Reliance Jio asked telecom regulator TRAI to impose highest penalty on Airtel in giving misleading tariffs ads. The advertisements issued by Airtel for prepaid and postpaid tariff packs for unlimited calls and free data is in “gross violation of extant telecommunication laws”.
It alleged that the free calls under Airtel’s Special Tariff Vouchere 345 were not really unlimited as Airtel as implemented FUP (Fair Usage Policy) of 300 minutes/day or 1,200 minutes /week, after that all calls are chargeable.
“Therefore, these prepaid packs do not provide unlimited free calling to customers. This fact is not discernable from the advertisements of Airtel and neither does Airtel specify in the advertisements that such limitations apply or are conceived as part of the terms and conditions,” Jio.
It also claimed that FUP related information is provided only by call centre executives of Airtel and that too when the issue is specifically highlighted to them.
It said that this was violative and inconsistent with TRAI’s instructions dated September 10, 2010.
On Airtel’s advertisement of ‘Free data for 12 months, worth Rs. 9000’ on the prepaid sTV of Rs 347, Jio alleged that the data benefits were available only on paying Rs. 345 and therefore, could not be termed free.
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