RCom stops services in North Eastern region; consumer rights body approach TRAI, DoT

An Assam-based consumer rights body has complained to the Department of Telecommunications and the TRAI that Reliance Communications (RCom) has abruptly stopped its services in the North Eastern region

An Assam-based consumer rights body has complained to the Department of Telecommunications and the TRAI that Reliance Communications (RCom) has abruptly stopped its services in the North Eastern region without informing the customers. The Consumers’ Legal Protection Forum (CLPF) alleged that about 12 lakh prepaid and postpaid customers of RCom in the North East are affected since the company’s service virtually collapsed since October 26.

“In its complaint letter to Manoj Sinha, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Communications and RS Sharma, Chairman, TRAI, the forum stated that subscribers of RCom of Assam and other North Eastern states are having a harrowing time since the telecom company stopped its service without any notice,” the CLPF which lodged the complaint yesterday said in a statement. The email was acknowledged, but no clarification came from the company’s side even after 24 hours.

“RCom never informed (the subscribers) that it was going to close down its business. There was no text message nor any advertisement in newspapers,” CLPF secretary Ajoy Hazarika said in the statement.

The telecom company has violated consumer norms by stopping their service without informing the customers, the consumer rights body claimed in its statement.

“There are no prepaid vouchers in the market…. Postpaid consumers are having a tough time to transfer their number to other service providers as they are insisting on clearing the bill first. But RCom has closed its bill payment counters already,” the statement said.

TRAI on November 4 said that RCom has informed it that the company will shut down voice call service from December 1 and its customers can move to other networks by the end of the year.