Wednesday, August 21, 2013

The Vodafone Number Portability Scam

By Registered Post A/D

To
Mr. Mxxxxn Pxxxxxxs
Managing Director & CEO
Vodafone India Ltd
Mumbai.


Date : Aug 21, 2013


Subject:
Payment of Rs. 50,000/- (rupees fifty thousand only) as damages for harsasment and causing mental trauma during the port out of Vodafone numbers 98xxxxxxx, 98xxxxxxxx, 98xxxxxxx. Also demanding Reimbursement of Bills Paid by the undersigned for services rendered during the period May 18, 2013 to June 26, 2013, the same being the period wherein the undersigned was forced to be a Vodafone customer owing to illegal rejection of port out request

Sir,

This is to place on record the following:

  1. I, the undersigned, used to hold seven Vodafone numbers viz, 982xxxxx, 982xxxxx,  982xxxxx  The numbers were part of corporate account under the name of Sxxxx Cxxxxxé, a Consultancy wholly owned by me.

  1. Due to slow response and bad service, I decided to port out from Vodafone. To that extent the following Porting codes were generated in the first week of May 2013:
    1. VM2xxxxx for 98xxxxxxxx,
    2. VM2xxxxx for 98xxxxxxxx,
    3. VM2xxxxx for 98xxxxxxxx,
    4. VM2xxxxx for 98xxxxxxxx,
    5. VM2xxxxx for 98xxxxxxxx,
    6. VM2xxxxx for 98xxxxxxxx, &
    7. VMxxxxxx for 98xxxxxxxx.

  1. As I had been warned in many blogs that Vodafone will try to delay the port out under some pretext or the other, I visited the Vodafone Gallery at Borivali on May 14, 2013 and asked the executive if there are any formalities that I needed to complete to ensure that the port out request for my numbers are not rejected. The executive said that if there are no pending dues against my numbers, they would be ported out. She reconfirmed that everything is clear and the numbers would be ported out without any problems.

  1. As it turned out, on May 19, two of my numbers viz, 98xxxxxxxx and 98xxxxxxxx were ported to my new operator. However, the request was denied for the other numbers, viz, 982xxxxx, 982xxxxx,  982xxxxx with the following message:
“Namaste! Request Rejected by Donor as the Porting Code does not match the Donor allocated Porting Code for this number.”

  1. Thereupon, new porting codes were generated for the numbers 982xxxxx, 982xxxxx,  982xxxxx on May 07.

  1. However, the porting requests were rejected again with a message,
“Hello! Your Porting Request VMxxxxx dated 28 May13 has been rejected due to Approval pending from your Authorized Signatory since this is a Company account. Request you to call our customer care at 111 or walk in to our Stores for further action”.

  1. You are, herein, through this letter, called upon to answer why the numbers 982xxxxx, 982xxxxx,  and 982xxxxx were rejected while on the same permission, the numbers 982xxxxx and 982xxxxx were allowed on an earlier date on the same set of documents.

  1. Upon receiving the rejection communication, on May 28, 2013 I called the vodafone complaint number 198 to enquire why my request for porting out the following numbers 982xxxxx, 982xxxxx,  982xxxxx were denied. I was told it was denied pending approval of the authorized signatory. I informed the executive that I was the authorized signatory and despite following the procedure my porting requests were illegally denied. Thereupon, I was informed that I have to follow the following procedure, i.e. write an email to corporate.assist@vxxxxxxxne.com  authorizing the port out. I asked the executive why the executive at the Vodafone gallery when I visited them on May 14 did not mention that this procedure had to be followed. Then I asked him to generate a docket number that says that my request for port out will not be rejected if I followed the above mentioned procedure. The docket number thus generated was docket number 628xxxxxx.

  1. Thereupon, I wrote an email on the same date May 28, 2013 at 22:34 hours to corporate.assist@voxxxxe.com and Mexxxxxor.Lxxxs@voxxxxne.com with the following text:
“Reference to the docket number 628xxxxx & Reference to the mobile numbers 982xxxxx, 982xxxxx,  982xxxxx. Please treat this email as authorisation from the authorized signatory for the port out of the following numbers 982xxxxx, 982xxxxx,  982xxxxx”

  1. On the same day, May 28, 2013 at 2235 hours I received a mail from acknowledgements@vxxxxxxe.com stating that the matter has been referred to their concerned department and they will definitely revert within two working days.

  1. But sadly there was no such revert and the port out of my numbers 982xxxxx, 982xxxxx,  982xxxxx was again rejected on June 3, 2013 with the message:
“Hello! Your Porting Request VM2xxxxx dated 03Jun13 has been rejected due to Approval pending from your Authorized Signatory since this is a Company account.. Request you to call our customer care at 111 or walk in to our Stores for further action”. 
You are called upon to explain the reason why the porting request was denied.

  1. Immediately I called Vodafone Complaint number 198 and asked the Executive on what basis the request was denied. Instead of giving any explanation he kept on repeating that it was rejected pending approval from authorized signatory. Even when I explained to him that I was the authorized signatory and that I had authorized in writing, by email and by visiting the gallery and telling in person that I am authorizing the Port Out, the executive just acted dumb and kept repeating the statement. Frustrated I asked him to generate a docket number. He gave me docket number 6xxxxxxx.

  1. So once again, on June 3, 2013, I took leave of absence from my work and visited the Vodafone gallery. On that day, I spent about four hours at the gallery trying to solve the problem. Finally, the matter was scaled up and the floor manager who intervened said the issue will be sorted out. He advised me to forward the authorization mail of May 28 to sxxxxxm.kxxxxn@vxxxxxxne.com and promised that the port out will not be rejected the next time. He confirmed that there were no pending dues against any of my numbers, there were no formalities that I needed to complete from my end and that the numbers will definitely be ported out.

  1. However, by now I had lost faith in Vodafone and their promises. I requested the executive to give me in writing that the Port out will not be rejected. I was told that within two days Vodafone will send me an email confirming that the Port out will not be rejected.

  1. When I did not receive any confirmation within the stipulated time, I called Vodafone Complaint Number 198 on June 5 and generated docket number 63xxxxxxx. 

  1. Since things were not moving, I took leave of absence from work and visited the Vodafone gallery on June 06, 2013. The executive, as usual, gave the standard line that nothing is wrong and it will be processed without any problems the next time. However, I insisted that I will not leave the gallery till Vodafone gives me in writing that my Port out will not be rejected or state conditions that I need to fulfill. Again the matter was scaled up and the Floor Manager tried to give me verbal assurances. However, this time I refused to take his word. This prompted the staff at the gallery to call the Vodafone back end and after some time gave me the mobile number of the Zonal Sales Head, Mr. Mxxxxxxr Lxxxxs.

  1. Mr. Mxxxxxr Lxxxxs confirmed to me that he will personally look into the matter and arrive at a conclusion within 24 hours. Upon assurance from such a senior person I decided to go home. But before leaving the gallery, I insisted with executive against his misgivings to generate a docket number. I was given the docket number 6xxxxxx.

  1. The same evening, I placed the entire conversation with Mr. Melchior Lewis on record and sent a mail to Mxxxxxxxr.Lxxxxs@vxxxxxxe.com, with a copy marked to sxxxxxxm.kxxxxn@vxxxxxe.com, corporate.assist@vxxxxxne.com, Vodafonecare.Mum@vxxxxxxe.com. The mail stated the following:
“This is to put on record that as per conversation held with Mr. Mxxxxxxr today (June 6, 2013) at 1707 hours from my mobile number 98xxxxxxx from the vodafone gallery at Borivali West, Mr. Mxxxxxxxr Lxxxxxs has promised to get back to me within 24 hours with a resolution to my one month long complaints.
The docket number 63xxxxxx was generated under my insistence at the vodafone gallery to record my visit and the fact that the vodafone gallery at Borivali West handed over my complaint to Mr. Mxxxxxxr Lxxxxs and said my complaint will be resolved by Mr. Mxxxxxxr.
Awaiting the revert.”

  1. Between June 06 and June 10, I called up Mr. Melchior Lewis every day with the exception of weekends. Initially he would pick up my calls, but subsequently the calls would go unanswered. Frustrated with this, I decided to scale up the matter. On June 10, 2013, I sent a mail to the appellate authority at Appellate.mum@vxxxxxxxe.com. The mail, also marked to corporate.assist@vxxxxxxxe.com and Vodafonecare.Mum@vxxxxxxxe.com, with the subject line, “ Unresolved complaint on my mobile numbers 96xxxxx, 96xxxxxx, 96xxxxxx, 98xxxxxx” contained the following message
“This is to kindly inform you that despite repeated requests and reminders Vodafone has been denying me the permission to port for the last one month under some pretext or other. It may be noted that I have followed all procedures and guidelines, have no dues pending against me, yet the port out requests are being denied in a clear violation of TRAI norms.
The last docket number generated in this context is 6xxxxxx.
This complaint is in reference to my mobile numbers xxxxxxxxx, xxxxxxxxx, xxxxxxxxx.
Awaiting an immediate resolution”

  1. On the same day, I also sent another mail to Mr. Mxxxxxr Lxxxxxs requesting him to adhere to his promise of June 6 of reverting within one day.

  1. But, like everything else, this too went unanswered.

  1. Further to my continuous follow up, Vodafone started stonewalling in another manner. When I would call the Vodafone Care 9820098200, they would say that they cannot help me as I was a corporate customer and that I should be calling the number 9920066666. This number in turn would tell me that since I am not registered with them, I will have to call up 9820098200. Meanwhile, Mr. Mxxxxxxr Lxxxxxs just refused to pick up my calls.

  1. Frustrated, on June 13, 2013, I wrote a mail with the subject line, “Harassment By Vodafone” to Appellate.mum@vxxxxxxxe.com, corporate.assist@vxxxxxxxe.com, Vodafonecare.Mum@vxxxxxxxe.com and Mxxxxxxr.Lxxxxx@vxxxxxxxe.com.  The content of the mail was as follows,
“This is with reference to my numbers 96xxxxxx,96xxxxxx, 96xxxxxx, 96xxxxxx and  96xxxxxx.
This is with reference to docket number 640xxxxx
This is to place on record that my relationship manager Mr. Mxxxxxr Lxxxxs does not pick up my calls. This is to place on record that when I called 9820098200 to redress my complaints they said they cannot help me and that I have to call 9920066666, who in turn said that my complaint will be redressed by 9820098200.I am being pushed from one department to other.
This is to formally lodge a complaint with you, the designate appellate authority, that your company is indulging in gross violation of basic services and complaint redressal of me as a customer.
I kindly request you to provide me with a Unique reference number on this complaint “

  1. The mail, of course, went unanswered.

  1. From then on, every day, twice a day I spent almost 30 minutes on each occasion (considering the very long hold to get connected to the appellate authority number 9820015713) calling up the appellate authority demanding a redressal. On each occasion I was told that somebody will call back. Six separate docket numbers viz, 64xxxxx, 64xxxxxx, 6xxxxx8, 64xxxxxx7, 64xxxxxx2, 6xxxxxxx8 were generated.

  1. Finally on June 19, 2013 at 1509 hours I received a mail from Mr. Mxxxxxr Lxxxxxs saying, “Sincerely regret the delay in response. We confirm that we have released your numbers as per your request.”

  1. The numbers were finally ported out on June 26, 2013.

  1. I say and submit that Vodafone stonewalls most porting requests in this manner. But that is a matter for TRAI and Department of Telecommunications to investigate. In my case, I am convinced that it was a cheap attempt by Vodafone to frustrate my attempts of porting out to a competing service provider and force me to stick with Vodafone despite providing terrible service.

  1. The period between May 18, 2013 (when the porting out request was illegally rejected) and June 26, 2013 (when the port out finally happened) I was forced to use the services of Vodafone illegally. Besides losing working man hours, I was subjected to frustration and mental trauma, while you profited from the whole enterprise.

  1. Through this note I request you to compensate me all the money that was billed to me during this period and damages of Rs. 50,000/- for harassment and mental torture.



Bxxxxxxxa Pxxxxxi
Director
Sxxxx Cxxxxxxxé
Borivali (West), Mumbai-4xxxxx1.




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