Vodafone
Customer being made to pay for Service Provider’s inefficiency PLUS Threat to National Security

We reside in Mumbai and are on a the Vodafone (erstwhile Hutch) family plan (Nos 9833105550, 9833105557, 09833105558 and 9833105559). My wife and mu son had ton travel to Sreedhareeyam, (35Kms from Cochin airport).

On 5th November, while traveling from Cochin Airport to Sreedhareeyam, my wife stopped by an authorized Vodafone shop at Kalady Road and purchased a pre paid SIM (09745011337). She did this after providing the following

1. Copy of her PAN

2. Copy of Bank Statement by way of residence proof

3. A photograph

Inspite of this, on 12th November, the SIM was disconnected by Vodafone with amazing alacrity and indifference, cited reason being that they had not received the documents from their authorized dealer. We have been calling their call centres at 09846098460 and also 111 (but of no real use)

Sir, I wish to complain as under;

1. The customer can go no further than provide the dealer with the proof demanded. My wife had done that. If the dealer defaulted in sending over the papers, what is the customers fault? Why was her connection deactivated? What compensation will the customer get?

2. Will the dealer be penalized?

3. The service providers don’t seem to have any control as to identify which SIM cards they have issued to what dealers! (I tried to ask them to get details on the dealers from the SIM number that he had issued to my wife…but the service provider was unable to trace it to a dealer) Isn’t this a significant security threat?

Lastly, this rule seems designed to harass genuine customers. For eg; if I am a person with evil intentions, I can buy any prepaid SIM using false proof from such dealers and have a free run for a week; and then change the SIM. Isn’t this a larger security threat.

Sir, it should be the responsibility of the dealer (point of purchase) to ensure validity of documents and not of the service provider.

I request you to use your high office to take action on the issue and see to it that

1. we are compensated

2. The guilty are penalized and

3. A policy change favoring Consumers be effected, as necessary.

Company: Vodafone
Country: India

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