Airtel AirFiber. A standalone home in Pune. One paying customer. Every line below is a direct quote from Airtel's own emails — including the part where they told me to scan my PC for viruses and switch off my router.
You charged me for a service you never delivered. So now I'll cost you the one thing you can't put on a bill: attention.
Real screenshots from complaint #11033496670. Tap any to enlarge. Personal details redacted; their words untouched.
In writing: "resolved within 11:19 AM on 29-06-2026." It wasn't.
Sent 12 min after a call with them. Exit fee up from ₹1,202.
3m 54s from Airtel at 09:45 — 12 min before the "unreachable" email.
Still 25 Mbps. Their fix: scan your PC for viruses, switch off the router.
Clear the bill + a 13-step "unbundling" before you may leave.
Airtel 899, "Active Plan", 100 Mbps. Delivered: 25.
₹1,060.82 due for a month of 25 Mbps. "Charges are valid."
First complaint, mid-June: I was promised a technician would visit and fix it. Nobody came — then Airtel called asking me to rate the technician's visit and the work done. You can't rate a visit that never happened.
A live speedtest on 27 June, on a 100 Mbps plan — recorded after they marked the complaint "resolved." It didn't get fixed. It got worse.
Real lines. Repeated until they meant nothing.
"the issue will be resolved within 11:19 AM on 29-06-2026."
"We tried to reach you… but we are unable to establish contact with you."
"Let me assure you that the issue will be resolved within 24 hours."
"Your feedback makes us better every day."
"Kindly scan the PC with the updated anti-virus… Switch off your modem/router after use."
"Further, Airtel Black is a postpaid connection… the charges are valid."
"Hope we were able to help you!"
"India's 1st Spam fighting network"
Twelve messages. One circle.
Since install I got 25 Mbps. Promised a technician would visit. Nobody came — then I was asked to rate the visit.
Support confirmed there was an issue. I visited the Airtel store at Porwal Road, Dhanori, Pune — told it's the vendor's problem.
100 Mbps paid, 25 delivered, repeated outages, a CSAT survey for a no-show. I asked for a refund and pickup.
"You can expect an update within 24–48 hours." (The first of many clocks that never rang.)
It wasn't. Still 25 Mbps. Their advice: switch off the router after use, and scan my PC for viruses.
Pick up the router, refund the money, leave my premises.
"The issue will be resolved within 24 hours." (Clock #2.) "Once resolved, write back for billing adjustment."
To leave, first "unbundle" from Airtel Black in 13 steps and clear the bill. "Postpaid… the charges are valid."
Not paying. Disconnect the box and router. Porting my number out too.
Clock #3. Same sentence. Same outcome.
Show me 100 Mbps on speedtest.net by 27 June, 19:35. Miss it, take your router. Harass me to pay for last month, and airtelthankless.pages.dev goes live.
Days after "resolved / working fine," a recorded speedtest clocked 5 Mbps down on a 100 Mbps plan — worse than the 25 I complained about. It didn't get fixed. It got worse.
No technician, no call. Airtel re-sent the identical "immediate attention… update within 24–48 hours" template — word for word the same as 23 June.
Fresh reference #11033726948 — and the same "resolved within 24 hours." On the phone they promised 29 June, 11:15 AM, but wouldn't commit the time in writing. So I insisted.
After I pushed, they finally committed in email: "the issue will be resolved within 11:19 AM on 29-06-2026." A specific time. On the record.
No fix. No call. No technician. They chose the exact minute themselves — and missed it.
I disconnected the router, set-top box, adapters, remote and cable, and placed them outside for their technician to collect. Disconnect both services. I will not pay for what I never received — and no more "one more chance" calls.
Days after I unplugged everything, they finally phoned — offering the technician who never came. When I asked why nobody came before the deadline, they cut the call. The email: another "top priority… working diligently" template.
Still nothing — no pickup, no disconnection. I email again: close both services, come collect your devices, I'm not paying for what was never delivered.
A recorded 3m 54s call at 9:45 am — cut short when I pushed back. Twelve minutes later, an email claiming they were "unable to establish contact." The fee to leave is now ₹1,615.39. So I filed a formal grievance with the National Consumer Helpline — #9671413.
Still no fix. Still billed to leave. Still documented.
Satire. Roughly as accurate as their speed claims.
on a plan sold as 100
fixed it all the way down
and climbing while nothing happens
On 19 May 2026, Airtel launched "Priority Postpaid" — since rebranded "Fast Lane" — a 5G network-slicing service that hands postpaid users a prioritised lane during congestion. It set off a national net-neutrality debate and drew government and parliamentary scrutiny. Airtel maintains prepaid users aren't degraded; critics call it a paid fast lane that leaves everyone else behind.
Notice the pattern. Pay more, get the lane. Pay the regular price, get the runaround — a "resolved" that isn't, a survey for a visit that never happened, a bill you must clear before you're allowed to leave.
This paragraph is commentary on publicly reported news. Read the sources and decide for yourself:
If a provider took your money and your patience, these are the official channels in India. Keep your dates, ref numbers and screenshots — like I did.
Call 1915 or file online at consumerhelpline.gov.in
Lodge a public grievance with the department at pgportal.gov.in
File a consumer case online for deficiency in service at edaakhil.nic.in
Know your rights and escalation path for telecom services at trai.gov.in
Pointers to public channels — not legal advice.