Taken for a Ride by Your Carrier?

Imagine what would happen if your telephone carrier would keep deducting your balance without any reason? Can you imagine? You can’t unless it is you who is being unreasonably charged without any reason. The carrier in this case is Airtel and the victim: ME.

The following is the sequence of events and through the day I lost Rs 125.80 for a few SMSes and local calls. This robs me of my confidence in my cellular phone carrier i.e., Airtel. Even my faith in technology is seriously challenged. I tried several times (unsuccessfully I might add) to get this redressed through their customer service.

Customer service should be renamed customer disservice as far as the CS people at Airtel are concerned. They keep playing their ads and jingles instead of giving valid information and their customer service executives disconnect before you can even begin the call.

Time Action Balance (Rs)
9.00 am Checked balance 60.00
1.20 Called 982xxx4755 (local number) 0.00
2.00 pm Refill of Rs 198 177.00
2.30 pm 129.50
3.20 pm Sent an SMS to 986xxx5467 120.80
3.30 pm Sent an sms to check balance 111.20

At the end of the rope, end of the tether, clutching at straws, after gnashing enough teeth to render me toothless, I wrote a letter to the Airtel chairman Mr. Sunil Mittal with a copy to the chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), and Secretary, Department of Telecommunications. I am waiting for the worthies to reply, if at all.

Meanwhile I am still gnashing my teeth as I write...