Ref. : ER/press/bsnl.30
The Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Ahmedabad, has partly allowed
a complaint filed by Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS)
and Gujarat Tea Processors & Packers Ltd., Ahmedabad, against
the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) about wrong telephone billing.
“The complainants have proved their case...and established the
deficiency in service” on the part of the BSNL, the Forum observed.
On 26 May 2000, Gujarat Tea Processors & Packers had requested
the BSNL to change its telephone number 2136637 and allot the new
number 2176612. The old number was connected to the manager’s
chamber which was no longer occupied by him and so the phone was used
mostly for receiving incoming calls.
The BSNL did not comply with the request. The complainant continued
to receive bills for the old number and pay them to avoid disconnection.
The complainant’s office was shifted along with the telephone.
On 20 March 2002, the complainant received a bill for a telephone
number which had not been allotted to it. The complainant brought
this to the notice of the BSNL, which realised its mistake and issued
a revised bill.
But the complainant again received a bill for Rs.50,026 for 19 months
for the “new” telephone number. When the complainant declined
to pay against the wrong bill, the BSNL disconnected the telephone
line. It did not provide any evidence about the installation of a
new phone on the complainant’s premises, nor did it clarify why
bills had not been raised for 19 months (except citing technical reasons).
The BSNL did not also provide any details of phone calls made, either
to the complainant or subsequently during the court proceedings.
The complainant approached CERS which took up the matter with the
Forum.During the proceedings, the BSNL threatened the complainant
with disconnecting its other phones and publicising the information
in newspapers. The court viewed this very seriously.
The Forum found the BSNL guilty of deficiency in service and ordered
it to cancel the bill amounting to Rs.50,026. It also asked the BSNL
to pay Rs.10,000 to the complainant towards cost, to deduct and recover
this amount from the salary of the employee who had threatened the
complainant with disconnection of phones, and to submit to the Forum
a salary certificate showing the deduction. The Forum awarded Rs.5,000
to CERS as costs.
Date : 08/08/2006
Pritee Shah
Place: Ahmedabad
Editor
Insight-The Consumer Magazine
Opinions, test results and research findings issued through this
Press Release cannot be used in any form directly or indirectly for
advertising, promotional or commercial purpose.
Consumer
Education & Research Centre (CERC) - Copyrights Reserved 2003.