KARACHI: The Internet service providers (ISPs) seem to conspire in Pakistan to fleece vulnerable customers. In order to lure users, the names of packages they offer are often misleading, a practice considered illegal in the civilised world.
Besides, their customer care establishment is only available on telephone and unsatisfied customers have option to switch service provider but no recourse to have their complaint resolved.
Many ISPs advertise and sell packages that claim to offer “unlimited connectivity” with limits on usage. When a leading internet service provider was approached to explain the anomaly, his answer was short and simple. It is the name of the package that does not actually mean what it says.
Wi-tribe CEO Wasim Ahmed was not approachable, while Imran Saeed, an official of the company from Lahore, informed that the company has not designated anyone to respond to media queries. “It is not a matter of choice. The nature of my work demands internet connectivity round the clock. I have switched back and forth but could not get satisfactory money worth of service,” Mansoor Ahmed, a marketing professional said.
Many Internet users confirmed that when they approached a company with a complaint, the burden of responsibility is placed on the customer themselves. “The facility of connectivity comes at a high cost in Pakistan that is not just monetary,” an Internet service user said.
“For me it has been a test of my patience all along. The signals are often weak, the system is down every other day for maintenance, etc. Their efficiency starts and ends at bill collection point.”
The recorded messages at their customer care help lines are too long and consumes at least 10 minutes on an average of users who try to register their complaint. “They force-feed their advertisement and make callers wait endlessly. I feel they are hand in gloves with telephone companies,” another user irked by the low quality of Internet service said.
A number of consumers using various Internet services regularly face problems mainly because of weak signals which cause delay in opening the required account, website and downloading.
Internews
