Service Providers in Hyderabad

When moving to a new city, one of the first few things that needs to be done is to find all the necessary companies to give you your internet, water, gas, mobile, etc.

Finding the right one will make the stay here much easier while the wrong one can really drive you up the wall.

These are the service providers I used and what I think of them.

Reliance Internet
AVOID! There is no way I will recommend them to anyone. While there is not much issue with their internet connection or speed, it is their billing system and customer service that will have you hopping mad.

Firstly, the breakdown of their bill is difficult to understand and the monthly amount is sometimes different (always more and not less) even though it is the same plan that I have been subscribed to for months. Call up their hotline and their standard reply is "Our billing department will call you back in 48 hours". After three days, I am always the one calling them again, pleading for their billing department to call me back. As I do not want to default on the bill payment date and risk having the connection terminated, the only way is to chase them instead. Once, I called them like four to five times within two weeks and I never heard from the billing department.

Next, Customer Service. For the billing issue that took more than two weeks to resolve, I had asked to speak with their supervisor hoping for a speedier resolution but it only ended up with us raising our voices at each other. Yes, their supervisor raised his voice at me. I sent in a email feedback after that and never heard back from them.

Another time, someone else had called to do a survey. When I told her to speak slower because I had difficulty understanding, she hung up on me. That is their customer service.

Airtel Mobile
I use a prepaid card from them and never had any problems. Topping up the credit is a breeze as they have many mum-and-pop shops where it can be done instantly. Sometimes, they have promotions too where you top up RS350 and get RS50 free.

One SMS costs RS1 and the charges for calls are even cheaper. So, one top up can last me a pretty long time.

No complaints on this one!

Tata Sky Cable
Many thanks to the cable subscription here, I have been watching more television here in a year than maybe in the last 10 years combined! Channels I subscribed to ranges from news (CNN, BBC, etc) to entertainment (TLC, FOX, AXN, Star World, HBO, etc) and it has kept me well entertained throughout the year. I had caught many movies which I had missed out on before like "Julie and Julia" and also finally knew what "Gossip Girl" was all about. They were even showing the latest season of "Bones" before Singapore started screening it. All for no more than RS400 (around SGD12) a month! Now, I understand why they say cable is expensive in Singapore.

Anyway, it's easy to make payment online and their customer service hotline is usually able to handle most of my queries on the spot without having to call me back. That is what I call resolution.

Drinking Water
Water from the tap is not of drinking standard here, so you can either buy one of those Reverse Osmosis system or order drinking water which comes in 25L jerry cans that costs RS75.

I chose to order Kinley water (under the Coca-Cola brand) from their authorised distributor - Srikaa Aqua. So far, they have been reliable and will deliver the water within 24 hours except for this one time during summer when they were running low in supply. Only downside is they can't tell you what time (which is quite typical of delivery standards here), so you either are at home, leave instructions with your building watchman or miss the delivery.

Standard Chartered Bank

Had expected more from them since they are an international brand but it took almost a month for us to get our account opened. After we had changed our address, they were still sending mail to the old address and it took awhile again before they got it right.

The only bank branch was not impressive and gave the impression of being messy. Also, think they need to train their front line staff to be more professional when dealing with customers. If I were to do it a second time, I would instead try HSBC that is just down the road.

Security in the City

The bombings in Mumbai yesterday brought back memories of the last attack in 2008 when there were hostages held in two major hotels. I was glued to the television then, watching the event unfold.

Security alerts have since been also issued for major Indian cities including Hyderabad. In my head, I am thinking, what more measures can they put in place?

Currently, everyone is screened before entering major buildings. Everyone walks through a metal detector after which guys are frisked while females have their bags searched and are also frisked in a partitioned area. However, the metal detector is quite a joke because the security staff is not going to make you remove items and walk through the detector again until it stops beeping. Though it still acts as a deterrence for anyone with funny ideas but I question its effectiveness for anyone who is serious about becoming a threat. 

Screening of cars are more effective as they usually stop the car before it gets too close to the building. The boot of every car is then inspected and mirrors are used to screen the bottom of the chassis. It is accepted that there is always a queue entering the carpark because of these checks.

Initially, I was surprised at how seriously security is viewed in this country. I mean, can you imagine if Singapore decides to screen everyone before letting them into the shopping malls? I think most shoppers will be left queuing on the street on Orchard Road just to enter!

It is easier to spot something unusual like an unattended object if the environment is orderly but when a place is chaotic or messy (there is a difference between crowded and chaotic), how do you identify what is out of place or unusual?

It is indeed no fun to be the one in the dark when evil plans are being hatched against you. There is only so much preemptive measures that can be implemented but I think the key difference lies in the security personnel who needs to take their role seriously as being the last line of defence. We, who are not in the dark can only try.

So, next time before we complain about how these security measures inconveniences us, just think about what it could possibly prevent.

Letter to Mr Chetan - Author of 2 States

Dear Mr Chetan,

I have just finished reading your book 2 States and would like you to know that I had enjoyed the book very much.

Being a Singaporean Chinese who moved into Hyderabad about a year ago, both me and my spouse had experienced first hand the cultural difference. 

Thanks to your book, it showed me that even among Indians, cultural differences exists and that a North Indian will also go through the same cultural shock when coming into the southern part of India.

You had captured some of the key anecdotes about living in South India so well that at times of reading the book, you had me laughing out loud. 

Some foreigners might think that you are exaggerating when you write about Ananya's brother starting his day at 5am with tuition but I know it's true because it is happening to my neighbour's kid. In Singapore, most children are all too familiar with having tuition on top of attending school but to have tuition at such ungodly hours is unthinkable.

Some incidences which I had only heard of but yet to experience, I am living it through your writing. 

Not too sure how close this story is based on your life's story but the characters in the book - Krish and Ananya, has definitely lived up to the saying of love conquers all.

Down to a week

In less than a week's time, living in Hyderabad will become a memory for us.

Many have congratulated me for surviving the year and are more excited than me about leaving. Truth to be told, I think the fact that we are leaving has not sunk in for me. Every morning is still just another day where the hubby goes to work and I am just pottering around the house. I feel like being in auto pilot mode where I know we need to sell things, pack stuff, etc. but I am just going through the motion without the expected feelings of excitement or delight. Maybe my heart has long flown away and is waiting for me to catch up with it. 

Looking back in retrospect usually makes time seem to have passed by so fast. Even I would agree that one year is not a long time but the past year definitely felt like a stretched one.

Anyway, last week was a busy one. We had put ads up online to sell the household items that we have bought here and the landlord was also arranging prospective tenants to view the apartment.

I am now convinced that anything can be sold second hand here. Initially I thought that we would have to give away items like crockery and food storage containers (like lock lock) but surprisingly, there are people who are more than happy to buy them. 

Friends around had advised us to collect a deposit from the buyers to ensure that they will come back for the items. Else, there's a high chance of us being left with items unsold and only empty promises. So, that was what we did.

Well, as people start collecting the items this weekend and as I start filling up the suitcases, hopefully I will start feeling that what is happening is reality.