The telecom services sector may be growing at over 60 per cent a year adding millions of new customers, but the quality of service being offered seems to be on the decline. National Consumer Helpline (NCL), a joint project of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the University of Delhi, registered highest number of complaints — more than 20 per of a total of about 47,000 — against telecom service providers during March 2006-February 2007. Banks faced 8.5 per cent of the complaints while insurance was the target of 3 per cent of them, ranking the sectors second and third.

Bejon Misra of voluntary consumer organisation Voice told The Indian Express that the complaints against these service providers are “bound to increase in coming months because the regulators in these sectors are powerless”.

“They don’t have any legal powers to penalise the service providers. The regulators like Trai, IRDA and RBI must have legal power to take action based on customer feedback,” he said. Apart from these regulated services, complaints against defective products have also been high. More than a fifth of the total complaints received by NCL since it was set up in March 2005 are regarding defective products.

Said S K Virmani, manager of NCL: “Some of the service providers have joined hands with us to expedite redressal of consumer grievances. But a number of service providers maintain their customer care is very efficient. The claim, however, is not backed by data available with us.”