THE day I opted for the newly introduced ‘Flash Fiber’ by the Pakistan Telecommu- nication Company Limited (PTCL) was apparently a blessed day as the internet speed improved and the signals became strong and uninterrupted. I had no idea that the day was actually cursed, not blessed.

I received two invoices for my PTCL phone. One was for Rs2,050, which I paid on March 6, and the other one for Rs2,410, which I paid on March 15, both having March 18 as the due date. The payments were made online through my credit card. The former payment was duly accounted for, but I continued to receive reminders about the latter with the threat that the service would be disconnected if the amount was not paid. On March 28, it was terminated.

It is strange that in this day and age, an electronic online transaction goes missing and untraced. The bank insisted that the payment had been claimed by PTCL, and furnished the authorisation code for the transaction which had taken place on the same date in real time. Logically, if the recipient had been invalid, the transaction would have bounced back, which did not happen. As a customer and a senior citizen, I was humiliated, accused of being a liar, and dragged completely unnecessarily in a controversy not of my making.

I called helpline 1218 on March 29, and was informed that the best way to resolve the issue was to visit a service centre. I then went to the centre in F-7 sector around 11am. The token machine was out of order or was not replenished with the jotting roll. Resultantly, I was not entertained even though the waiting lounge had no other customers. I waited for 15 minutes and then walked out. Later in the day, I called a senior business manager at PTCL, who was sympathetic and had the internet connection restored provisionally.

On April 6, I received the PTCL e-bill that included arrears of the amount under dispute. I am clueless as to how to have the matter settled. Ultimately, I, the consumer, will have to face the brunt.

Khaled
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2024