Mar 20, 2009 12:25 PM
2631 Views
(Updated Mar 20, 2009 12:30 PM)
I had an Airtel post-paid connection from 2002 to 2004. There was a delay in paying the final bill of Rs. 8000. An Airtel collection agent made contact with me for settlement of dues. I met that person and paid an amount of Rs 6500 and the rest was adjusted from the initial deposit for the connection. In the same week, I deactivated the connection and surrendered the SIM in Airtel Office (Jayanagar, Bangalore).
On 18th of March 2009 (after almost 5 years), I was shocked to receive a legal notice from Gandhi Law Chambers, asking me to pay an amount of Rs 3500 towards monthly charges incurred on the same mobile number I was using in 2004. The notice did not have the contact details of the Advocate, it only instructed me to visit their office and pay the amount. It also threatened criminal action in case I fail to make the payment.
On 18th night I made numerous calls to Airtel Customer Service, and asked them for details regarding the notice. I was told that Airtel does not have any details regarding the connection, except that an amount of Rs 3500 is due from my end. According to TRAI, the service provider should provide an itemised bill to claim any amount from the customer. Also, the service provider (not its legal advisor) should intimate the customer regarding the outstanding amount. In my case, Airtel failed to provide any of the above and had no answer when I put forward these questions to the Managers on the floor.
Fed up with the response, I sent an email to Airtel Ombudsman Department, highlighting the above issues. On the 19th of March, I got a call from the Ombudsman Department in Delhi saying they are looking into the matter and that the amount could be waived off!!
Sorry ... but I don’t understand what Airtel is waiving off, when I do not owe them any money in the first place. This is a very effective way to harass customers and mint money banking on the customer’s fear and anxiety after seeing the legal notice. Coming back to my issue, I got a call from Delhi today morning promising that the issue would be solved ASAP.
