XL: Hidden Details!

I did mentioned XL offering the cheapest tariff among GSM operators with its Rp 1/second scheme in my previous posting. Well, I've just found out, the hard way, that it isn't so!

Previously, the advertisement for this only said "Tarif Termurah (Cheapest Tariff)!", with Rp 1/second. There was no addition, except for the mandatory "Rules & Conditions apply" tag, which would be ignored anyway. Then it said the cost for the first two minutes is the normal Rp 10/second. I assumed the rest would be Rp 1/second. With that thinking, an hour talktime would cost me Rp 1200 for the first two minutes, and Rp 3480 for the next 58 minutes, with a total of Rp 4680.

Or so I thought. I had just over Rp 9000 in my account when I made the call. I thought I could talk for almost two hours with that credit. But I got the "beep" after 40-something minutes. I thought, what the?! Then I got disconnected. Imagine my surprise when I got an SMS saying I need to recharge since my credit is less than Rp 2000.

I called the customer service right away. After a long wait, I finally managed to talk to someone there. I forgot his name, however. It was then that I was informed the scheme isn't as simple as I assumed. It's like this: the first two minutes, Rp 10/second applies. Then Rp 1/second, FOR THE NEXT EIGHT MINUTES! After that, it reverts back to Rp 10/second for the next two minutes. Then Rp 1/second for the next eight minutes. Apparently this only applies to customers in Jabodetabek, Sukabumi, Cianjur, and Serang.

My question to the customer service was why this wasn't communicated properly to the masses. I was just aware of the first two minutes. Their ads imply that there are no other conditions. We've got promo SMS, almost daily, announcing the tariff scheme, WITHOUT the 2+8+2+8+so on being informed. Of course, when you go the www.xl.co.id and choose Bebas, the tariff scheme is explained there in great detail.

But who opens XL's website to find information? How many? The rest of us is just "ordinary" people who wants the cheapest communication option. And XL looked like the best option. Sadly, it's not. It's always the case of those "Please read these fine prints carefully."

Under this scheme, if we're in Jakarta, the cheapest among GSM is Three with its 1/2 promo. And I thought XL would revolutionize the telecommunication market in Indonesia...