Nov 11, 2010 01:07 PM
3294 Views
(Updated Nov 11, 2010 03:10 PM)
I'd like you to imagine a scenario:
That you are an Airtel Postpaid user. And have been so, for over 10 years.
You have opted for an annual advance payment plan and pay advance rental at the beginning of the year regularly.
You also use its Blackberry service incidentally.
Most importantly, you must know, you have ALWAYS paid your Airtel bills well before time! Through out these ten years of association with Airtel.
Next - you travel to Italy for 3 days.
You de-activate your GPRS and Blackberry service before you leave the country.
Your phone otherwise roams - only phone calls and SMSs come and go during the 3 days when you are in Italy.
You come back to India. You get the next Airtel bill. It shows your roaming charges etc. You pay on time - as before. Matter closed.
Or so you think.
A month later - Airtel drops a bomb. In its new bill it brings back some fresh charges from the previous billing cycle - when you went to Italy.
It asks you to pay some Rs. 25000/- more for "MMSs" sent from Italy!
Please note -
Airtel gives you no detail about where you sent these MMSs? To which number?
According to Airtel, you sent MMSs from your phone every ten minutes or so - during the entire three day stay of yours in Italy! In other words, according to Airtel, you went to a foreign land only to send MMSs all through these 3 days!
Importantly, they also confirm from their records, you have NEVER EVER sent an MMS before in your entire Airtel history!(So, according to them, your grand plan was to fly to Italy and just keep sending MMSs for 3 days to some unknown number and then return!)
More importantly, Airtel reconfirms that your GPRS service was blocked by them before you left the country.
Bottomline - Airtel still wants you to pay an amount of Rs. 25000/- odd - which is equal to your ANNUAL BILL actually - for your 3 days of "Imagined" MMS activity!
Now - the question you need to answer is - would you pay this amount?
Friends, I actually underwent this bizarre experience two months ago - at the hands of AIRTEL.
Of course, I have refused to pay this non-sensical amount and have been calling/writing to Airtel's customer service 121/Nodal Officer/Appellate Office for a resolution for two months now.
NO QUESTIONS OF MINE HAVE BEEN ANSWERED BY AIRTEL TILL NOW!
I have no option but to call them - IRRESPONSIBLE SERVICE PROVIDERS AND CHEATS!
My advice to all of you would be - please never use Airtel - particularly its International Roaming service!
