Rent rebate after phones go dead

[Atul Patankar]

As reported by Express NewsService on January, 17 2009

Pune: The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has issued an interim circular to give a “rent rebate” to 22,700 customers whose telephones had gone dead for three or more days in a row. Caused by technical faults, this had happened intermittently over a 14-month period.

In December, the BSNL deputy general manager wrote the general manager (finance) urging him to sanction a rent rebate to all customers whose telephones had been dead for more than three days.
In July 2008, Sajag Nagrik Manch president Vivek Velankar had sought to know — under the Right to Information (RTI) Act — about the telephone connections in the city that became non-functional for more than 15 days at a stretch in the period between April 2007 and July 2008.

The BSNL replied in August that the number of bulk cable faults was 14,430, while other cases included 10,000 connections — in other words, 24,430 telephones suffered on and off.

“The delay in clearing complaints or faults in general was due to cable faults, cable damages, cable thefts and cable cuts in road-widening work of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Besides, to attend to the faults, the PMC’s permission is required for digging the road; further, labour is also involved for digging and joining disconnected cables,” BSNL replied to Velankar. The BSNL had paid a rent rebate of Rs 2.25 lakh to 1,720 customers who approached the utility, against the total of 24,430. “Telephones remaining dead for weeks is a nightmare for consumers, psychologically as well as financially. And then the telephone company charges full rent for the month despite the phone remaining dead. This, despite the company’s own rules that stipulate giving rent rebate to consumers whose phone has been dead for over 15 days,” Velankar said.

In September, Velankar wrote to BSNL to first hand over the “rent rebate” to the remaining 22,700 customers by passing it on in the next telephone bill. He had also demanded that the company should henceforth make sure that the “rent rebate” is passed on to consumers automatically, without being asked for. On December 19, BSNL issued the interim circular for giving the rebate to the remaining customers.

Source: Rent rebate after phones go dead - Express India

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[Atul Patankar]

Sponsorer

As reported by the Times of India, Pune on january 18, 2009

[CENTER]BSNL to rebate rent to customers for dead, faulty phones[/CENTER]
PUNE: Customers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd's (BSNL) landline telephone services in Pune whose telephones had been dead or faulty for 15 days at a stretch between April 2007 and July 2008 are all set to get a rent rebate.

BSNL's administrative department wrote to the finance department in December, asking it to extend the rent rebate to all eligible customers.

The move comes after the matter was taken up with BSNL by Sajag Nagrik Manch president Vivek Velankar. Velankar had filed a plea under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to know the rent rebate passed on to customers whose phone connections had been dead or faulty for 15 days between April 2007 and July 2008.

"The information provided by BSNL revealed that only 1,720 of the 24,430 such customers received the rent rebate," said Velankar. "All customers whose telephone lines have been dead or faulty for 15 days at a stretch are eligible for the rebate," he added.

Velankar says he wrote to BSNL in September, asking it to pass on the rent rebate to the remaining 22,000-odd eligible customers.

After he did not get a reply from the company, he filed another RTI application. "This application sought to know the action taken on the letter, whether the rent rebate had been given to the around 22,000 customers and if not, the difficulties faced in passing it on," Velankar said.

"The BSNL replied that the rent rebate will be given to all customers whose telephones had been dead for over 15 days from April 2007 to July 2008. A letter has been forwarded to the company's finance department in this regard," Velankar stated.

Velankar further said that the company should pass on the rent rebate to eligible customers suo motu. "The amount should be adjusted in the next month's bill without seeking applications from customers," he further said.
Source : BSNL to rebate rent to customers for dead, faulty phones-Pune-Cities-The Times of India