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Beware
of prepaid mobile phone accounts in Sri Lanka
Is
the island’s one of the leading mobile phone service provider, surreptitiously
fleecing its customers?
Sasanka
De Silva, Sultanate of Oman.
Letters to the Editor,
C/O The Editor,
Lanka Web.
Dear Sir,
Is the island’s one of the leading mobile phone service provider,
surreptitiously fleecing its customers?
Yes, they are and here is my story.
First, hear me out carefully, and then keep your ears and eyes opened.
I Guarantee, sooner you would have your own “Ah Ha” moment
too.
I have a prepaid connection with them but use it only when I returned
to the island for a vacation every six month or so. But keep the registration
valid by regularly topping it up.
Recently, after a sports accident and a corrective operation, I was
asked to rest for 3 months and completely assigned to the bed.
Few days in to my forced holiday, I got bored watching whatever the
television channels available on our television.
Thank God, I did not go for the much hyped satellite channels.
Then I am sure I would have had a much ruder shock!
My phone was constantly ON and beside me because that was my contact
line with friends and colleagues, local and overseas.
One day, I saw one of the topping up cards saying, now checking your
credit balance is as easy as dialing 123.
So whenever, I was bored watching television or reading, I used to
call that number up and my current balance would appear on the screen
in no time.
But one day, I realized that I have lost a quite big amount in my credit
balance, even without using the phone.
I mentioned this to my wife and daughter, as they too have subscribed
to the same service provider, but none was ready to accept my story.
This led me to keep a regular check on my balance and I have realized
that on more than one occasion, they have deducted hefty sums, even
when the services have not been availed.
Now one may wonder as to why I did not go to them to lodge a formal
complaint?
Because of my medical condition, I had a very limited mobility and
then I ran out of my prescribed leave and had to returned back to resume
my duties.
For the last three decades, I have been in the Customer Services and
thus I know a personal visit would yield more and quick results than
a phoned-in complaint.
Now my wife says (after closely monitoring credit balance), that she
too experiences the same sort of draining her balance credit off.
Her efforts to contact the Customer Services was met by a blunt reply
that only Post-paid Customers are entitle to get a detailed bill and
not the prepaid ones.
Imaging, we pay even before we use any services, yet we are treated
like dirt when comes to Customer Services and care.
Their advertising is very attractive with prominent sportsmen enticing
you to join them.
But please be aware, that they surreptitiously fleece you, while promising
many but not delivering any.
As they say, now checking your credit balance is as easy as calling
123, so keep a constant monitoring of your credit balance and then you
would realize how they fleece their pre-paid customers surreptitiously.
Sasanka De Silva,
Oman Air,
Po. Box 34, Postal Code : 111,
C.P.O. Seeb,
Sultanate of Oman.
Tele: 00 968 24539522 (Res) – 00 968 92769750 (Mob).
e-Mail: Sasanka@omanair.aero
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