Dec 12, 2004 04:35 PM
1975 Views
(Updated Dec 12, 2004 04:35 PM)
I saw an advertisement in Kerala, which promised a prepaid card for only Rs.99 per month, with additional charges as per your outgoing air-time. The first month after I got a connection, my bill was Rs. 249, without a single out-going call.
The secret? You get billed a Rs.50 here and a Rs. 50 there for all those facilities which came bundled with the card, such as caller ID, and which they forgot to specify were charged extra.
Of course, you would have known it if you read the fine print, but you get to see the fine print only when you open the sealed packet with the SIM card and all the TERMS and CONDITIONS. Even then, if you decide that you dont want those facilities, it takes a number of treks to their main office (not the paan walla who sold you the card) to get it done.
Even though ''Only the monsoon covers Kerala better than we do'' was the catch line of Escotel, in the days before they were acquired by Idea, I found that my phone went out of range in a large number of places, especially while travelling on the railways or by the highway.
Finally, I surrendered the card back, claiming my refund (safety deposit) and heaved a sigh of relief.
