Man made to wait for over 10 months for phone activation
A consumer court issues bailable arrest warrants representatives of a Warid Telecom, for not appearing before court.
LAHORE:
A consumer court on Monday issued bailable arrest warrants for March 10 for the managing director, general manager and another representative of a Warid Telecom Limited franchise, for not appearing before the court in a suit seeking payment of Rs200,000 in damages for allegedly providing faulty services.
Muhammad Afzal, filed a petition submitting that 10 months after paying to have his phone activated, the franchise had still not done so.
Afzal said that he had visited the Warid franchise at 35-B Wahdat Road on February 12, 2010, and paid money for a post-paid account and phone activation. He said a shop employee named Kaif, a respondent in the petition, had told him that his SIM would be activated the next day. When that did not happen, Kaif apparently told him he would have to wait another 60 days. Two months later, he again visited the franchise office only to be told they were having trouble with his previous telecom network and he would have to wait some more.
The complainant told the court that Kaif gave him three phone numbers to call for questions about his account so he would not have to keep visiting the office. He said that whenever he called one of the numbers, he was given other excuses for why his phone hadn’t been activated.
Afzal said that he had served a legal notice on the Warid franchise on December 31, 2010, asking that his complaint be addressed and he be compensated. He said his notice had been ignored. The consumer court had issued notice to the respondents to record their statements a month ago, but no one appeared. At Monday’s hearing, the judge issued bailable arrest warrants of the respondents for Rs50,000 each and adjourned till March 10.
Sajjad Ali, assistant manger for litigation at Warid Telecom, said that he did not know about the case, but if a franchise were found guilty of providing faulty services, the company would investigate and take appropriate action.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2011.
A consumer court on Monday issued bailable arrest warrants for March 10 for the managing director, general manager and another representative of a Warid Telecom Limited franchise, for not appearing before the court in a suit seeking payment of Rs200,000 in damages for allegedly providing faulty services.
Muhammad Afzal, filed a petition submitting that 10 months after paying to have his phone activated, the franchise had still not done so.
Afzal said that he had visited the Warid franchise at 35-B Wahdat Road on February 12, 2010, and paid money for a post-paid account and phone activation. He said a shop employee named Kaif, a respondent in the petition, had told him that his SIM would be activated the next day. When that did not happen, Kaif apparently told him he would have to wait another 60 days. Two months later, he again visited the franchise office only to be told they were having trouble with his previous telecom network and he would have to wait some more.
The complainant told the court that Kaif gave him three phone numbers to call for questions about his account so he would not have to keep visiting the office. He said that whenever he called one of the numbers, he was given other excuses for why his phone hadn’t been activated.
Afzal said that he had served a legal notice on the Warid franchise on December 31, 2010, asking that his complaint be addressed and he be compensated. He said his notice had been ignored. The consumer court had issued notice to the respondents to record their statements a month ago, but no one appeared. At Monday’s hearing, the judge issued bailable arrest warrants of the respondents for Rs50,000 each and adjourned till March 10.
Sajjad Ali, assistant manger for litigation at Warid Telecom, said that he did not know about the case, but if a franchise were found guilty of providing faulty services, the company would investigate and take appropriate action.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2011.