Want to watch a movie or play the latest videogame? Don’t wait; everything is just a click away.

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Born around 40 years ago, the inernet has come a long way since then. Today e-mail, shopping, online gaming, video streaming, e-commerce and virtual offices are a part and parcel of all our lives.

With so many Internet Service Providers (ISP) in the market, the common man is spolit for choice and how? Broadband, tri-band, USB, there are so many choices. “People today have a lot of options to choose from. Various connections with affordable prices give people the freedom to opt for the connections which suit their needs the best,” says customer care executive from a private service provider.

The need for speed has changed the options available to consumers and businesses alike, but most customers express dissatisfaction with the service provided. They feel that the download and browsing speeds are a lot slower than what is promised. “I’m online for at least eight hours a day. I have taken a broadband scheme of 320 kbps, I never get download speeds of more than 40 kbps on an average,” says Atul Sharma, a 27-year-old management student.

Samreen Samad, a 23-year-old professional photographer says, “I was promised a speed of 512 kbps by my service provider, but I normally get only 10kbps on an average while downloading. I don’t download movies in bulk, but when I upload high-resolution pictures, my connection disconnects itself. In spite of having an internet connection at home, I have to go out and upload my pictures or attach files on to mail.”

In cases where connection isn’t the problem, customer care service is. “If faced with a problem, I have to make around 30 to 40 calls to my service provider, and even if someone picks up they don’t know how to fix the problem and keep me on hold for a long time or keep giving alternate numbers. This is not how a big service organisation should work,” says Sharma.

Aditya Sharma 22-year-old IT engineer also rues, “When I stream videos, the connection slows down drastically. This is something that the service providers do not inform us of when we approach them for a new connection. I guess this is what they mean when they say ‘conditions apply’” he says.

Customer care executives DNA spoke to insist that they provide the best hi-speed service, but admit that technical issues put hurdles in their connection. “if a broadband connection is used by 20 people and they are all online at the same time, then the speed will be slow,” said a customer care executive from a private ISP.

“Technical problems in a computer too can affect speed. If there is some problem with the IP address, DNS address and MAC address which are used to connect the PC to Internet then chances of poor service are high,” says another executive from a government ISP.

Many consumers are also unhappy with the steep rates that service providers charge for high-speed connections. “I have no idea why I pay so much to have a faster connection when I get the same service as any basic plan?” wonders Soumita Sengupta, a 22-year-old feature writer, who is fond of streaming videos online.

“I have a usage limit of Rs5,000 a month, but while downloading movies I exceeded it. However, no one called and informed me about it. I was handed a bill of Rs15,000 and they said that if I don’t pay my connection could be disconnected. Aren’t they suppose to inform the customer before threatening them?” complains another customer, Joseph A, a 30-year-old marketing manager.

Rakshap Abrol, a consumer activist feels there is the huge demand for the Internet services in the city. All service providers are not able to cater to everyone’s needs and hence the available bandwidth is not enough for the large customer base. “Today almost everyone has a net connection, but do we have the infrastructure to sustain it for the optimum use?” he asks.  He adds, “Companies promise a lot in their advertisements, but what a consumer gets will be far from it.”

MS Kamath, a consumer lawyer, agrees. “There are a lot of complains, but there is no particular authority where one can go and complain to. If you feel you have been wronged, you should approach the consumer court,” he counsels.