GPRS Activation on Airtel Mobile

I called Airtel Customer Service, 121, and asked the agent how can I get to surf the net on my mobile phone, and how to connect my laptop to my phone. He said that he could activate GPRS right away and that the best plan for me would be Rs 98 per month for 2Gb download and 0.30 paise for every additional 50Kb download, and that the service would be available on my phone within four hours. The monthly charge will be pro rated on per day basis, and the deactivation would be possible by calling the 121. For any help in connection with the laptop using cable or bluetooth, I could call 12118. The agent informed that I would be receiving SMS messages with the settings for my phone.
I asked him to activate the service. Soon after, I was able to surf the net. This was great !
Although I was able to start surfing the net from my mobile without waiting for these messages, still, the messages should have come say at the most within four hours. I got the messages late in the night at 3.35AM, and I saw them the next morning.
Had I waited for the messages, then, the service would have been usable only after at least (6:30 PM to 3:30AM) 9 hours ! That is too long a time.
In as much as I am delighted by almost instantaneous availability of the service, I am a bit unsure about whether the procedure at Airtel is actually good to make the service available so soon, or my phone per chance had settings enabling me to commence surfing right away. I guess it is the latter case.
I would like to hear your experiences with similar services.

Cappucino at Marriott Courtyard

I was with my friend at the Executive Lounge on level 15 at Marriott Courtyard. It was about 11AM on Wednesday 7th July 10. He ordered two cappuccinos to the lady in attendance. She went in, and then cam out and asked, as if unsure about what she had heard before, "Sir, did you order two cappuccinos ?". My friend answered in affirmative. About fifteen minutes later, a boy came with two cups of coffee, one had white froth on it, and the other had a dark brown thin froth on it. The boy placed the cups in front of us, the dark brown thin froth cup in front of me and the other in front of my friend. I commented to my friend, how come it was that the color of the two coffees was so different. He quipped, "they just love you more". I removed the thin froth in my cup only to find that the coffee was BLACK COFFEE, not the cappuccino my friend had ordered. I was so so so surprised and amused. One simple order, in a hopelessly up market hotel, could not be executed correctly, let alone with perfection.

24 hr Customer Care

When we read Customer Care, we expect a live person to be available to service our call. There may be an IVR, but eventually, there will be an option to talk to an agent. Otherwise, it should be known as Phone Banking, or Self Service, not Customer Care.

ICICI Bank advertises its 24 hr Customer Care Numbers. I called 98 1817 8000 (Delhi).

Welcome to ICICI Bank Phone Banking !
1 - English
3 - Information on Products
1-  Banking Accounts  
1 - Savings Accounts
Please wait while we transfer your call.
This call may be recorded for ...
Music
Thank you for calling ...
Advice re the opening times - M-Sat 9-8, Sun 9-6

That is not 24hr Customer Care !!!

International Calling Rates on Airtel

I called Airtel 121 from my Airtel mobile in New Delhi and enquired from the agent about the international call rates for Australia. In the first instance, instead of providing me the information, she adviced me to get the rates by sending an SMS (toll free). I retorted back saying that since she was on the phone, she should provide me the rates first. She said alright, kept me on hold for over two minutes, and then told me that the IDD calling rate to Australia was Rs 6.40 per minute.
I then asked her to give me the information she wanted to give me in the first instance. She said that I could get the IDD calling rates by sending an SMS 'RATES' to 121. I thanked her for the information, and she said 'एयरटैल में कॉल करने के लिये धन्यवाद ' ('airtel maen call karne kae liyae dhanyawaad' ie Thank You for calling Airtel).
I then sent the SMS 'RATES AUSTRALIA' to 121. Within a minute I got an interactive SMS asking me which operator I wanted, Optus, Telstra, or Vodafone. Absurd, I thought; when I call IDD from India to Australia, I do not have any control on the carrier that will service my call. For curiosity sake, I replied with the option number for Telstra.
I then got an SMS advising me the rates. Great ! except that ... the rates being advised were the International Roaming Rates, ie rates applicable if I took my New Delhi Airtel mobile to Australia, and used it there to make calls in Australia, by latching on to the Telstra network. Whereas, I had asked for IDD calling rates from New Delhi to Australia. 
Clearly, the SMS did not provide me the information I had asked for.
Had I not insisted to the call centre agent to give me the IDD rates on phone, I would have had to call the call centre again. Having to call again really puts me off. I congratulated myself for being insistent and avoiding the frustration of havingto call again. However, I was a bit sad - great technology, great service idea, but wrong data.
If anyone from Airtel is reading this, please do correct the anomaly. When your customer asks for IDD calling rates, do not advice that he can get them by sending SMS 'RATES' to 121.