[Resolved]  Vodafone — Services disconnection after full payment of bill

I, Peeyush Jain, s/o Late Dr. Usha Jain, have been using Vodafone Essar mobile services vide the postpaid connection number [protected] since last 3-4 years. I make monthly payments using their Cash Kiosk options due to my working in night shifts, which limit my ability to make visits to Vodafore Shops in daytime.

When on 15th. September, 2010 my services got affected due to my delay in making the payment, I made an emergency stop on route to my office to make Cash payment of Rs. 2000 at Vodafone Kiosk located at Shop No. 42, Gaur Gravity Mall, Gaur Green City, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad - 201010. I made cash payment using four five-hundred rupee notes, and got a printed reciept from the machine containing Transaction code of HSIP[protected] and Recipet no. KHSIP[protected]. The reciept contains date/time stamp of 15-Sept-2010 11:14 pm.

I used this Kiosk location for the first time to make my payment, earlier I had made payments using Kiosks located at M2K, Rohini, New Delhi and West Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi, and sometimes in Ansal Plaza, Khel Gaon, Near South Extension. Previously I have never had any major hiccups in payment updation, but this month's payment made at Indirapuram Kiosk mentioned above, never got updated in Vodafone's systems. The tell-tale sign is non-delivery of a confirmation SMS which I used to receive everytime I made a Kiosk payment in the past. I then called Vodafone Customer Care at 111 to inform them of my payment, and got my services activated.

The next day I started getting calls about non-payment of my bills. Most calls came in daytime during the week, when I was asleep as I work night-shift between 8pm evening to 5:30am in the morning. I could not attend all calls, but on every call I did attend, I explained patiently about my payment, giving them details of the transaction from the reciept I had from the Kiosk machine. The customer care staff sternly refused to believe the transaction/reciept numbers, refused to check their server records, and told me to present them a copy of my reciept. On every call I told them about my night shifts, my limitation of not being able to visit a Vodafone store in their daytime hours, and offered to hand over copy of the reciept if a Vodafone executive come to collect it from my home/office locations.

On 17-Sept-2010 I was told an executive would arrive next day between 4-5 pm, but no one came next day which was 18th. So on 18-Sept-2010 I called Vodafone Customer Care at 111, told them about my entire plight, gave them transaction and reciept numbers again, and asked them to update my payment in Vodafone system. I was given Request number [protected], and was promised my payment would be updated in 48 hours. However, 30 mins. after this promise I got another call once again insisting that I visit a Vodafone store and show the reciept I have. I sternly refused since I was unable to make such a visit during weekdays, and told them check and update their servers using the transaction and reciept numbers as a reference. I was not given any concrete assurance it would be done, and the Vodafone staff on the phone kept the phone down saying that he will call back. However I received no immediate callback.

Then on 19th. September 2010 my services were barred for second time. I immediately called Vodafone Customer Care at 111 , told them about the payment details, gave transaction and reciept numbers again. This time I was given another request number [protected] to enable my outgoing services, which indeed got fulfilled in due time. I was sceptical but satisfied that I have made full cash payment at a legitatimate Vodafone Kiosk, and surely now they would update my payment and there would be no more harassment.

However, on 22-Sept-2010 I found my mobile services completely suspended, this time both incoming as well as outgoing. I now wanted to log a complaint, so tried to call their Toll-Free number 198, but found that Vodafone has barred me from making calls to that number as well. I then called Vodafone Customer Care at 111 again, gave them my plight, this time the customer care agent sternly refused any help, citing various vague reasons and kept on telling me that my services have been suspended due to non-payment of bills. I tried to explain a lot that this a fault in Vodafone servers and it must be investigated at their end, but my plight fell on deaf years. After much coaxing, all i got is a promised call back next day around 8am. But I got no such callback, which is not very surprising as my incoming has been barred as well.

On 23-Sept-2010, I sent scanned copy of my reciept to vodafonecare.[protected]@vodafone.com, and then forwarded that email to Sushma Khanna, their Nodal Officer at her email id given on their site (http://www.vodafone.in/existingusers/hns/pages/got_a_problem.aspx?cid=del) which is Sushma.[protected]@vodafone.com.

Then on 24-Sept-2010, which is today, I used a colleague's Vodafone phone to dial 198 which is their complaint number, but after reciting my entire situation, the shift supervisor told me that I have no "genuine" cause for complaint, and he would not lodge a complaint from my side. He asked me to wait indefinitely until my payments details are being updated in the system. I have not received replies from either of the emails.

I find myself in a fix, and resorting to legal solution, I want to file a legal complaint in Consumer forums of Govt. Of India, so that not only my services are restored, but I am compensated for the enormous time, efforts and energies I am investing for no fault of mine. Quite simply put, Vodafone is not honoring its commitement time of four hours for payment updation for cash payments made at their Kiosk machines. Please help.