CHANDIGARH, Jan 9: A subscriber's plea to slash down heavy telephone bill has been dismissed by the UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Forumon account of the probability of the STD facility being extensively used in order to promote business interests.P. C. Aggarwal had filed a complaint for dismissal of telephone bill of partner Northern India Chemical Industries, Industrial Area, which was to the tune of Rs. 20,833. The complainant maintained that the phone had not been used to the extent to invite such an inflated amount.
The opposite party, District Manager Telephones, contended that the high bill could have been due to the extensive use of the STD facility which the complainant had access to.
The forum comprising president R. P. Bajaj and members H. S. Walia and Kamlesh Gupta observed that the complainant was a heavy caller as the telephone bills in the past too had been on the higher side, even to the tune of Rs. 15,483. Also the telephone was installed in the business premises of Industrial Area
and there was every possibility of excessive use of the phone to promote business interests.
The Forum maintained that no material had been produced to show that the line ever suffered from any mechanical defect.
Therefore, the Forum decided to dismiss the complainant's claim of over-billing by the department of telephones and directed him to pay the amount in full.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
