your phone but we are running short of cable.we will install your connection today if you can grants us 4000 R.s ,so we can buy cable.” I turned down his offer and replied that I will wait till yours company provide you cable . ……. And he never came back for installation .I tried to contact with numbers of PTCL Officials but all in vain .I was surprised after a month as I received a bill against my number .Helpline told me that my connection was installed on the same day on which line man has visited me though I am still in search that in which part of my it is installed :) .Feeling the difference :)

  • this article is need of the day, i have applied for smart tc on 3rd october and whenever i complaint to 0800-80800 they say we manually noted ur complaint, and please be in contact wid exchange, i went to exchange he said people have applied from 3 months and they are waiting. he gives me his contact no and amazingly it was busy 24 hours, and if any1 recieves call he say im guest not ptcl representative, lol

    after too many struggles and approaches i get my smart tv on 3rd dec and wid old smart tv device which was returned by their unsatisfied client

    Any1 forward this to ptcl officials.

    • contact PTA dude…though they are with PTCL and they do nothing but still there is some chance if a “halal kamanay wala” gets ur complaint….
      go to the pts web site and try it…
      some times , it works.

      • i have send emails to pta, ptcl head office of khi and lahore, but no response,

        if anyone knows any email address where i should send mail and will get response do let me know

        thanks

  • “lolz”
    where som people r angry @ ptcl just bcoz of their ill management, im happy enough with their ill management. i applied for 1 mb connection and payin for 1 mb but am getting 4 mb :P. thats why in my life from last many months, PTCL RoxXx! :D

  • April 2008, i applied for a phone line in Islamabad after dialing their 0800 number. I think i was allocated a number the very next day.
    BUT, they did not have enough copper pairs in their distribution point to be able to provide me with a line!
    Back and forth to the relevant exchange, met all sorts of OFFICERS sitting in their big rooms with a support person sitting in one corner to type emails for them and operate a computer for them (what era are these guys living in?) … but no avail!

    I had a contact in the communications wing of PAF…the officer sent one of his workers to the exchange, with my details. The same day a line was installed at my place!
    This was 4 months after i had applied for the connection!
    But then my landlord complained that their land line had gone dead!
    Turned out, upon ‘pressure’ from my contact, they just disconnected my landlord and instead activated my phone, because to begin with they did not have any spare capacity to install my line!
    I asked my land lord to get his connection restored since I had had enough of PTCL!

    Its been almost 1.75 years now, I am still receiving the bills from PTCL (they started generating the bills the day i placed my order for a new line!) :)

    I called up their helpline 1236 to ask them to stop sending me bills and terminate my account with them. I was asked to contact the Local Exchange and submit an application!

    HaHa i said…keep sending me bills and keep wasting your paper…I am not paying you a single paisa!

    The End :)

    • get LDN yaar….
      I waited for PTCL 2 weeks but after that i chked LDN and in 3 days…it was done…..

  • i bought a ptcl evdo on its soft launch they charged me 6000 for device and 2000 per month charges for usb device!
    after that i used it for one month only! then i didnt recharge it! and after 3 months when i again wanted to recharge and use the device! they said you have to pay around 4899 Rs.
    i asked for what! they said 2000 for month for the previous month in which i even didnt used the service! and 2000 for the next month in which you will use the service and 899 is surcharge! for not deactivating your usb device!

    but i ask k yaar its damn prepaid not post paid! why would i have to pay these rubbish extra charges?

  • somebody please stop those haramkhor lineman from delaying the process and demanding Rs 1000 nazrana

    those haramkhors are kalank ka tika on ptcl’s matha.

  • Being a ptcl employee a want to tell you that the main problem of PTCL is the old minded line mans. Their attitude is the same as the past when PTCL was in monoply. As we all know that PTCL line can only be installed on a copper pair from exchange to customer premises through PTCL cabinet and Distribution box. So no matter you have applied on help line or directly to exchange your connection can be installed only after line man gives report on written that copper paire is available at the requested point. And for this report line man black mails the cutomer and some times even ptcl employees too who wish to oblige there friends by helping them to get new phone connection. I have seen PTCL employees paying to line man for their friends connection. How disappointing ………………

  • Sorry to say, but this column is whole truth and nothing but actual facts. I am a PTCL Employee and I my self faced months delay for New PTCL Official connection at my home and office, until I approached through some GM and and further 2-weeks follow-up. Same happened to my FSTC PTCL DSL Connection and Smart TV connectivity. Moreover when I had a problem with my Smart TV, I received response on my complaint after 3-weeks as no one trained DSL officer who can also look for Smart TV problems was available in my exchange area. Then I traced senior officials to send some one from other bigger exchange area to look into my problem. But problem not solved and I requested to disconnect. More interestingly my request of disconnection recorded in PTCL Call Center in Mid-Sep, 2009 but I managed to get it disconnected in Nov-2009. I 100% agree that PTCL Management must see this customer care and MIS related issues to improve customer satisfaction.

  • yeh this is true but much better then past …they are approving their system same thing happens when you order a broadband connection of 2 MB shared bandwidth, unfortunately you can’t get even one third of it …


  • Get Alerts

    Follow ProPakistani to get latest news and updates.


    ProPakistani Community

    Join the groups below to get latest news and updates.



    >