Bengaluru, November 14: A Bengaluru couple has successfully sued telecom giant Airtel after being billed a staggering Rs 1,03,826 for their international roaming package during a holiday in the Maldives. According to the Times of India report, Lakesh Sanjeeva Shetty, aged 30, and his wife Anitha Raj, aged 26, residents of Kasturi Nagar, activated Airtel's Rs 149 roaming plan for their Maldives trip in April 2018. To their dismay, upon their return to Bengaluru, they received an exorbitant bill, prompting them to contact Airtel's customer care, which provided an unsatisfactory response.

Taking matters to the Bangalore 3rd Additional Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, the couple demanded correction and compensation for the mental agony caused by the overbilling. Airtel's counsel argued that the Bengaluru forum had no jurisdiction and sought dismissal, citing exclusive jurisdiction in New Delhi. However, on October 26, 2023, the judges ruled in the couple's favour, asserting the forum's right to hear the case under the Customer Protection Act 2019, as telecom service falls under its purview. Bharti Airtel Announces Partnership With Microsoft for Integrated Calls on Teams.

Based on TRAI guidelines, the court noted that Airtel failed to adhere to the transparent fixing of credit limits for SIM packages based on customer requirements. The telecom provider also neglected to notify the users when 70 per cent of the credit limit was reached, as stipulated and did not bar the SIM service upon reaching the limit. Additionally, Airtel did not produce a detailed bill for the couple. Bharti Airtel in Partnership With Ericsson Successfully Tests India's First RedCap Technology on Its 5G Network.

The court ordered Airtel to pay Rs 10,000 each to Lokesh and Anitha for the mental agony caused and an additional Rs 10,000 towards court expenses. Furthermore, the telecom company must correct the detailed bill for the customers during the roaming period, resolving the couple's ordeal and emphasising the importance of transparency and adherence to regulations in the telecom industry.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 14, 2023 02:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).