[Resolved]  Airtel — Being extorted to pay additional for an already pain 6-month advance rental pack

Address:

Mumbai City, Maharashtra

Dear Miss Gitanjali, I am writing to you to disappointingly inform you about this utterly frustrating, traumatizing and devastating experience with your organization. Please go through the email thread attached here for further details. It's just bizarre and purely amazing that your organization expects people to pay advance rental charges twice in a row, and that too a huge amount as 3300/-, and doesn't seem to find it odd at all!! I have already paid the said amount in the month of August as part of the bill for the month of July. Even in August, I had too many back and forth communications with your team, who, in the end, understood and assured me that they would charge me the extra 250/- (which was an incorrectly purchased data package instead of smartbytes), which I agreed to pay, but continue the same package from June. Despite all the frustration and investment of time and effort, I was still a little relieved that we were on the same page, and you guys were being fair and understanding. Then, I have been charged the same amount again in this month's bill. It seems that you and your organization just take customers to be fools and lies to them to have their way with things. I was promised on phone by the team leader (in August) that Airtel is not going to charge me again for this plan, and yet again, your organization has turned from your promise and are making this the most traumatizing and stressful experience I have ever had in my life. This is too much frustration and harassment to bear, which is making me loose faith in your organization's integrity, intent, and dedication to serve customers. It seems you guys are here to just suck as much money as possible from your customers. First, the discontinuation of smart bytes was not communicated in any form to me (or any of the other Airtel users). Second, the fact that buying a data pack (which was accidental as I was, in fact, buying smart bytes) would lead to deactivation of any current plans was also not communicated in any form. Third, there must be a process in place to deactivate an advance rental pack right? I used to receive calls for reactivation every 6 months and for every other god forsaken plan that made no sense at all. So, before deactivating an advance rental plan for 6 months worth over 3500/- within 5 days of its activation, shouldn't this have been confirmed with the concerned customer? Or Airtel thinks people are here to just give away money for charity? It seems like you guys wanted to make money without providing the service, and hence, you just played along in August and fooled me by lying to me about continuing the pack so as to get me to pay you the bill amount. Again, the biggest injustice here is that no one confirmed with me about activating a new advance rental pack on my number. I did not receive any call, email, or message about activation of a new pack on my number, So, does it mean that Aitel is also a fraud organization that just charges their customers any wholesome amount as they please without intimating them or receiving their permission? It also amazes me that you do not wish to factor in any form of human error. Just because someone mistakenly made a faulty transaction, you are going to drain them out of their hard-earned money?? Are these the culture and principles that Airtel is made upon?? It is so disappointing that I kept putting my faith in the goodness and integrity of your employees through all this, believing that you are here to help your customers, when all your organization is out for is to trick customers and drain as much money as you possibly can. I hope this serves as a wake-up call for you guys, and you try and think about others instead of your own personal interests and stop harassing people for the biggest mistake of their lives to have signed up for any Airtel service. Regarding the outstanding bill amount for the advance rental pack, to my knowledge, I have already paid for the pack I am using in the bill for the month of July and see no reason why I should have to pay it again. I refuse to bow down to being bullied and extorted into paying the same amount again. I sincerely hope you realize that this and resolve this issue at your and your organization's earliest convenience. Disappointingly your customer, Regards, Dr. Seeta Mishra Managing Editor-Medical Communications [protected][protected][protected]- E: seeta.[protected]@cactusglobal.com W: www.cactusglobal.com T: +91 [protected]/[protected] [protected] Forwarded message[protected] From: Date: Thu, Sep 10, 2015 at 2:48 PM Subject: Re: [|BAL|Ref19873981|] DISCREPANCY IN DATA LIMIT AND DATA CONSUMED To: drseeta.[protected]@gmail.com Dear Seeta Mishra, This is regarding your email dated 8th September¿2015 regarding billing issue on your airtel number [protected]. Basis our discussion on [protected], this is to inform you that we regret the infeasibility to provide any waiver as charges applied to your account are correct and valid as per the bill plan. Further, 3 GB 3G GPRS Free, at 3Ps/10KB(After 3GB, 100% [protected]@80kbps)@6M adv rental 3250¿ was activated on 23rd June¿2015 to 19th July¿2015. So you have been charged for rental and it has been disconnected as you activated ¿1GB 4G/3G Free (post 1GB data stops) @250¿ on 19th July 2015. Current outstanding on your account is Rs. 5432.10/-. You are requested to clear the outstanding to enjoy uninterrupted services of airtel. airtel regret the inconvenience caused in this regard. Please do write for further assistance. Customers touch points: Level 1: Customer care: 121/198 & [protected]@in.airtel.com, working hours - 24/7 Level 2: Nodal Team: nodalofficer.[protected]@in.airtel.com & ([protected]), working hours: 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM: Monday to Friday. Level 3: Appellate Authority: appellate.[protected]@in.airtel.com & ([protected]), working hours: 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM. Monday to Friday. Please visit our website www.airtel.in for a range of products and services. Yours sincerely Gitanjali bharti airtel limited [protected]Replied Message[protected] From: appellate.[protected]@in.airtel.com To: drseeta.[protected]@gmail.com Sent: 09/09/2015 03:08:22 PM Subject: Re: [|BAL|REF18180721|] DISCREPANCY IN DATA LIMIT AND DATA CONSUMED Dear Customer, This is in reference to your email regarding billing issue for your airtel mobile number [protected]. I understand that delay in responding to your email has caused inconvenience to you and I thank you for your patience. Basis our discussion, I would like to inform you that I have forwarded your concern to our concerned team for the above mentioned number. Further, please be informed that our team will update you regarding the same by 11th September 2015. I appreciate your patience and co-operation in this regard. Alternatively, in order to serve you better and provide you best of the services at all the time, we would request you to write your emails to us. Customers touch points: Level 1: Customer care: 121/198 and [protected]@in.airtel.com, working hours - 24/7. Level 2: Nodal Team: nodalofficer.[protected]@in.airtel.com and ([protected]), working hours: 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM, Monday to Friday. Level 3: Appellate Authority: appellate.[protected]@in.airtel.com and ([protected]), working hours: 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM, Monday to Friday. Please visit our website www.airtel.in for a range of products and services. Yours sincerely Sarita Buriuly bharti airtel limited [protected]Original Message[protected] From: drseeta.[protected]@gmail.com To: appellate.[protected]@in.airtel.com Cc: Sent: 08/09/2015 12:02:11 PM Subject: Re: [|BAL|Ref18180721|] DISCREPANCY IN DATA LIMIT AND DATA CONSUMED Greetings, This is with regard to the issue of adv rental 3G pack being wrongly deactivated in the last month. Despite the customer care manager coming and telling me that the issue has been resolved and we will reactivate the plan as it was deactivated without confirming with me, and me also paying 250/- additional as asked, I am extremely and utterly disappointed that yet again, the same amount (for advance rental package) has been charged on my bill for the month of August. I already had reported this issue a week ago, and without any conversation or clarification, all I received was a message stating that the bill is valid and the issue has been resolved. I have spoken to Mr. Franklyn Das (Floor supervisor, Mumbai, Dombivili) today, and he has informed to have taken my complaint (Complaint No.:[protected] and that they will resolve it from their end. Interaction ID: [protected] I cannot emphasize on how traumatizing and frustrating this experience has been and how much I am regretting for considering to sign up your organization as a service provider. Disappointingly, Your customer, On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 11:54 PM, DrSeeta Mishra wrote: Hi, I am forwarding the email thread to the issue I have been facing interacting with your team. I have been dodged and pushed around for over a day with no assurance of resolving this issue or anyone trying to help me understand or resolve this as well. I hope you look into this issue and do the needful.. This is absolutely disappointing. Disappointingly your customer, Dr. Seeta Mishra Managing Editor Cactus Communications Tel: [protected] [protected] On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 11:37 PM, DrSeeta Mishra wrote: Please arrange a call to discuss the same. I have raised this concern in the consumer court forum and can pass on this explanation to them as they process my complaint. Also, the 250 I paid was for smartbytes and not for any GPRS data pack. Even if that were the case, how can you discontinue the advance rental after charging me for 6 months without notifying or confirming the same? Are you so naive as a service provider that you think people will just donate rental bills for 6 months and then disconnect the service? First, I did not disconnect the advance rental plan. Second, assume that I did disconnect the plan on 19th June like you informed, why the hell did you guys charge me 3699 on 23rd June for the same? And how can then YOU come and tell me that I have this amount outstanding? On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 11:32 PM, wrote: Dear Seeta Mishra, Greetings from airtel! This is with reference to your email towards charges levied on your bill for your airtel mobile number [protected]. I have gone through the charges levied in your bill and hereby wish to address your concerns. As per your bill plan, your benefits are: 200 Local Mobile Minutes Free 90 STD Mobile Minutes Free 300 Local + National SMS Free 3G GPRS Service (Volume Based):-0, 4G/3G, [protected]@4Ps_MBC 1GB 4G/3G Free (post 1GB data stops)@250 I would like to inform you that as your 3 GB 3G GPRS Free, at 3Ps/10KB for 6M adv rental 3250 was activated on[protected] to This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies and the original message. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, dissemination, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any action taken in reliance on this e-mail is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. The recipient acknowledges that Bharti Airtel Limited or its subsidiaries and associated companies(collectively "Bharti Airtel Limited"), are unable to exercise control or ensure or guarantee the integrity of/overthe contents of the information contained in e-mail transmissions and further acknowledges that any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and no binding nature of the message shall be implied or assumed unless the sender does so expressly with due authority of Bharti Airtel Limited. Before opening any attachments please check them for viruses and defects. -- Regards, Dr. Seeta Mishra Managing Editor-Medical Communications [protected][protected][protected]- E: seeta.[protected]@cactusglobal.com W: www.cactusglobal.com T: +[protected]ext. 8823) www.facebook.com/CactusCommunications www.twitter.com/cactus_connect www.linkedin.com/company/cactus-communications