WHEN it comes to selling of mobile phone connections, cellular service providers have established a chain of their customer-care centres, franchise outlets and retail outlets aided by ferocious marketing campaigns.
However, when it comes to disconnection of services, almost every conceivable hurdle is created to mint money of the users.
Recently, I visited multiple cellular service providers for the disconnection of my post-paid connections. To my surprise, the franchise outlets and the retail points, which are selling the post-paid services, do not entertain the disconnection requests. They tell the users to visit their main customer care outlet which is generally miles away from one’s area ofresidence.
When I visited the customer services outlet, the staff posted there told me that in case of disconnection of service, the security amount can only be refunded through a cheque. When requested for that option, the official to my surprise, told that the cheque can only be issued if the outstanding payment is more than Rs1,000.
Finding me helpless, the officer came up with a novel idea of advising me not to pay the bill as the company will automatically disconnect the service if the payment is not received for three months. As per the remaining amount in my account, the representative told me to utilise it instead of ‘wasting’ it.
Similarly, another cellular service provider was friendly enough to accept my disconnection request. However, when asked for the refund, they told me to come back personally after a week to collect the payment. In other words, keeping in view the price of fuel, to get a refund of Rs1,000, I have to spend around Rs1,500 plus the time spent on doing this noble act of disconnection as per the rules.
In short, the cellular service providers are using these unfriendly tactics to discourage the customers for any refunds, thus holding back millions of rupees to their own benefit.
In a country where the regulator has almost no control and the concept of consumer rights almost non-existent, there islittle hope that cellular service providers will come up with a fair policy for refunds.
DR IRFAN ZAFARIslamabad