[Resolved]  Airtel — False call charges on mobile

I have a series of complaints about Airtel and my miseries do not seem to be ending. I still regret the date (19th Jan 2009) when I called Airtel regarding NDNC.

Following are my complaints.

1. SIM gets de-activated when I call to complain for unwanted calls despite being registered for NDNC service: I am an Airtel mobile service subscriber with the captioned mobile number. On 19th of January 2009, I called up Airtel Customer Care (121) to register my complaint regarding unwanted calls (as I was registered for NDNC, National Do Not Call services) on my mobile and within 30 minutes (circa) my SIM got deactivated. It was on 19th Jan 2009 at around 7:30 PM. When I called up Customer Care (from my Friend’s mobile) on 20th Jan and enquired why my phone was ‘not working’, I was told that everything was fine at ‘my end’ and I should get my phone checked. I called again and this time I was told that my SIM might have got corrupt and I should get it changed/checked from the nearest Airtel office. I registered a complaint stating that my phone isn’t working (must be there in your logs).

2. Airtel Office in DLF Galleria market, Gurgaon asks for money to change my SIM
On 21st Jan (at about 6:00 PM, after my office) I went to Airtel DLF Galleria office and narrated my complaint but I was told that someone has put in a request to ‘deactivate’ my SIM. Believe me, I would never intend to put a request to deactivate my SIM given that I am steady user of this number since last 5-6 years. They agreed to give me a new SIM with a payment of rupees 100/- (an unwanted penalty and harassment because of no fault of mine). I was promised that my SIM would get activated within 4 hours; the promise was kept and my phone indeed got activated. But the story doesn’t end here…

On 9th Feb 2009, I got an SMS stating that my Airtel mobile bill had been generated and the monthly invoice was rupees 3558.9
I called Airtel customer care immediately but to know that servers are ‘down’ (circa 4:30 PM on 9th Feb 2009) and the executive promised to organize a return call to me ‘within 2 hours’. I could obviously not trust Airtel by then, so I called up myself after 2 hours. I was told that my bill was more than three thousand (and I was shocked to know this since my bill has never crossed rupees 1500 since inception) because I was on roaming in Mumbai on 21st!!!

A person who still regrets having to complaint about frivolous calls despite NDNC registration and who was not in touch with the world for two days (from 19th to 21st Jan, 10:00PM) was ‘roaming’ in Mumbai…(I am dead sure that circling Airtel offices cannot be regarded as pleasant roaming in Mumbai, which is what I was doing between 19th and 21st Jan).

The snapshot of the itemised bill is like this:

1. 20:16 Airtel Mumbai to[protected]:30:00 330.00
2. 20:17 Airtel Mumbai to[protected]:30:00 330.00
3. 20:20 Airtel Mumbai to[protected]:30:00 330.00
4. 20:21 Airtel Mumbai to[protected]:30:00 330.00
5. 20:25 Airtel Mumbai to[protected]:26:38 297.00
6. 20:27 Airtel Mumbai to[protected]:24:29 275.00

Every couple of minutes I have been charged for 30 minute call to single number. How can a person make 3 hrs call in 30 minutes??? Even if someone try to put conferencing logic, why would he conference same number for 5 times??? The bigger question is how will he make a call when his phone is NOT working and the complaint is duly registered!!! Also, do a credibility check on me and my account for last 5 years!!!

It exposes a big fraud where Airtel levies false charges on the customer to make money. I would not have checked it if this would have been a single call!!

The logs of my frequent complaints and calls are clearly reflecting in the Airtel records.


Regards,

Aman Samuel Uttam
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