Inconsumercomplaints.com » Telecommunications » Review / complaint: Airtel - Unilateral barring of services | News #66334

Airtel
Unilateral barring of services

I wish to bring to your notice the following:

• I have been an Airtel subscriber bearing mobile number 91 XXXXX 29229

• I had submitted all my documents as required by Airtel. There has been no change in my address during the past five years.

• I have lost my phone on a few occasions during the past five years & have submitted a new set of ID proof, photograph to procure a duplicate sim card as per the procedures laid down by Airtel, the last time being February.

• I had received SMS from Airtel during the year 2007 & again in Oct for submitting a copy of documents “to enjoy continued service” as put by Airtel, which I had complied by submitting at the relationship center’s of Airtel.

• Basically till date I have submitted my documents to Airtel at least upon five various occasion’s apart from the time that I got on the network.

• On the 4th of Sep it was brought to my notice by one of my clients that calls to my mobile number were barred and I contacted Airtel customer care and I was told that there was some problem with my documents hence my calls were barred when I asked them to check the records and find out that I had taken a duplicate sim from them in the month of February the customer care executive apologized and my phone was reactivated in around fifteen minutes.

• On the 7th of Sep once again calls to/from my mobile were barred and again I contacted the customer care and requested to be put through to one of their manager’s after a few calls finally I was put on to one of the manager and after listening to my complaint and verifying my residential address he assured me that it will not happen again, he categorically told me that he will put up a note so that my services were not disturbed. My mobile was reactivated again.

• Again on the night of 17th Sep, once again my calls were barred, I contacted the customer care only to run into a wall, the person of the other end was clearly not educated or informed enough to understand what I was complaining about finally I requested to be put on to one of their Managers, and after a long wait I was informed that no Manager was available.

• On all these three occasions I was not informed either about submission of documents nor regarding barring of services, nor I was told that I need to submit a set of documents. How can a service provider just bar calls that too for something as important as a mobile phone, what if I had a medical emergency back home and the call just could not go through just because Airtel did not manage the customer records and had no professionalism to inform the subscriber about the same.

• On 20th I visited the Airtel relationship center at LB Stadium – Hyderabad where I enquired what happened to the set of documents that I submitted to them in the month of Feb I was told that they are doing this exercise as ordered by TRAI & DOT, I requested them to ask me in writing that they require a new set of documents from me and indemnify me against the previous documents that I have submitted, I also required a receipt of my document submission, to which I was very curtly told that if I wanted to use my number then I should silently submit a new set of documents. I then decided that I will take up this to the media & all possible recourse of law.

• I understand that TRAI / DOT will want the service providers to keep the documentation updated due to security concerns, but how am I as a subscriber should suffer just because Airtel could not keep my documents secure? They have my address on their records but probably have misplaced the ID proof and subscriber form, should I be penalized for their incompetence? Then what happened to my set of submitted documents, were they misused by anyone, these are the genuine concerns any informed law abiding citizen will have. Does Airtel want me to believe that TRAI/DOT is asking them to collect a new set of documents from subscribers every six months? How can they use the name of Government agencies to cover up their misdeeds? What if they misplace these too and ask again in next six months?

• As a subscriber I understand that I have certain obligations towards the service provider at the same time I except the service provider to :-

o Maintain due diligence in maintaining records, every set of documents submitted are precious, can be misused & has to be accounted for, you just cannot say that we do not have yours so submit one more time.

o Provide me in writing if they require any documentation out of the ordinary, because the same set of documents are good enough to be abused or misused for a new connection.

o If any documentation has to be submitted then as a subscriber I have a right to be informed and given adequate time frame to comply rather than just barring my calls without any intimation or notice.

o There is nothing wrong in issuing a receipt for the set of documents submitted; it works well in the subscriber’s and service provider’s favor.


Company: Airtel

Country: India   State: Andhra Pradesh   City: Hyderabad

Category: Telecommunications

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