World Consumer Rights Day
- WD Team
Indian Merchants’ Chamber in collaboration with Bombay Telephone Users’ Association (BTUA) had organized a Consumer Awareness Programme to celebrate the World Consumer Rights Day on 15 March 2008 at the Jaihind College Auditorium, Mumbai.
The Chief Guest was Ms. C. Krishnamurthy, Vice-Chancellor, SNDT Women's University; Principal Guest of Honour Shri R. N. Prabhakar: Member, TRAI and guests of honour were the various service providers, consumer organisations and eminent citizens.
The eminent panel members who discussed various issues dogging the consumer in the new age technology were:
Mr. Mahesh Uppal: Expert in Telecommunications Policy and Regulation
Mr. DPS Seth: Former CMD, BSNL and former Member, TRAI
Ms. Rekha Jain: Professor in Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
Mr. Paranjoy Guhathakurta: Journalist and TV Anchor
Ms. Sucheta Dalal: Journalist and Consumer Activist
Mr. Sudhir Gupta: Senior Advisor, TRAI
Mr. M C Chaube: Senior Advisor, TRAI
Mr. H L Gupta: Bharti Airtel
Mr. Rajesh Kumar: Consumer Unity Trust, Jaipur
Some of the telecom issues raised and discussed were on: 1. Spectrum and everything one needs to know. 2. Number portability and the freedom of the consumer to choose the service provider. 3. Consumer grievance redressal systems.
According to Mr. Achintya Mukherjee, BTUA, "This was an attempt to bring the consumers and service providers on the same platform. An open session to help the regulators to get direct feedback from the end users. For this we got in a panelists to monitor and pave the way to closer interactions. TRAI has taken up issues like directory, VOIP at national level, broadband speed issues, etc. The new telecom regulations allow healthy competitions but the reality has proved otherwise. It actually takes only Indian six paisa per call cost to the service providers but charge huge amount, specially at call pulses at 60 seconds and call loss time to the consumers."
The service providers often quote and compare call prices to other countries, not revealing that the running and operating cost is also the lowest in India. Charges are also being levelled against the service providers for ending the call or rather counting each call at 57 pulse seconds and not the full 60 seconds. The mecahnism of testing the equipment and managing the calls has been put in place but then who will monitor the inspectors?
Other issues were related to broadband speed and what the minimum speed should be provided to consider the internet service provider has officially offering it as broadband service. Besides there are more charges against the ISP's in this competitive scenario. For example, ISP are charging users for data downloads than the actual file downloads and despite offering unlimited download options, they are actually capping the data downloads. Besides wrongfully charging customers even for the days the broadband have not been utilized.
Citizens should come forward and complain and follow-up or else they will continue to be taken in for a ride was the strong message given out.
