Yesterday, I was involuntarily subscribed to Airtel's background music service and Rs. 20 was picked from my pocket, sorry, debited from my pre-paid account. To rub salt on the wounds, they hit me for another Rs. 10 for purportedly changing the background music! I went to their local office and the customer service droid said that I may have activated it! I asked him to look at me, a middle aged man who has trouble sending an SMS, and guage whether I would subscribe to such an idiotic service (for me, at least). After exchanging some cellular mumbo-jumbo with his fellow droid, they sms'd some Airtel number and showed me the message that I had been unsubscribed but of course, they get to keep the Rs. 30. I won't even know if I am unsubscribed until they hit me with it again.
Rs. 30 is not much but it is disturbing that a company like Airtel can get away with such BS. I am betting that this is another money-making operation (all those Rs. 30s start adding up if thousands of others have received it). Is there some agency that I can complain to for an investigation?
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