While choosing of a particular Service Provider over the others being many available in the Market is always a difficult task being the one chosen which was once renowned for providing excellent services to the Customers might degenerate either due to the desire of earning more through use of tricks or due to recruitment of inefficient personnel as its Staffs who do not know either to maintain a relationship with the Customers or often become harassed on loyal Customers without having the least idea that it is the Customers who keep a Company alive and hence so long a Company considers all Customers as equal without brining-in a division always see a better growth over the others in the same line. The moment, the said ethics of a Company of seeing all Customers equally is lost while dealing with their occasional grievances differently, it bound to fall from a height to become a most an ordinary before it gets lost forever in the midst of unknowingness.
I was attached with a particular Service Provider to provide me Phone, Broadband and Mobile Services for the last 5 years without raising of an objection being the bill amount always standing around a particular cost per month and never paid a bill late, but yet for the cycle 25th Nov to 26th December, 2009, I found that my monthly bill a little short of double the amount causeless and accordingly I registered a complaint with the Customer Care vide Complaint No.2708882 instantly on receipt of the bill to provide me the bill details at a cost of Rs.60.00. In-spite of taking up the matter repeatedly with Customer Care, when none bother to reply to it, I e-mailed a written request to get a SMS a week’s later to confirm a different Telephone Connection as our which we replied as no by which time my due date for making payment got over. We I express my inability to pay unless the detail bill is supplied, it was sent to me almost a week was over from the last date of payment.
On going through the same, it registered an abnormal amount against ‘call charges to mobile within the circle’ being a particular Number registering INR more than 600.00 on just 2 days i.e. 13th & 14th November,2009. On further scrutiny we found that the said mobile belongs to Retail Store in front of our Apartment and solely used for collecting orders from the entire area nearby and hence no occasion either the caller or the shop-owner keep the mobile busy not to lose their entire Business and mostly closes down around 2100 Hrs. Against our paying of regular charges of 1 or 2 Rupee for each call either from inception of the installation of mobile or from self fell seriously ill 6 months back being unable to undertake frequent walking, the said 2 calls were made at 2200 and 0000 Hrs when the shop always remain closed.
On pinpointing the error of the server in recording the pulse being a Machine, an Engineer visited our residence prior to expiry of the month and confirmed our grievances. Apart from it the Service provider was charging Rs.99 extra for the last 2 months and accordingly requested the billing section, (the number of which was provided by the Customer Care) to issue afresh the bill after making necessary correction to enable me to settle the monthly bill of the last cycle who in turn advised that, the charging of extra for gaming is already waived and the note for the charges against 2 calls were forwarded to the higher Authority, the outcome of which shall be communicated to me shortly to enable me to make the payment and further advised me to wait for making the payment. It happened 3 days before the month and reflects perfectness in providing of services.
Being never a defaulter ever, I made a payment against the bill 2 days before the end of the month with debated amount short becoming sure of wrong entries even though no notice was served on me to make the payment or asked to wait but found to our utter surprise that just nearer the time of mid night of the New year eve, my all calls from my Landline connection to outside were cut-off including that of interacting with Customer care either from my Land line connection or from my Mobile connection. While auto answering machine gets disconnected automatically following sounding or communicating long recorded voice against call charges applied; all my requests for help became fruitless. My mobile also ultimately retired to sleep paying high call charges each time without getting a connection. Although I am intensely sick, the Staff of the Service Provider ignored all my prayers using harass languages to express their displeasure either to issue a corrected bill or to remove the bar imposed till date. To-day, they had sent Recovery Agent to demand the a small remaining sum to be paid to immediately to the Service Provider who after going through our record and genuine complaint gently went away from our Residence without causing any harm. With this, I lost the entire value I most delicately carried forward from my birth and known to all. Yet I kept insisting the Company to issue me fresh bills replacing the older ones since the charging me for ‘Gaming’ kept repeating by the Company following a gap. Moreover, in this month bill too, the charges against Gaming is appearing leave apart removing the same from our earlier erroneous bills just to leave the matter alive still for future to reclaim it being considering it as non contested when a fresh bill is issued. The action taken from my side is purely due to the reason that the Customer accepting a wrong statement is equally at fault unless the matter is resolved on either way.
With no option available to escalate the matter, I wrote the following e-mail/ letter via Customer Care (E-mail: care.karnataka@airtel.in) to the Chairman of the Company on 01/06/2009 and considered it as an express instruction from the Chairman to recover a meager amount through use of force taking help from recovery Agents.
Quote
SUB: Complain ID: 27089882/ 28095132 against PH: 411306001
REF: High Amount charged against Mobile ‘Within the Circle’
Respectful Sir,
With deep regret, I would like to bring to your kind notice that I am a loyal Customer of ‘Airtel’ Landline, Broadband and another 5 Mobile connections for the last 5 years and suddenly gone through an unpleasant situation as explained hereunder. As the Staff at Bangalore refused to take any action on the Subject but kept disconnecting the line, I have no other option but to contact you to direct your Staff here to behave polite to a retired person with no source of income from anywhere. Kindly note that this is my first complain of this nature in the last 5 years.
Reference above, the Complain No.27089882 was lodge with you, the day we received the bill i.e. on 1st week of Nov, 2009 which is still unresolved. On receiving no reply from you an e-mail was sent for resolving the issue but proved fruitless. Again few days back you issued another Complain No.28095132 which also unresolved till date on the same Subject. Once again another Complain Number is registered on the same issue. On receiving the detailed bill on 20/11/09, we observed many errors as explained hereunder. On making request to AIRTEL to check the concerned Mobile Number for a possible error, the reply of billing section of expressing their inability to do so even against its own AIRTEL connection (9900803232) is unjust and unfair being beyond ethics of doing of Business which shall kill the entire 'Hallmark' of excellence hold by you. Why my contacting of Customer Care is barred? Kindly provide the contact Number of the Chairman for escalating the matter to higher-up.
Your bill for the Nov, 2009 was erroneous due to the following reason
Your bill for the Nov, 2009 was erroneous due to the following reason
1. You had wrongfully deducted an amount of Rs99.00 for the last 2 months which may be for more period of time and hence require through checking for the entire period of 5 years
2. The following 3 calls to mobile Number 9900803232 against dates mentioned are error entries of your server which may be rechecked by you against the Mobile Number being the connection belongs to you only. This a single connection belonging to a Retail Store which closed down at @2100Hrs and call to it beyond minute or two is barred being this mobile is used for collecting orders only. Even any calls beyond that the shop owner shall disconnect it being their Business shall get lost. Also our using it for a long period of time without registering more than a Rupee or two for such calls is beyond ethics being tantamount to killing their Business.
13/11/09—Rs.120.00 (2200Hrs)
13/11/09—- Rs.57.00 (2103Hrs)
14/11/09—Rs.351.00 (0000Hrs)
Accordingly your Engineer had checked the entire facts during last part of Dec, 2009 and the matter was duly communicated to you. Following which I received a call from your Customer Care (Billing) that you had already deducted the amount charged extra i.e.Rs.99.00 for Gaming and for waiving of Rs.638.00 for calls within the Circle is forwarded to higher-up for waiving. Once it is done a fresh bill will be issued which shall be confirmed over telephone and until such time it is done, I was asked to wait to settle the bill.
Since I was neither a defaulter nor made a request on revision on call charges, I paid a lump sum amount of Rs 1422.00 to you on 29/12/2009 vide receipt No.2497553 in A/C No.10947805 voluntarily not to get disconnection. The bill for December is received just to-day having again an inclusion of an extra amount of Rs.99.00 and hence erroneous.
Further my calling to Customer Care number is 41112345 is also barred as auto caller saying ‘Press any number of your choice’ so also my making of outside calls from my land line Connection. What is this? Is not it an insult to a Senior Citizen who has no source of income?
Thanks & With Warm Regards,
(Dr.M.M.HAZARIKA, PhD)
A name retained by UN; Opinion Leader ‘TIME’
06/01/2009
Unquote
NOTE: If the aforesaid matter is not bought to the notice of the most respectful Chairman, of the concerned Service Provider, I most humbly request you’re good self that an instruction be issued your valuable local Staff, not to show this much disrespect to a Senior Citizen who has no source of income from anywhere. Considering that the instruction of sending recovery Agent to our residence may not be that of yours and hence is bringing said matter to your good self’s notice through this ‘Blog’ to clear the scar from our minds being no other channel of communication is made available to the aggrieved.
COMMENT ADDED ON 01/09/2010
In-spite of our aforesaid complain which is yet to be resolved being put to enquiry much after billing due date was over (3 weeks after filling of complain and proved erroneous being the Gaming and other charges etc are additions being never ever availed ), the question late charge of Rs.100.45 and Rs.99.00 towards cannot arise. The original bill is reproduced hereunder:
Monthly charges: Rs.1099.00
Call & VAS Charges: Rs. 79.00
DSL Usage Charges: Rs. 99.00(wrong)
Late Charges: Rs. 100.45(wrong)
Gross Charges: Rs.1377.45.
Discount: Rs. -79.00
Net Charges: Rs.1298.45
Taxes: Rs. 123.40
Total: Rs.1421.85
Wrongly Charged: Rs. -199.45
Total Due: Rs.1222.40
Accordingly an amount of Rs.1222.40 is paid to you to-day (09/01/2010) at 2200Hrs vide transaction Number 0136857035 of ICICI Bank payment Gateway. Another lump sum amount of Rs.1422.00 had already been paid to you for the billing cycle 26/10/09 to 25/11/09 on 29/12/2009 vide receipt No.01214794 against bill amount of Rs.2009.00 using Credit Card in-spite of your request to wait until complain is resolved which is yet to see light of the day. Therefore, I had made a total payment of Rs.2644.40 (Provisional) for the present and the previous cycle.
Under the circumstances, I most humbly request you to provide me corrected bills for the last 3 billing cycles where Gaming Charges are added incorrectly i.e. 26/09/09 to 25/10/09; 26/10/09 to 25/11/09; 26/11/09 to 25/12/09 although the matter was resolved instantly when we declined your offer of use it many years back but the fee secured ot obtained from us were never refunded except for a few months only. In view of our cordial relationship, I ignored the non-refund of it; so also charge of Rs.100 towards each erroneous bill served on us with Gaming Charges included as per Company’s standing rule.
However, I still find that the outside calls from my Land line connection are still barred. What service is this?
An Appeal to Management of AIRTEL (Up-date on 11/01/2010)
With all calls to outside from my land line still barred and any contact with Customer Care not accessible from anywhere even though all bills fully settled much before the last date of payment ignoring serving of erroneous bills frequently, I most humbly request the Management of ‘Airtel’ to restore my Telephone connection not to allow an ailing Senior Citizen frequently undertake walk to collect his daily requirements from nearby Stores to accelerate his further deterioration of health. With friendship available with none, although there is no question of my missing any Social Circle for the sad action taken, it nonetheless increased the harassment on me unnecessarily for putting pressure on my health to retract once again to bed ridden condition.
COMMENT:
Breaking the silence of remaining unavailable for about a fortnight, being self barred from doing so, I got a call from ‘AIRTEL’ in the second half of to-day expressing themselves in utmost politeness to explain the circumstance under which they had to act in the way which I had to bear and conveyed that it is not their practice to issue duplicate bills in lieu of erroneous ones to any Customers but they do make corrections to the same erroneous bills and later restored the Telephone connection. Although such actions on the part of Service Provider might be correct to avoid unnecessary cost towards use of Stationery, it leaves a scope of error to the new comer, who might overlook the earlier corrections made on a bill, to allow the Subject once settled to reappear without intention like that happened to me, in the upcoming bills unless some comments are added against the concerned Account Number in Bold Letters like Bank often does. Since the services of AIRTEL are much above average than that of others in the line, we appeal to the Management of ‘AIRTEL’ to give a thought on the Subject to avoid happening of similar incidences in future to any.
UPDATE ON AN UNRESOLVED DISPUTE
On repeating of Demands to pay a nonexistent balance amount of Rs.569.00, I am reproducing hereunder the email sent to the Service Provider to-day to bring the matter into the notice of the higher Authority for not to disconnect Telephone Connection.
QUOTE
SUB: Complain ID: 27089882/ 28095132 against PH: 411306001
REF: Settlement of bill (Cycle: 26/11/09 to 25/12/09; 26/10/09 to 25/11/09; 26/09/09 to 25/10/09)
Dear Sir/Madam,
In order to resolve the aforesaid erroneous three bills, your billing personnel rang me in my Mobile first on 21/01/2009 at 1100 Hrs demanding me to deposit the balance amount of Rs.569.00 forthwith to avoid a total disconnection of the line and again to-day 17:26 Hrs from Phone No. 080-41739851with the same or similar demanding voice; leave apart settling my request for resolving the extra charge of Rs. 528.00 billed to me for the following calls made to Mobile No. 9900803232 which connection belongs to a Retail Store in front of our Apartment, used purely for collecting orders from the entire nearby area and is never kept engaged for more than a minute, not to lose orders from others while keeping their Business intact.
13/11/09—Rs.120.00 (2200Hrs)
13/11/09—- Rs.57.00 (2103Hrs)
14/11/09—Rs.351.00 (0000Hrs)
Since it is a laid down rule of the Company to refund Rs.100 for each and every erroneous bills served on any customers, where the refund disappeared for serving me three continuous wrong bills for last three billing cycles by wrongfully including Rs99.00 for gaming charges even if you ignore all my requests to reconfirm the calls, so shown made by me in my bill with the bill of the concerned Mobile Number being it belongs to none but to you only and always remain closed that time?
This is for your information and necessary action please.
Thanks & With Warm Regards,
(Dr.M.M.HAZARIKA, PhD)
23/01/2010
UNQUOTE
UPDATE ON AN UNRESOLVED DISPUTE-2
QUOTE
To
Customer Care
SUB: Complain ID: 27089882/ 28095132 against PH: 411306001
REF: Settlement of bill (Cycle: 26/11/09 to 25/12/09; 26/10/09 to 25/11/09; 26/09/09 to 25/10/09)
Dear Sir/Madam,
Further to various mails on the Subject, you’re engaging of Recovery/Collection Agent to recover an amount of Rs.569.00 through use of force to a Senior Citizen who threatened me in my landline not to leave his number recorded at 10:45 Hrs to-day is unjust and unfair. Even when the Recovery Agent also agreed that it is a standing rule of ‘Airtel’ to refund Rs.100.00 for each and every wrong bills served to a Customer, why an exception is made to me to disconnect the Telephone Connection? Leaving apart serving of limitless numbers of erroneous bills to me from inception of presumed providing of service towards ‘Gaming’ to charge Rs99.00 extra done on a regular gap, the last three bills are most recent ones to ignore it as outright wrong. This is wrongful way to earn undue funds from innocent Public.
Moreover, as both my Telephone No. :(080- 411306001) and the Mobile Number 9900803232 are belong to you only, your refusal to recheck the pulse recorded against the said Mobile Number against the 3 call charges recorded in my Bill is a very poor service provided to aggrieved Customers.
It may please be know that any attempt made on the life an innocent through use of third parties has its own repercussion to be borne the entire ‘Business Community’; done with whatever reason in mind on an ordinary one.
This is for your information and let me know the reason of doing so.
Thanks & With Warm Regards,
(Dr.M.M.HAZARIKA, PhD)
25/01/2010
UNQUOTE
END
