Are you harassed by telemarketers?

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is all set to impose cash penalties on telecom service providers if the privacy of customers is violated by telemarketers, applicable from February 1, 2011

Are you harassed by telemarketers?

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is all set to impose cash penalties on telecom service providers if the privacy of customers is violated by telemarketers, applicable from February 1, 2011

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is all set to impose cash penalties on telecom service providers if the privacy of customers is violated by telemarketers, from February 1, 2011, said TRAI's advisor S K Gupta.

The statement was made in response to pleas made by consumer activists at an open house discussion on review of measures to protect the interest of telecom consumers here today.

"It has often been observed that unregistered telemarketers send SMSes or call up customers, despite the existence of a National Do Not Call (NDNC) registry.

In fact, telecom service providers also tend to play along with these elements, since they get revenues.
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How do you propose to protect consumers when telecom service providers themselves do not do anything?" R B Purohit, a consumer activist had asked.

"We have already put in place two layers of barriers to ensure that telemarketers do not harass customers. We intend to strengthen the do not call registry.

If necessary, we will even monetarily penalise telecom service providers, if they do not do enough to ensure that their consumers are not harassed.
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Not only that, we may even disconnect and debar erring telemarketers if they continue to harass consumers," Gupta said.

Confusing schemes

Consumer activists also criticised the multitude of plans and schemes which tend to confuse consumers.

"There is no single standard scheme across service providers which can enable consumers to make an 'apple-to-apple' comparison of similar schemes in terms of billing.

This ensures that consumers are confused when they wish to change service providers because they have no idea about what the corresponding scheme of rival service providers is.

There must be some specific standard which telecom consumers can easily compare," a consumer activist pointed out.

But when representatives of telecom service providers were asked for an explanation, they claimed that various types of consumers preferred different schemes and that such a multiplicity of schemes was actually in consumer interest.

Consumer activists also requested TRAI that premium rates must not be given to TV game shows, and must be considered only for those who provide professional advice.

What is the National Do Not Call Registry?

The NDNC Registry will be a database having the list of all telephone numbers of subscribers who do not want to receive unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) in the form of calls or SMSes.

After the establishment of NDNC registry, Telephone subscribers (landline or mobile) who do not wish to receive UCC, can register their telephone numbers with their telecom service provider for inclusion in the NDNC.

The telecom service provider shall upload the telephone number to the NDNC within 45 days of receipt. The telemarketer will have to verify their calling telephone numbers list with the NDNC registry before making any call.

To discourage telemarketers who make calls to the numbers registered in Do Not Call List, a provision has been made whereby Rs 500 shall be payable by the telemarketer to the service provider for every first unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) and Rs 1,000 shall be payable for subsequent UCC.

There is a provision for disconnection of the telemarketer telephone number / telecom resource if the UCC is sent even after levy of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 tariff.
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In case of non-compliance to the Telecom Unsolicited Commercial Communications Regulations, 2007, the service provider is also liable to pay an amount by way of financial disincentive, not exceeding Rs 5,000- for first non-compliance of the regulation and in case of second or subsequent such non-compliance, an amount not exceeding Rs 20,000 for each such non-compliance.