Reliance Communications, gallery told to pay Rs 35,000 over abrupt disconnection of number

The Thane District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Reliance Communications Limited and one of its galleries to pay Rs 35,000 to a consumer for creating hurdles when he tried to port out his mobile number and abruptly disconnecting it.

The Commission passed the order on November 2, but it was made available on Wednesday. Citing deficiency in service, Commission President V C Premchandani and member Poonam V Maharshi noted in their order that the compensation will include Rs 25,000 towards mental harassment and Rs 10,000 towards the cost of litigation. The order came on a complaint by Ulhasnagar resident Atal Paramlal Ahirwar who got two postpaid connections from Reliance Communications in 2011.

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The complainant said he was not happy with the service and ported out the numbers to another telecom provider. Ahirwar switched back to Reliance Communications in July 2016. The complainant said he was again dissatisfied with their services and wanted to move to a third operator. While he cleared all the bills, he alleged that Reliance Communications showed the amount as outstanding and did not let him port out. They also disconnected one of his numbers, he said in his complaint to the Commission. While Ahirwar sought compensation of Rs 2 lakh, the Commission asked Reliance Communications and its “gallery” Vaibhav Laxmi Enterprises, Ambernath, to jointly pay Rs 35,000.

The Commission faulted the service provider for disconnecting the complainant’s number and not permitting him to port out. “It means Reliance has made deficiency in service against the complainant,” said the Commission. It also said that the gallery had failed to take up the customer’s grievance with Reliance Communications. “Therefore, the Gallery has also given deficiency in service to the complainant,” ruled the Commission.