Ads making mobile users soreheads!

Cut-throat competition for wooing former Reliance mobile customers taking its toll 

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 21: Of late a cut-throat competition among telecom companies to woo over 12 lakh former Reliance mobile customers is out to make mobile phone users soreheads. Advertisements to woo customers continue for twenty to twenty-five second per call these days.

With the closure of Reliance Communication mobile phone numbers Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is out to make the former Reliance mobile phone users to subscribe to new telecom companies.

PK Kakati, an established businessman of Guwahati, said: “Generally customers availing DND (Do Not Disturb) service don’t receive any such irritating advertisements. However, of late people availing that service are also receiving such advertisements that may cost customers dearly in emergency situation. Will the problem be solved?”

Advertisements before every call sometimes continue for twenty to twenty-five seconds against two/three seconds earlier, making mobile users’ blood boil. When contacted, a source from Aircel said: “The mobile companies have nothing to do in such irritating advertisements. In fact, TRAI approves such advertisements to the Telecom companies. The problem lies with TRAI, not with Telecom companies. Sometimes mobile users go out of control due to such advertisements. A number of customers have already lodged complaints in this regard with the customer care departments of various telecom companies.”

A section of customers says that since they are paying Telecom companies not for such irritating advertisements, the mobile companies have to stop this practice. The problems earlier were call drop and erratic mobile networks, and the latest problem affecting mobile users is unwanted advertisements. Some customers say that if the mobile companies do not stop the mece immediately, they will not sit idle.