My Disappointment with MTS's Comeback

I've got to be honest, I was too hasty to celebrate MTS's comeback. With all the low ratings and negative feedback from customers, I'm starting to wonder if they're really worth the hassle.

I've been an MTS customer since 2003, and I've stuck with the same number all these years. You'd think that alone would earn me some respect and appreciation, but it seems like they're not interested in keeping loyal customers happy.

To give you a better idea, let me break down my monthly expenses on mobile services. I'm currently on the "Smart Vygodny" tariff plan, which costs 250 rubles per month. I also have a premium subscription that adds 50 GB of data per month, which used to cost 100 rubles but now costs 249 rubles per month. And, of course, I'm paying 100 rubles per month for the "city number". So, in total, I'm paying 600 rubles per month. Compared to other operators, I'd say I'm doing okay, but I'm not thrilled with the cost.

I don't make many calls, and the number of minutes doesn't really matter to me. When I look at tariff plans, I barely even glance at the minute counts. 200 minutes is more than enough for me, but some plans offer up to 400 minutes - who needs that much?

I've got a small social circle, and my colleagues usually call me if they need to. Plus, most people prefer messaging apps over phone calls.

I use the internet a lot, and 50 GB is just barely enough for me. I wish I had more.

And then there's this completely unnecessary "city number" that I've been stuck with since 2006. It costs me 100 rubles per month, and I've been paying it for 18 years now. That's over 21,000 rubles in total. To me, that's a lot of money, and I expect better service and honest communication from my operator.

-------------------------------------

So, what are the pros of MTS? Well, the signal quality has never let me down so far. Almost everywhere, except on highways between regions, I get a solid connection, and everyone sounds crystal clear. That's definitely a plus. When I've used other operators, it's been hit-or-miss, and we often struggle to hear each other.

They do offer some deals from time to time, which I've taken advantage of and still use today. I mentioned their 'Smart Advantage' plan already - thanks for not kicking me off to more expensive plans with extra minutes I don't need.

The premium subscription comes with some perks. You get up to 50 gigabytes, plus a bunch of other stuff I don't really use. I tried listening to music, but... see below.

In the past, if I ran out of gigabytes before the end of the month, I could get 10 extra for free. I'm not sure if that's still an option now, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's been discontinued.

Areas that need improvement? Well, the spam call protection that comes with the premium subscription isn't very effective. Sometimes I get non-stop calls all day, and no one's filtering them out. Although, they've been trying to improve that in recent times.

Services like MTS Music and the like require a separate app to access. I downloaded MTS Music, but it was a total letdown - the selection was pretty meh, to say the least. I tried searching for 'Group "Autograph" - "Strannik", but it suggested Allegro with a song of the same name, and I'd never heard of the other options. It's not just that one instance, either. I've got a subscription to VK Music, and I'm much happier with that.

Downsides that make me want to switch, but for now, there aren't any great alternatives. Dirty employees at communication salons - when I needed to update my passport details, I decided to do it through a communication salon instead of Gosuslugi. I approached the employee, and he agreed, took my passport, tapped away on the keyboard, saying everything was ready, and I left feeling satisfied, thinking everything was sorted. But when I got home, I found out that not only had they not updated anything, but they hadn't even sent the application. It was physically exhausting to go back to the salon and figure out from this young guy why he'd taken my passport in the first place and what he'd done with it if nothing had changed?

The abysmal and inadequate 'customer support' over the phone was a nightmare. I lodged a complaint about the salon's service over the phone with their tech support. Maybe they actually did receive it. But nobody called or messaged me in the day, week, or month that followed. I ended up updating my passport details myself through Gosuslugi. I managed to do it because the service refused to accept a clear photo of my passport. I wanted to send MTS packing at that point because other operators in communication salons were handling things smoothly and efficiently. But I realized that switching wouldn't save me any money, and I'd probably lose out on some services while gaining others. You don't switch providers over a minor issue.

You won't find the truth from them whether you're an individual or a business. I work for an organization that used to be a MTS customer, and their details were still on file. I found their official email address and wrote them a formal letter. Since they're exempt from the 59-FZ law, they can choose to respond or not. I shared my thoughts with our accountant, and she said they not only ignore individual customers but that it's impossible for businesses to get a response from them either (she needed to recover unused funds). They'll do whatever it takes to keep customers at arm's length. In short, you can't really take them to task...

I got a call from the operator a month later and I picked up, expecting an apology at least. But it was a young woman, sounding like she was fresh out of college, asking me why I wasn't using the movie theater part of my premium subscription. She sent me a link to the theater, and I was so fed up I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I just decided to forget about it.

-----------------------

The Verdict: Despite the relatively okay cost, MTS doesn't inspire trust, and I wouldn't be surprised if they pull some shady stuff. I'd love to say I'd ditch them at the first opportunity, but I'm not holding my breath for a decent, honest operator to come along.

By the way, their mobile internet used to be lightning-fast, but now it's slowing down. That's another star gone, and now they're down to two.

So, why would I recommend them? Where else can I go?... Check out the reviews for other operators.

-------------------------------------------

UPDATE: They've brought back the 24 plan! Unlimited internet and 200 minutes of talk time for 391 rubles a month.

Ah, yeah... I'm an old-timer. I got too excited too soon. I've got 710 +100...

But newbies might find it useful.