Re-verification drive: mobile customer woes

Operators in the country are on a massive re-verification drive as ordered by the home ministry. Acting on its orders, operators had asked their subscribers to provide afresh documents such as photographs, address proofs and identity proofs, failing which their mobile numbers are to be disconnected.
The re-verification process was initiated by the government, which cited security reasons. It was found that mobile numbers used to coordinate various terrorist activities in the country were issued without proper verification.
But the process is turning out to be a nightmare for many mobile subscribers.
Telecom Yatra talked to a few subscribers and found that while some of them had submitted (and in some cases resubmitted) documents, they were still being pestered by their respective operators.
Sunita Rathore, a Vodafone postpaid subscriber, submitted her documents twice during the past two months. However, she was asked to do so a third time around as well. Fortunately the operator offered to send an executive to her place rather than calling her to the center again. Nevertheless her document submission status remains pending with the operator.
Anurag Dixit faces a similar problem. “Even after submitting the required documents, I kept getting calls from Vodafone customer care. Also, every time I make a call I have to waste a minute listening to a pre recorded message for submitting the documents.”
Another subscriber who has been using Idea Cellular’s services for the past six years is still being pestered by the company inspite of having submitting the documents.
The prepaid Idea subscriber said, “I have submitted my documents, still these guys keep calling and Messaging me for the documents and asking to go and check with the center.”
The subscriber added, “On contacting the center(in Noida), where I had submitted the documents, customer care executives said they can not help as their system has not been working for the past 3-4 days and they are unable to update the documents status. In addition, the person who is supposed to collect the documents is not well and hence the documents are still lying with them.”
As far as Airtel is concerned, the situation has been quite different. Mayank, a pre paid subscriber of Airtel told us, “I did receive messages and calls from Airtel to submit my documents but could not due to other engagements. My outgoing was barred for a few days but the number started again in a few days without document submission.”
The last date for re-verification, as of now, is December 31, hence operators have just 15 days to set things right. But the way things are going, there is a possibility that many subscribers could find themselves without an active mobile connection at the end of the month despite submitting their documents on time.