RAHIM YAR KHAN: The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) is allegedly upgrading broadband internet packages of customers without their consent and subsequently increasing monthly charges in the city without prior intimation.

According to sources in the company, the problem was first noticed in April when a private telecommunication company introduced its internet services across the city.

The PTCL’s fibre optic cable is spread across maximum areas of the city, but it did not upgrade its system properly. A few years ago, the company provided a broadband internet connection with a speed of 2Mbps at Rs1,300. Later, in 2017 when it claimed that its cable system had been upgraded it started motivating its customers to switch to the 4Mbps package at Rs1,500 a month.

Internet users claim PTCL upgraded packages without consent, billed them for it

Many customers took up the new offer, but were not satisfied with the service. This year, the monthly charges for the 4Mbps package were increased to Rs1,800.

Meanwhile, the private company expanded its broadband services to maximum areas of the city on lucrative rates of Rs1,200 for an unlimited 2Mbps package and Rs1,800 for 4Mbps. Hundreds of PTCL customers switched to the other company in April.

To counter the issue, the PTCL introduced a new monthly package for Rs1,200, including taxes, offering free on-net landline calls and unlimited broadband internet. The company’s field staff also advised customers to suspend their existing connections of 2Mbps and 4Mbps worth Rs1,500 and Rs1,800, excluding taxes, respectively and avail the new offer to save money.

When customers did not respond positively, PTCL itself upgraded the broadband packages of 2Mbps to 4Mbps and 4Mbps to 6Mbps allegedly without customers’ consent or prior information and after a month sent inflated bills to them in July.

Many affected customers visited the local PTCL exchange last week to get their bills corrected, but to no avail. Some of them told this correspondent that they had complained to the head office through the helpline, but, as always, got no relief.

Fariha Tahir Shah, the PTCL’s corporate communications general manager, told Dawn that the company did not change monthly broadband packages without the consent of customers -- especially if there is a price implication. “We do however upgrade customers on higher speeds as value upgrades without applying any price differential. We always inform our customers about any change in billing in advance,” she claimed.

Answering a question about the company’s employees motivating customers to get new connections after terminating previous ones, she said they have guided their employees to advise customers on the best options for them.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2018