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MIJ Sadique (NIL)     02 November 2012

Fraudulent bill and lawyer's notice from idea

Sir,

I had taken an Idea postpaid account under the 950/month Netsetter unlimited plan [3G GPRS NS@950 QOS (Unltd)] on 06 July 2012, number of which is 8606104344. Due to some personal problems I wanted to cancel my account and contacted the Idea showroom at Perinthalmanna, Malappuram Dist, Kerala,  from where I had purchased the connection, on 20 July 2012 for cancelling my account. However the representatives told me that it's not possible to cancel the account until the completion of at least one month after taking the connection and asked me to contact them again after completing one month, though they didn't mention any specific date.

After the completion of one month, I approached them again on 08 August 2012 in order to pay the bill of the previous month and to get my account cancelled. After checking my account details they informed me that, in addition to the rental of the first month, I've to pay the full rental of Rs. 950 plus taxes for the second month also in order to cancel the account. I paid the rental for the first month and forwarded a complaint to the Customer Care Department via email.

On 16 August 2012, I got a call from the Customer Care Department and they insisted that, though they would forward the cancellation request, my account will not be cancelled until I pay for the entire second month.

As mentioned, I'd approached the showroom on 20 July 2012, but they asked me to wait for the completion of one month without specifying any date and didn't inform me that I'll have to pay for the entire second month too. Had I got any such information, I'd have proceeded according to that. Also they rejected to receive my application for disconnection, saying that they cannot accept it before the completion of one month.

I mailed the Nodal Officer explaining the issue on the same day, 16 August 2012, and on 18 August 2012, I got a mail from the Customer Care Dept. informing that the connection has been suspended and that there's no amount pending against my number.

Still, I kept getting invoices through email and by post demanding the payment for the second month, and when the representatives called me regarding the non-payment of the invoices, I informed them that the account had already been cancelled. And now, on 01 November, 2012, I've received a lawyer's notice on Idea's behalf, requiring me to pay Rs 1164.84 within 7 days and warning about legal actions otherwise.

The fact is that the account was suspended according to my request and I'd received notification with regard to that on 18 August 2012.

I've the following questions:


1. The obvious question: how should I proceed?

2. What are the implications of the lawyer's notice? Can a case be charged against me and is there any possiblity that I get arrested or my belongings confiscated fo the same?

 

Hope I'll get some help here...



Learning

 2 Replies

Kumar Doab (FIN)     02 November 2012

You may forward your email to Nodal Officer, reply of customer care to Appellate Authority, Customer Care and lawyer and also to local BM, Company Secretary, MD, Chairman of Idea{ Obtain contact details from website}along with your representation and  {title it as NOTICE}demand that lawyer’s notice be withdrawn in writing at once and company should beg apology in writing on its letterhead under the original seal and signature by hand of  its competent employee whose name, designation, dept, address should be written below his signature, so as to reach you in next 7 days by redg. post only or you shall be constrained to approach the institution of print an electronic media, police, anti fraud cell, regulators, NGO’s, consumer help groups, legal-social-public portals, lawyer/law firm, courts of law etc. at their cost and consequences. You may highlight that company declined to receive your written orders for disconnection under proper acknowledgment many times and thus overcharged and extorted monies from you, and once again is resorting to unfair/ illegal/mad/unethical and malpractices, and instead of apologizing is resorting to criminal intimidation, coercion, pressure etc.You may fine tune your representation as suitable to you.

If company approaches you on phone { record the call}you may demand that competent official of the company may come to you at appointed time with all call recordings etc on appointed time, date, venue given by you.  You may ask the company official to show his/her original ID and record the meeting {audio/visual. Mobile comes handy.} And handover copy of the written representation, and minutes of meeting to company’s official under acknowledgment.

You may take crowd of well wishers to the office of the local BM and create enough noise so that the company gets moving. However record everything and submits minutes under acknowledgment.

If nothing works you have the option of issuing legal notice, filing a complaint in consumer Forum.

There are consumer help groups which have done good job, you can approach them too e.g:

www.grahakseva.com/

 

pehredar@network18online.com

 

You can approach them too.

1 Like

DAULAT DILBAUG (Problems related to money marriage matters.-dostnaye@gmail.com)     02 November 2012

All such service provides do these mischiefs to extract money and field staff is on performance or commission to they go on harrasing.

You send mails to nodal officer, appellate officer and than TRAI, continous follow up will only solve the problem.

1 Like

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