Telecom consumers don't need to worry about unwanted activation of VAS from now on as they have option to register complaint about such services on a new number. The number is common for all operators and wrongful activation of VAS such as caller tunes and mobile internet is not an issue any more. Consumers can call on 155223 to report the issue and operators are liable to refund the amount of the unwanted service if it is reported within 24 hours.
The Chairman of TRAI, Rahul Khullar conveyed that the rule already came to effect from 1st of February. If in case, the consumer failed to report the issue within 24 hours of the service activation also, the service can be deactivated within 4 hours by calling up the new number. However, in such cases, there is no privilege for refund claim for the used service.
On July 4, 2011, there was a rule put forward by TRAI which said, operators are mandatory to ask the permission of consumers before activating any of the value added services which is chargeable. Unlike the rule, operators continued to follow their tactics by mentioning a huge revenue and job loss on the Telecom industry. Telecom operators were given a time limit of three months by the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to follow the rule.
At present, TRAI is strictly demanding operators to follow the rule and to inform the new facility to consumers via SMS. They are also asked to publish the details about the facility in newspapers to make it public.
