BSNL to pay Rs 25,000 to subscriber for adopting unfair trade
practices

Express News Service
Posted online: Saturday , May 31, 2008 at 12:13:42

Chandigarh, May 30 The Consumer Forum has directed public sector
operator BSNL to pay a compensation of Rs 25,000 to a subscriber
harassing and compelling her to surrender her vanity number rather
activating it again on the payment of Rs 50,000.

Amrik Kaur of Mohali was allotted number 9417800001 in April 2007 on
the payment of Rs 50,000. But she lost her mobile on October 23,
2007 and lodged a daily diary report (DDR).

The complainant submitted a copy of the DDR and requested the BSNL
officials to issue him a duplicate SIM card of the same number and
deposited Rs 1,182. It is averred that BSNL assured the complainant
that the number will be activated within 6 to 7 hours but it was
never done.

Kaur claimed that BSNL officials offered her another number because
they wanted to transfer her number to someone else. But she refused
to surrender the number.

On the other hand, BSNL claimed that the complainant did not deposit
the bill and the connection was cut much before she filed her
application for the duplicate sim card. Therefore, they allotted the
number to another subscriber. They added that they had asked Kaurto
clear her pending bills of Rs 50,000 and had not charged anything
for the duplicate SIM card.

The consumer forum caught the BSNL on the wrong foot when the
officials failed to produce the particulars of the new subscriber.
The forum said: "BSNL is trying to allot the number to somebody else
after compelling and harassing the existing subscriber, which
amounts to the unfair trade practice."

The forum directed the BSNL to pay the compensation of Rs 25,000 to
the customer and activate the number within seven days.