The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a set of guidelines to prevent deployment of any dubious characters by telecom service providers to recover service dues from their customers.In a guideline issued on Friday, TRAI asked all telecom service providers to have a “transparent policy” on mode of recovery of dues from consumers.
These guidelines lay broad parameters and also code of conduct to be adhered to by service providers in respect of outsourced agencies engaged by them for collection of dues, without affecting the rights of the consumer. The guidelines has been necessitated as TRAI had received complaints from consumers that service providers have adopted dubious means to collect outstanding dues.
The rules
In case the service provider engages an outsourced agency, it needs to ensure that outsourcing arrangement does not absolve them of their responsibility to fulfill their obligation to consumers.
Before deploying an outsourced agency, advance intimation has to be given to a customer regarding his outstanding dues, TRAI said, adding that service providers would also publish the names and telephone numbers of the outsourced agencies and their authorised staff in their website.
“Service providers shall make appropriate provisions in their agreements/contracts with outsourced agencies to ensure that individuals with criminal background are not engaged as agents,” TRAI said specifically, adding that no agency would issue any legal notice on behalf of a service provider to any consumer.
Agents would have to carry a photo identity card and would never misrepresent themselves as lawyer or policeman or anyone belonging to any government agency, TRAI further said. Service providers can call a consumer only between 8 am 9 pm from the telephone numbers published in their website, TRAI added.