I bought a 3G Data Card of Idea with Post Paid billing from Trade Fair in Delhi in November Last year. My usage is not that much so I rarely used it but kept paying bill. Then I noticed that whenever I try to use the service many a times the Data Card doesn’t work. I reported this to customer service and they told me that there could be some issues in network and problem will be solved. But problem never got solved and I kept getting bills. I tried to again report to the customer service and they told me that some places the connection might be bad, but they are increasing their coverage. At that point I felt why I am paying the bills when I’m not even getting the service!! So I stopped paying the bills and didn’t pay for around 2-3 months to the amount Rs 642 and Idea disabled my account in June.
Now that is where the harassment of collection calls started. I started getting calls for payment of dues from Idea (or their appointed collection agency). I told the calling executives that my data card was not working and that is why I stopped paying. Just get your technicians involved to solve my problem and I don’t have problem paying the bills. But no explanation worked with them and I kept getting calls again and again without any attention to my problem or what I said in previous call. At times when I was on phone talking to others, they used to call again and again. There was never an issue of payment of small sum of Rs 642, it was more a IDEALISTIC feeling that why should I pay for a service that I never got. Now the MAJOR CLIMAX came which made me write my first review here on MouthShut.
On 23 Aug 2012 I got a call from number +91-9540981414 at 2:45pm from a lady calling her as Deepika Chaudhry. She told me that she is calling from "Soochna Vibhag" of Tees Hazari Court and a case is being filed there against me by some Mr Deepak Batra of DLS (Delhi Legal Services) company. If I want more details, I should call Government Advocate Mr. Rakesh Sharma at number 9871249558 giving him the reference number of case file No. 100/3034. Being a law abiding citizen and never involved in any court case and all, I got first scared!! I was also thinking that something is fishy but was curious to know that what is all this case about and from an unknown person. I called Mr Rakesh Sharma and he tells me that it is regarding the IDEA bill pending amount Rs 642. If I submit payment by 4:15pm then they’ll do it outside court otherwise I’ll have to pay the court fee of Rs 3000 plus and the hassle of visiting court and all. He tactically told me that there is already 2 calls for my name done in this case and by 4:15pm if I don’t make the payment, I’ll be in trouble and summons will be issued by the court. I said why I didn’t get any written notification about this, then he said notice was sent to you (which I never got!!). Now at this time I knew that it was not any call from court and it was IDEA’s (or their appointed third party) call center and they are just HARASSING me for collection. But I have had enough with all these calls and it was wasting too much of my time for too small amount. Also there was a little confusion in my mind also that what if this was real, I’ll be wasting lot of time and money. So I decided to pay and use internet as a medium to bring this up against IDEA’s CHEAP tactics to harass its customer, without providing the proper services to the customers. After I paid I called Ms Deepika Chaudry to let them know about the Receipt Num of my payment (as was told to me by Mr Rakesh Sharma). I told her that I know that she is not calling from Tees Hazari Court and now I’ll take the fight against IDEA on the internet. She became offensive!! I cut off the phone and she called back again and again. When I picked the phone again, she threatened me by making up the voice and saying things which I couldn’t understand well. So this is the extent to which these companies may go to harass the customers if their bills are not paid. They don’t care if the customer is receiving the service properly or not. They are just concerned about their bills. I’m sure next step would have been to send some goons at my home to collect the bills. They don’t care weather the service was given or not or why customer has not paid the bill.
I hope this post will be read by some IDEA’s highly placed executives and some action will be taken against the collection people for their harassing tactics to get the money out of their customer, without addressing their issues AT ALL. I even think whatever they did with me was illegal and I can possibly file an FIR against these people and phone numbers!!
If this post doesn’t get any attention from IDEA then at least this will help some other consumers like me to be aware of these type of tactics being followed by these big corporates.