Reliance jiofi 100% cashback offer with vague terms and conditions
Abhimanyu Bind
(Querist) 04 June 2017
This query is : Resolved
Reliance jio is selling its "JioFi 4G Hotspot dongle" through its website with 100% cashback offer on exchange of old working dongle and 50% cashback offer if buyer does not have old dongle to exchange.
Cashback will be provided in form of additional data, in case of exchange- (Rs. 201 data booster X 10 vouchers)
and in case of without exchange (Rs. 201 data booster X 5 vouchers).
One need to recharge for minimum Rs. 149 or higher to get the benefits of above data voucher on or before 31st March,2 018.
Online buyer need to visit local jio center with invoice and device for availing the benefits
These all terms and conditions can be seen here on jio website,
https://www.jio.com/shop/en-in/jiofi-4g-hotspot/p/491193575
Or in attached screenshot.
Now, after reading about this offer on their website, I ordered the above mentioned device on 22/05/2017 and received the same on 24/05/2017.
I went to local jio center with proofs of buying to get the mentioned benefits.
Upto my surprise, they said you are not eligible for the offer because you have bought device online and we are not giving the offer to online buyers.
I insisted them to read the terms and conditions mentioned on the jio website. They did not agree, insulted me with their rude behaviour and forced me to leave the store.
I launched a complaint on Jio website through email narrating all these story.
With lot of follow ups, after 6 days Jio care people requested me to visit the same store and said they have spoken to store, I'll receive the cashback offer this time.
With lot of doubts and their requests I visited the same store again, and again this time the store guy denied me for offer and refused to have received any communication from their customer care team!
I called customer care for help, they spoken to store guy.
Then after, store guy said to me, there is lot of confusion, visit tomorrow, we will do something.
Here the twist come in story,
Next day I received call from local jio officer,
He said, you compulsorily need to buy a new Jio Sim to get the benefits of cashback, you compulsorily need to pay 99 for sim +309 for recharge= total Rs. 408
Then the cashback offer will be linked with the new SIM.
If you don't buy we will not give you cashback.
Since, then lots of mailing and phone communication has done, and their only point is, I'll not receive the Cashback offer if I don't buy a new sim.
And my points against this compulsion which came in story after 7 days of buying the cashback offer device,
1) I already have a jio sim bought under prime membership plan and recharged with 303, and there is NO SPECIFIC MENTION IN T&C anywhere that "old customers would not be eligible for this offer and one compulsorily have to buy a new sim to avail this offer".
2) They have mentioned in T&C one can recharge with minimum 149, the fact is, this plan of 149 is not in existence now and it will be in existence probably after July, they are forcing to recharge with 308 only and again this thing is not mentioned anywhere.
3) They have mentioned that one will receive data booster vouchers, after 7 days of buying the device they are saying booster vouchers will be linked with sim and automatically activated.
After raising all these questions to them, they told me about some more T&C which is in PDF form attached on the same website. I tried to read that again there I could not found any specific compulsion to buy a new sim to avail the offer, no specific mention about old customers having JIO Services.
Even that PDF T&C have bearing one point which says "JIO can change these T&C anytime without giving prior notice.
After their lot of force suddenly to buy a new sim with a payment of a good additional amount, I'm feeling cheated.
Their appellate authority is not replying my emails.
Please suggest the right course of action.
Thank you in advance.
P. Venu
(Expert) 05 June 2017
You can approach the consumer court.
Abhimanyu Bind
(Querist) 05 June 2017
Thank you for the reply Sir. Is there any fault from my side if I bought a product by trusting on advertisement and primary t&c displayed on the offer page? And later on something different communicated to me which was not displayed on offer page at the time of buying the product?
krishna mohan
(Expert) 07 June 2017
Yes you can go to consumer forum for redressal. But it is a long drawn process and you have to decide whether it is worth pursuing for the value you have to spend now and decide.
Abhimanyu Bind
(Querist) 07 June 2017
Thank you for the reply Sir, now it is not only about spending some more amount, i.e. Rs. 408 but now it is about, Cheating through misleading advertising, unfair business practice with huge mismanagement and mental harassment with wasting lot of time!
Guest
(Expert) 07 June 2017
Mr. Abhimanyu,
My belief is, marketing is always a bundle of lies that companies adopt to promote their products and services. Buying of any product should not be based merely on brief marketing ads. Always buy after fully analysing the detailed terms & conditions, more specifically where the same relates to reliance products.
Just think, if they have given free services for the initial period of three months or so, they did not intend to make their company bankrupt by spending multi crores of rupees from their own pocket. That was a very shrewd method of luring crores of customers to their net.
AS a CA, you can also realize the secret of their written condition, "JIO can change these T&C anytime without giving prior notice," that itself denotes they intended not only to recover their initial lossful expenditure, but also aimed to pick the pockets of customer further to ensure their profits in continuation by changing the terms that may harm the interest of the customers for the purpose of churning profits. Otherwise, ethically, any term if changed subsequently after buying the product should have been duly notified to the existing customers for their acceptance of the terms or surrender of their services, if not agreed to.
If their terms did not contain buying of any more product or service at the time of buying, but now insisting upon that, surely that becomes a case for consumer forum to seek justice.
Abhimanyu Bind
(Querist) 07 June 2017
Thank you for the reply Dhingra Sir. Their main web page is not denoting any such compulsion to buy additional product.
It's actually claiming 100% cashback on exchange of old dongle and 50% cashback without exchange.
It is the PDF attachment headed with words "T&C for 100% cashback" where they have mentioned for buying a new Sim and again they have not mentioned anything about old customers who already have subscribed their services before buying their offered device.
Indirectly they have linked paying for new sim with their device.
And ultimately buying a new sim automatically disclaims their offer of 100% cashback, which they are not ready to accept for any reason!
rajeev sharma
(Expert) 12 June 2017
In India on line trade is flourishing because there is no no legal mechanism to trap their lies and malpractices. You are one of the millions who suffered relying on Reliance. Hiding the terms of offer under fine print is a part of game by companies because our defective law has no guidelines for it. Only course available to you is filing a complaint the company if you are ready to incur litigation expenses to realise the cost of WI FI device.
Guest
(Expert) 12 June 2017
Dear Abhimanyu,
You should understand one thing that Reliance Group always tries to go several steps ahead than the law makers and investor gets cheated due to his own ignorance. So, it becomes incumbent upon the buyer to go very deep in to the terms & conditioned slated on any or every of their documents/ website before he buys any product to avoid repenting later on,
Right now, you can only pin hopes on the Consumer forum. Hopefully to get justice, provided your lawyer is capable of competing their lawyer in bringing the facts before the forum.
