Problems in » problems

Collecting delivery charges

probl — Sun, 06 May 2012 07:09:06 +0000

Today, most newspapers in metro cities like Times of India, DNA, Hindustan Times have schemes whereby a reader can subscribe to a newspaper by paying the annual or six monthly charges in advance. The subscription price is sometimes significantly lower than the newstand price of the newspaper. After making the payment, the subscriber gets monthly coupons which are to be given to the newspaper delivery person. The newspaper benefits as they get paid in advance and there is less wastage due to unsold copies. The disadvantage of this option is that, at times, the delivery person may not deliver the newspaper or deliver a different newspaper.

In smaller cities too, regional / local newspapers have started offering these prepaid subscription schemes. For example in Goa , the newstand price of Herald Newspaper is Rs 3, but with the annual subscription option, where the reader prepays for a year, the charges are Rs 500. However, in Panaji, the delivery charges of Rs 30 have to be paid separately by the subscriber as the newspapers do not pay the delivery person anything extra for delivering the newspaper.

Unfortunately, collecting even this small amount can be a problem for the newspaper delivery person . Today the newspaper delivery person (a migrant from Orissa, holding another full time job) asked me, “there are at least 30 households here who have not paid me the due amount, what do I do? In at least 6-7 houses, they are asking for a discount on the Rs 30 due. We start delivering the newspapers at 4.30 – 5 am, how do you make them pay, the only thing we can do is stop the newspaper delivery.”

For most people, Rs 30 a month is a very small amount, yet why do they find it difficult to give credit and pay where it is due?

Viewing email messages

probl — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:35:03 +0000

Even if you choose to view the message in the original HTML code, it can look very different depending on the email client / web browser used
Webmail Message in Internet Explorer

Email Message in Thunderbird – font is uniform

Email - Thunderbird

This can be a problem if the sender wants to use a particular font.
If all your internet activities are being monitored closely, then you are at a disadvantage. The people monitoring your activities can easily intercept your passwords and emails, modify and delete emails, accounts .

Data entry work

probl — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:13:19 +0000

Though computerisation and internet usage has increased significantly in the last few years, forms are still widely used for applications and there are some major data entry errors. Some of the common mistakes are:
1. Partial updation of bank records i.e only one out of two or more record changes is updated
2. Locality is entered as city and city as locality in the Demat records.
3. Excess debit charges in an inoperative bank account, even though minimum quarterly balance has been maintained.
4. PAN number incorrect / not updated

This problem seems to be widespread,(there are other bank accounts where excess debit charges have been used to make the bank balance negative) and though the concerned organization / individual usually correct the entries after submitting a complaint for the same, the procedure is very time consuming and most people do not bother to follow up. Many of these data entry errors are in important documents, so there is reason to believe that the quality control / checking system for data entry work should be improved. Senior citizens are worst affected by these data entry errors, as they often do not have the energy to get the error rectified.

Free websites

probl — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:31:24 +0000

There are many companies offering free websites, including a domain name and web hosting, but these free offers often have some loopholes which are not very obvious to a company /organization availing of the offer.
Some of these are:
1. Some documentation is required to get the free website.
2. All design inputs are required at the initial stage
3. User interface for inputting designs is not very user friendly
4. The company does not get Control Panel / FTP access
5. There is usually no provision for making changes to the website at a later date.
6. Many free websites do not allow access to webstats
7. There is little clarity on the ownership of the domain name, making it difficult to transfer it.
8. The company may not be able to change name servers for web hosting easily.

Recognizing talent

probl — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:10:10 +0000

No two people are alike, and some individuals are extraordinarily gifted in particular way. In sports, a brilliant sportsperson, who breaks records earns far more than most individuals. Similarly in the legal arena, a top lawyer commands a premium. In engineering, peers and seniors will recognize a brilliant engineer who can come up with optimum solutions.

However, in some industries, people fail to overcome their prejudices and recognize talent openly, as a result of which the industry suffers.

Making assumptions

probl — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 05:56:32 +0000

An easy way to make a decision is to assume things or listen to gossip. It takes time, effort and sometimes money to find out the facts of a particular issue. And if your assumptions are not based on facts, it can create a lot of problems at a later date.

Mobile Network connectivity

probl — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:41:30 +0000

Though India has a large mobile network, the connectivity is not very good. This is a message you get when you try to contact a valid mobile number – Sorry the number you are calling is not a valid mobile number.

The video link below shows a valid mobile number called and you can hear the error message.

Mobile network connectivity error message

Infrastructure

probl — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:05:28 +0000

They are many infrastructure related issues which result in problems like the water pipeline collapse on the train last Friday. Thousands of commuters were affected.

Online office and tools

probl — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:34:45 +0000

Web based applications, productivity suites and tools get a lot of coverage in the websites covering technology. These include online office tools like Google Docs, Zoho and personal finance management tools like Onyem, Boxfer , Perfios . These tools may be very popular but may not succeed locally because of several reasons

Internet access is still expensive, ISPs like BSNL, MTNL, Hathway charge users on the basis of every MB downloaded. For BSNL , the lowest plan has a download limit of 150 MB, so just uploading and downloading the documents can be expensive.

Internet connections are not reliable. At times, the connection is not available for more than 24 hours due to cable failure and other problems. You may need to review it , but will simply not be able to access it.

Security – Even when you deal with the largest internet companies today as a customer or affiliate, most of them are unable to ensure that your data is confidential, some times due to factors beyond their control. Uploading your personal information including finances and bank details online can lead to a new set of problems.

Wireless Internet connection

probl — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 14:06:32 +0000

I have been searching for a reliable wireless internet connection for some time , which allows some amount of flexibility while using it. My requirements are simple , it should be a prepaid USB connection and should work in Mumbai and Goa. Since I do not view videos or download movies, the connection should have the speed of a dialup connection at the minimum.

I have evaluated the various internet connections available and listed their features and problems:

Airtel USB Modem : Costs Rs 2999, can be purchased through Indiatimes, tariff starts from 20 paise / 50 KB download (or Rs 4 / MB download) , Rs 349 for 500 MB free data usage, 1 month validity. However, there is no information on how you are going to charge /load the amount for the prepaid usage. Seller B.T. Agencies has no feedback on Indiatimes
Idea Netsetter : Costs Rs 2490 , Minimum prepaid amount is Rs 150, Access charges are Rs 1.7 / MB ( from http://www.ideacellular.com/IDEA.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=IDEA_Page_Advertisements&displayParam=NetSetterPostpaid/NetSetterUSBModem_DELHI.html) . However some users have found the speed of an Idea connection slow.
Vlink USB modem : Starter kit is the cheapest at Rs 99 ( but should be used with a mobile phone) , data charges 60 paise / minute. However, the terms for their Rs 349 and Rs 801 recharge at their website are confusing and this connection does not offer the coverage I want.
http://www.virginmobile.in/plan_special_offers_vlink-usb.html

Reliance Netconnect seems to be a data card. I will also check forums and list the feedback from users , so that this review is comprehensive.