[Resolved]  Vodafone — Severe misinformation & poor customer grievance redressal & bill of Rs. 1,25,000 due to the former.

Address:

Mumbai Suburban, Maharashtra

As I've previously sent an email regarding my grievances to various of your executives with poor feedback with the usage charges that I'm billed & also a severe case of misinformation by your customer care executive, Mr. Parvez at the Sion Vodafone store.
My number is[protected] & my name is Rushabh Shah. The number has 3G activated (Rs. 6,250 for 6 months at 5GB/month) & I was using the MiFi (Huawei R-201) device available at the Vodafone Sion store.
During the purchase of the device at the store, I had spoken to Mr. Parvez about the device. He informed me of the tariff, etc. Also, he told me that UPON COMPLETE UTILISATION OF THE ALLOTED 5GB THE 3G SERVICE WOULD BE TERMINATED FOR THE REMAINING PART OF THE BILLING CYCLE MONTH. Upon that, HE DREW A PARALLEL TO PREPAID SERVICE SAYING THAT SIMILARLY I'LL BE ABLE TO USE ONLY THE PRE-ALLOTED 5GB, and I took the postpaid service as they do not offer any prepaid service for the same.
The last bit about the 5GB limit was also confirmed by a senior executive Mr. Ravi & Mr. Anup on the customer care number (198). He also clearly said that I will not be able to use the MiFi device once I use the 5GB.
I had purchased the device on the 20th April, 2011 and the services only got activated on the 21st April, 2011. Having been informed that the SERVICE WOULD BE TERMINATED upon completion of the 5GB, I used the 3G service without any inhibitions as my billing cycle would end on 4th May as there's no provision for carrying forward unutilised balance of data.
The device worked as promised till late evening of the 26th April, thereon I was not able to avail the service. Within the next hour I got a text message on the aforementioned number[protected] that services have been terminated due to unbilled usage of Rs. 91,808/-.
As soon as I got the message I dismantled the SIM card & the battery from the device.
Upon reading the same text message I called the customer care, who advised on visiting the Vodafone Store. Also, I mailed the Vodafone Customer Service & the Nodal Officer as prescribed on the complaints section of the Vodafone website.

I WAS MISINFORMED REGARDING THE SERVICE ITSELF BY THE VODAFONE CARE EXECUTIVES UPON THAT ONE IS EXPECTED TO BE THE BRUNT OF NEGLECT & POOR FEEDBACK. I HAVE CLEARLY STATED MY GRIEVANCES & HOPE SOME KIND OF REDRESSAL DOES HAPPEN FROM YOUR END. I HAVE USED THE SERVICE UPON THE MISINFORMATION PROVIDED BY YOUR EXECUTIVES.

The next day itself (28th April) I visited the Vodafone Sion store, where I was made to speak to Mr. Fahad, who was the in-house 3G expert. I was told by him that I was to mail the Vodafone Customer Service, which I'd already done. Also, on the day (as informed by Mr. Fahad) MY UNBILLED USAGE HAD INCREASED TO ABOUT RS. 1,11,000/-, EVEN AFTER HAVING DISMANTLED THE DEVICE THE PREVIOUS DAY. He promised to look into the matter, and also HE TOLD ME THAT A CERTAIN IMC SERVICE WAS NOT ACTIVE ON MY PHONE WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSING THE PROBLEM. On my visit to the Vodafone Sion store, I confronted Mr. Parvez who first agreed & then in the presence of Mr. Fahad he flatly refused my allegations.
Also, Mr. Fahad promised to talk to the department that handles the 3G data services. And also to update me with any developments in my case.

And on the 29th April I spoke to Mr, Fahad over the telephone when he informed me that HE HAD SPOKEN TO THE DEPARTMENT WHICH HANDLES 3G SERVICES WHO HAD CLEARLY INFORMED HIM THAT MY SERVICES WERE BARRED AFTER COMPLETION AFTER UTILISATION OF 5GB.

And then on the 3rd May 2011 I received an email from Ms. Leena Jadhav on behalf of Ms. Zillah V.

The mail from Ms. Leena Jadhav did not clearly address my query. I do not have a complaint about Mr. Parvez on a personal level, but rather the complaint is about being misinformed & hence the charges of Rs. 1,25,804 being levied due to gross misinformation supplied by two of the Vodafone executives (Mr. Parvez & Mr. Ravi). I do not wish the employees to be reprimanded, but that justice be done to my case.
Again, I WAS INFORMED BY THE BOTH THE AFOREMENTIONED EXECUTIVES THAT UPON COMPLETION OF 5GB DATA USAGE THE 3G SERVICES ON MY NUMBER & DEVICE WOULD BE TERMINATED. So this led me to use the service without much worry about the amount of data usage & any other charges.

And I was told to wait for the 4th May by Mr. Fahad to see my bill amount & the bill details.
Which I have done & the BILL AMOUNT IS RS. 1,25,804/-.
After having checked my bill amount, I called Mr. Fahad who told me that he was unable to do anything as apparently my usage was actually amounting to Rs. 1,25,000/- . Also he told me that HE HAD SPOKEN TO THE DEPARTMENT THAT TOLD HIM THAT SERVICES TO THE NUMBER[protected] HAD BEEN BARRED UPON UTILISATION OF 5GB.
Afterwhich I was given the number of the Nodal Officer where I spoke to Mr. Imran who took my complaint, and assured me that I would be reverted back within 48 hours.

Upon lodging another complaint with the Nodal Officer, I spoke to a certain Ms. Roopali Prabhu. She was very clear about only one thing that the bill amount was payable. And internal action would be taken against the employees. That is not consumer redressal. I have used the device, of which I've no doubt. But the problem lies in the fact that I was MISINFORMED by employees who are authorised to interact with customers & inform them CORRECTLY of the services offered.
With the permission of Ms. Roopali Prabhu, I quote her. 'Customer inconvenience is secondary to charges applied, also that the sufferer of the misinformation would be given no heresay or any sort of protection but would be liable to pay the billed amount irrespective of the fact whether the person was misinformed or not. So there's no compensation or reversal available.'
Does this mean that your employees can go about mongering non-factual information about services offered & the consumers who trust the company appointed executives have to bear & suffer the damage without any sort of redressal or protection from the company?

My main contention here is that my usage was propelled by the fact that 5GB was the fixed limit, OVER & ABOVE WHICH I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO USE THE SERVICE.

EG: IF A CUSTOMER WERE TOLD THAT A CERTAIN CALL WOULD CHARGE RS. 10 BY A CUSTOMER EXECUTIVE WHEN IN REAL IT ACTUALLY CHARGE RS. 100, WOULD THE CUSTOMER STILL BE LIABLE TO PAY THE CHARGES? THIS IS UTTER RIDICULOUSNESS!

Grievances -
1. Clear case of misinformation (whether intentional or non-intentional by Mr. Parvez at the Vodafone Sion store. HE CLEARLY TOLD ME THAT MY 3G SERVICES WOULD BE TERMINATED AFTER USAGE OF 5GB.
2. Relying upon the information provided by Mr. Parvez, the resultant usage that I did of the service. DUE TO WRONG INFORMATION PROVIDED. (Refer to point 1)
3. The INCREASE IN UNBILLED USAGE from Rs. 91,808/- to almost Rs. 1,11,000 even when the device was dismantled (and it is even to this date).
4. The fact that, as per Mr. Fahad, that your 3G DEPARTMENT HAD BARRED MY SERVICES UPON DATA USAGE OF 5GB (the 5GB that I have to pay only Rs. 6,250 for 6 months as per the tariff plan). I still have a bill of Rs. 1,25,000.
5. I have a credit limit of Rs. 500 for the same number, and no action was taken or no notification/intimation provided till my unbilled usage reached Rs. 91,808/-

I hope you can reach a settlement as I am a student & cannot absolutely afford to pay such a huge amount. And the fact that my usage is being billed so high IS THE DIRECT FAULT OF WRONG INFORMATION BY MR. PARVEZ & MR. RAVI.

Rushabh Shah
Email - [protected]@hotmail.com