Arun 795 Report post Posted September 1, 2008 Financial Express Monday , September 01, 2008 at 17:02 hrs Prepaid mobile subscribers now have more reasons to cheer as TRAI on Monday asked the telecom operators to waive the processing charge on the top-up cards, resulting full talk time on such recharges. Users will now have to pay just an administrative fee not exceeding Rs 2 per recharge and other applicable taxes, TRAI said. The regulator said it was brought to the TRAI notice that telcos are deducting a fixed amount even for recharges exclusively meant for providing talk time to subscribers who already have validity. Such subscribers had already obtained validity by paying a fixed fee. The authority felt that levy of a second processing fee when the customer buys talk time through exclusive top-ups is unjustified, TRAI said. This is one among many initiates taken by the regulator in its latest policy directives for making the telecom service more consumer friendly and transparent. The regulator has also asked the operators to make the tariff related information available in regional languages also other than English as operators would now venture into semi-urban and rural areas where local language is the primary mode of communication. The regulator also said that existing customers on the lifetime plans can migrate to new lifetime plans with lower entry fee without having to make additional payment or recharges. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honest 836 Report post Posted September 1, 2008 ^^^ Thats a great move by TRAI. Actually all these operators are really looting innocent subscribers in the name of PROCESSING FEE, regardless the type of voucher / top-up the subscriber is using. Thats really a good move by TRAI. Regards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raj_raj_in_in 1 Report post Posted September 1, 2008 Thats a GREAT news..... this shud have done before... but its welcome move... now it make sense to stay in prepaid then postpaid.... Hail TRAI Hail TRAi... lol CHEERS Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Himanshu Singh 19 Report post Posted September 1, 2008 its really a welcome move by the regulator. it has once again proved it could bite when required. all the orders were much needed and could not have come at a better time. MTNL already adheres to the order regarding the top up and also they dont have any concept of sms black out day. they dont require customers to send sms to get the benefits of reduced call charges. i am happy that other operators will also follow the rules now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raccoon 53 Report post Posted September 1, 2008 Great! Something which peeved me since begining has gone!! No rationale at all in paying extra charges when you have already bought the validity! It should have happened way before.... However, I always go for full talk time recharges (without even the service tax)... so it didn't really make a difference to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amitbt22 2 Report post Posted September 2, 2008 This compulsion of less procesing fees may lead to non introduction of 100% talktime offers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raccoon 53 Report post Posted September 3, 2008 If that happens, it would the situation worse than before! It would mean a hike of about 13% in tariffs!! Actually, I feel, most telcos had full talk time offers only of v few denominations... and often they change the denominations too! What I'v observed is that, there is a class of users that dont know/dont bother to know about these things. I suspect, the telcos deliberately kept things that way, so that they can make more revenue from the people who dont bother... and those who are fussy about these things can also be satisfied with full talk-time offers. The telcos will loose revenue from the 1st catageory of people... lets hope they dont make up for it by discontinuing the full-talk time offers altogether! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arun 795 Report post Posted September 8, 2008 TRAI's new order highlights: • Subscribers to get full talk time on talk time recharges, barring an administrative fee which shall not exceed Rs.2 per recharge and applicable taxes. • Subscribers to automatically get the benefit of straight tariff reductions without any preconditions of any explicit action by the subscriber, for example, sending SMS etc. • Customers in existing lifetime plans can migrate to new lifetime plans with lower entry fee without having to make additional payment or recharges. • Lifetime customers need not recharge more than once in 6 months for remaining connected • Customers to get key tariff information in vernacular language also at all the retail outlets of the service providers and their franchisees • No change in mobile number when subscriber change tariff plans or move from prepaid to postpaid or vice versa. • Blackout days (customary/festival days on which free/concessional calls/SMS are not available) limited to a maximum of 5 days in a calendar year. Such days to be pre-specified and no subsequent alteration or addition permitted. • Promotional offers to be streamlined. The new measures effective from 15th September 2008 and applicable for all subscribers, new and existing. TRAI's Press Release Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honest 836 Report post Posted September 9, 2008 ^^^ Thats really great my dear friends. Now we can say that TRAI is really doing the good in favour of subscribers. Regards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raccoon 53 Report post Posted September 9, 2008 • Customers to get key tariff information in vernacular language also at all the retail outlets of the service providers and their franchisees How about 1st getting this to happen in English at least? ? ? ? ? ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
@mitJ@in 256 Report post Posted September 9, 2008 • Subscribers to get full talk time on talk time recharges, barring an administrative fee which shall not exceed Rs.2 per recharge and applicable taxes. Reliance has been already waiving off processing fees for last 1 year. Moreover they are also waiving off the Taxes too. For eg Top up of Rs 56 gives 56 77 gives 77 201 gives 201 210 gives 222 301 gives 301 310 gives 333 501 gives 501 510 gives 555 888 gives 1000 1101 gives 1300 Reliance is giving extra right now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KumaarShah 143 Report post Posted September 10, 2008 ^^^ I also feel that all the above extra TT offers may stop once they have to give full TT on other vouchers.... It is all a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul kind of scenario everywhere..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Honest 836 Report post Posted September 10, 2008 ^^^ Very correct my dear Kumaar. It could be like that only. But at the same time, I would like to state that when new operators jumps in the field and competition arise then they could definetely again offer extra TT above the basic value. Regards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
