Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has set certain minimum quality standards to be followed by DTH operators with respect to their services, including redressal of subscriber grievances.
It is mandatory for DTH service providers to give the subscriber a proper, detailed bill showing the tariff towards the subscription package, value-added services (if any) and applicable taxes.
It stipulates that every DTH provider will give a warranty for equipment (including the set-top box) bought by the customer and during this warranty period, no charges be imposed by the service provider for any repairs or home visits for such rectification of faults in the equipment.
The regulations also provide for complaint redressal — every service provider has to have a call centre and also a nodal officer for the purpose. It also sets time limits for resolution of complaints.
In respect of complaints pertaining to non-receipt of signals, at least 90 per cent of the complaints must be redressed and signals restored within 24 hours. As far as other complaints are concerned, at least 90 per cent will be redressed within 48 hours, the regulations say.
As per the regulations, no complaint will remain unresolved beyond five days and if it does, then the subscriber should be given a proportionate rebate in the subscription from the sixth day of the registration of the complaint till its satisfactory resolution. And this is in addition to any other relief that the subscriber may seek and get under any other law in force.
For any unfair Trade Practices by DTH Provider first write to the nodal officer of the service provider and also to the TRAI. You can also lodge a complaint before the consumer court, seeking compensation for unfair trade practice, for deficient service and for violation of the TRAI regulations.
Chapters IV to VII of the Direct-To-Home Broadcasting Services Regulations, 2007 (amended in 2009), deal with redressal of DTH subscriber grievances. It states that every DTH operator shall have one or more call centres for registering DTH service requests, complaints and redressal of grievances. Such call centres are required to be accessible round-the-clock, all days. Complaints pertaining to non-receipt of signals are expected to be resolved within 24 hours from the time of receipt of the complaint and with regard to other complaints, they are expected to be sorted out within 48 hours. No complaint is to be left unresolved beyond five days. If the DTH operator fails to resolve a complaint within the stipulated period, he is required to offer a proportionate rebate to the subscriber from the sixth day of the registration of the complaint till its satisfactory resolution.
Also, complaints relating to billing are to be addressed within seven days, and refunds, if any, are to be made within 30 days from the date of complaint.
If a subscriber is not satisfied with the redressal of his grievance by the call centre, he may escalate his complaint to the nodal officer, required to be appointed by the service provider and whose appointment is supposed to be widely publicised. The nodal officer should be easily accessible, and when a complaint is filed by a DTH subscriber, an acknowledgment in the form of a unique docket number should be given within three days and the complaint resolved within 10 days.
Consumers can also complain to TRAI for breach of these regulations. Such complaints will be forwarded to the service providers for redressal, and the operator ought to resolve such complaints within 15 days and must inform the consumer concerned and the Authority about the resolution of the complaint within one month.
In addition, a manual of practice containing details of the call centres and nodal officers, instructions on operation of equipments, rights of subscribers and duties and obligations of the operator is supposed to be given to subscribers at the time of subscription.
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