October 04, 2008	Saturday	Shawwal 04, 1429

KARACHI, Oct 3: The PTCL has found a novel way to earn an extra buck by withdrawing the free late-night call facility from Sept 30 without informing the subscribers.

The PTCL had introduced the free local call facility between 11pm and 6am on July 1 and it had become very popular among subscribers.

They said the facility had been widely publicised at the time of its launch, but once the subscribers were addicted to it, the company withdrew it silently while subscribers still thought that they were making free calls.

Sources said the decision to withdraw the facility with effect from Sept 30 had been taken on Sept 26 and the subscribers would be shocked to know about this “midnight robbery” once they receive their bills next month.

They said the company had the right to withdraw the facility, but it should have informed the subscribers.

Dawn tried repeatedly to contact PTCL’s public relations officer Ali Kader Gillani, but his mobile phone was switched off. Other senior officers refused to comment on the issue.

However, a representative at the PTCL customer services, Wajahat Joseph, confirmed that the free call facility had been withdrawn on Sept 30. He also confirmed that the PTCL had not informed its subscribers about the decision through advertisements or a press release.