Airtel is probably the 2nd biggest mobile network service provider in india after BSNL (Both Side No Listening=Bharath Sanchar Nigam Ltd) and it seems in their recent attempt to expand outside india and raise money for the same they have gone down to a level where they are crossing the law to make money.
My dad is one of those Zero tech guy who does not know how to use a phone and all its features. He do not know how to save a contact in the phone thus he carries a diary with phone numbers and dial it in his mobile phone. He do not even know how to read, send or delete the messages in his inbox and every now and then he takes the help of people like us to do it for him. It seems airtel is activating value added services without the user requesting for it by just sending a message which basically reads like "we have activated a service on your phone and if you do not want this service call us and cancel it" or "We have activated a service on your phone and you have XX amount of time to call us and cancel it.". My dad does not know how to read or write messages so he neglects such messages but he realized that whenever he charged his prepaid mobile phone with more than 100Rs the money was spent almost instantaneously. We only realized it when my elder brother read the messages from airtel in his inbox. I inquired few of my friends and relatives to dig on this and it was seriously a shocking revelation. Airtel seems to know (they might have their SIM programmed to do so) whether a user reads his messages are not and they already have the data of how many messages a user sends per month. My dad sends or reads zero messages hence they can easily make a database of users like my dad who do not see, read, write messages (sms services) and conclude that these users are either not that literate or will not go to court and sue them hence they can activate such plans and take money from the user. My dad was losing his money every now and then per month without knowing about such draconian methods by airtel. Even if a user goes to consumer court airtel will pay the fine of 1000Rs and it will still continue to do the same to millions of other users (most of the rural, semi urban users like my dad or not that illiterate to read and understand every english text message) and they make millions. Indians especially hindus are insanely tolerant people and they do everything to stay away from courts out of fear and other factors and these corporations know that out of these millions no one will file a case on them in the civil court (not the consumer court) and even if they do no TV Channel or Newspaper reports it because they will lose a top advertiser for their TV Channel or news paper so end of the day irrespective of the cases or complaints airtel will continue to make money unlawfully from the poor and illiterate since they are always a soft target.
My dad is one of those Zero tech guy who does not know how to use a phone and all its features. He do not know how to save a contact in the phone thus he carries a diary with phone numbers and dial it in his mobile phone. He do not even know how to read, send or delete the messages in his inbox and every now and then he takes the help of people like us to do it for him. It seems airtel is activating value added services without the user requesting for it by just sending a message which basically reads like "we have activated a service on your phone and if you do not want this service call us and cancel it" or "We have activated a service on your phone and you have XX amount of time to call us and cancel it.". My dad does not know how to read or write messages so he neglects such messages but he realized that whenever he charged his prepaid mobile phone with more than 100Rs the money was spent almost instantaneously. We only realized it when my elder brother read the messages from airtel in his inbox. I inquired few of my friends and relatives to dig on this and it was seriously a shocking revelation. Airtel seems to know (they might have their SIM programmed to do so) whether a user reads his messages are not and they already have the data of how many messages a user sends per month. My dad sends or reads zero messages hence they can easily make a database of users like my dad who do not see, read, write messages (sms services) and conclude that these users are either not that literate or will not go to court and sue them hence they can activate such plans and take money from the user. My dad was losing his money every now and then per month without knowing about such draconian methods by airtel. Even if a user goes to consumer court airtel will pay the fine of 1000Rs and it will still continue to do the same to millions of other users (most of the rural, semi urban users like my dad or not that illiterate to read and understand every english text message) and they make millions. Indians especially hindus are insanely tolerant people and they do everything to stay away from courts out of fear and other factors and these corporations know that out of these millions no one will file a case on them in the civil court (not the consumer court) and even if they do no TV Channel or Newspaper reports it because they will lose a top advertiser for their TV Channel or news paper so end of the day irrespective of the cases or complaints airtel will continue to make money unlawfully from the poor and illiterate since they are always a soft target.