Pune:
In an important judgement passed on Monday, Pradip Gaikwad, judge of the Pune District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, has ruled in favour of a consumer and slapped mobile telephony company, Bharti Airtel Limited, with a fine of Rs25,000 and refund of a bill of Rs710.
Bharti Airtel will now have to pay the complainant, Wing Commander (retd) Prakash Sanadi (68), a former fighter pilot and Airtel customer, the amount within a month, failing which they will be charged an interest at 9%.
The judgement was passed after 16 hearings held over 15 months, all of which Airtel failed to attend.
Sanadi, a former post-paid customer of Bharti Airtel, had paid his February 2009 bill of Rs496.20 by cheque on March 20 the same year. This cheque was encashed by Bharti on March 21, proof of which is available with Sanadi. According to Sanadi, despite having made this payment, the company kept calling and texting him.
This continued even after Sanadi had shown the Airtel franchisee in Kalyaninagar the proof of payment. Airtel later disconnected Sanadi's phone on April 6, 2009, and presented him with a new bill for Rs710 on April 9. Sanadi was billed for calls that he never made in the April 6-9 period, as the phone was disconnected.
Sanadi's request for a detailed bill for the Rs710 fell on deaf ears. He paid up on April 13 and destroyed his SIM card in the Airtel franchisee office, not wanting to use their services any more. However, Sanadi's woes continued when his credit card account was debited for another Rs710 through the electronic clearing service, resulting in a double payment to Airtel.
Sanadi asked Airtel for a refund of this additional Rs710 and his service deposit of Rs150, which Airtel refused to pay, prompting Sanadi to move the consumer forum against the company on July 1, 2009.
Sanadi told DNA on Tuesday he had demanded a compensation of Rs25,000 and the refund of Rs710 that had been paid two times by him. "I demanded the compensation because Airtel made me run from pillar to post to prove that I had made the payment and the mental harassment and sleepless nights this caused me," Sanadi said.
According to Sanadi the court case was a tiring affair, as he had to drive a total of 44 km both ways from his home in Keshavnagar, Mundhwa, to the consumer court in Bibwewadi.
Dharmendra Patil, service head for Bharti Airtel and his colleague, Nirmal Gulhane, manager (legal), preferred not to comment.
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Bharti Airtel will now have to pay the complainant, Wing Commander (retd) Prakash Sanadi (68), a former fighter pilot and Airtel customer, the amount within a month, failing which they will be charged an interest at 9%.
The judgement was passed after 16 hearings held over 15 months, all of which Airtel failed to attend.
Sanadi, a former post-paid customer of Bharti Airtel, had paid his February 2009 bill of Rs496.20 by cheque on March 20 the same year. This cheque was encashed by Bharti on March 21, proof of which is available with Sanadi. According to Sanadi, despite having made this payment, the company kept calling and texting him.
This continued even after Sanadi had shown the Airtel franchisee in Kalyaninagar the proof of payment. Airtel later disconnected Sanadi's phone on April 6, 2009, and presented him with a new bill for Rs710 on April 9. Sanadi was billed for calls that he never made in the April 6-9 period, as the phone was disconnected.
Sanadi's request for a detailed bill for the Rs710 fell on deaf ears. He paid up on April 13 and destroyed his SIM card in the Airtel franchisee office, not wanting to use their services any more. However, Sanadi's woes continued when his credit card account was debited for another Rs710 through the electronic clearing service, resulting in a double payment to Airtel.
Sanadi asked Airtel for a refund of this additional Rs710 and his service deposit of Rs150, which Airtel refused to pay, prompting Sanadi to move the consumer forum against the company on July 1, 2009.
Sanadi told DNA on Tuesday he had demanded a compensation of Rs25,000 and the refund of Rs710 that had been paid two times by him. "I demanded the compensation because Airtel made me run from pillar to post to prove that I had made the payment and the mental harassment and sleepless nights this caused me," Sanadi said.
According to Sanadi the court case was a tiring affair, as he had to drive a total of 44 km both ways from his home in Keshavnagar, Mundhwa, to the consumer court in Bibwewadi.
Dharmendra Patil, service head for Bharti Airtel and his colleague, Nirmal Gulhane, manager (legal), preferred not to comment.
Copyright restricted. Under license from www.3dsyndication.com
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