Portability is coming everywhere… It started with mobile number portability, then came your Health insurance provider portability followed by savings account portability and now we can add one more to the list – LPG connection portability!
Offering portability is various service sectors is one of the best things to happen to consumers – It keeps service providers on their toes and brings in healthy competition amongst all the players. They cannot just do nothing once they have acquired the customers, they have to keep the service levels high, so they do not move to other providers.
So, this recent move of LPG connection portability made by Government will allow lakhs of consumers in India to move their LPG connections to the vendor of their choice with much ease. Here is how it works:
Currently, a consumer cannot change his LPG distributor even if he is unhappy with the service of the distributor or the oil marketing company. Under the new LPG portability scheme, consumer can opt for any LPG distributors in the vicinity of his address and across the oil companies. And it is extremely easy to move from one distributor to other.
The consumer needs to just login to their existing Oil Marketing companies’ website and use the connection portability button to relocate his connection. Subscriber will be provided with list of all the distributors along with their previous service ratings in his cluster and then they choose the one they want based on service levels.
Consumer will be provided with electronic tracking of their portability request to ensure that consumer does not have any difficulty to move to a distributor of his choice.
There is no doubt that this will drastically improve the existing service levels of all distributors as well as Oil marketing companies.
The LPG portability has been launched in all major 30 Indian cities and will be extended through-out the country shortly.
Launch of 5kg Free Trade Cylinders
Along with portability, centre has launched another scheme, which they had announced back in July of this year – The 5Kg Free Trade Cylinders.
FTL cylinders means that any consumer can just walk into the company retail outlet or a petrol station and get a 5Kg LPG cylinder by simply showing their identity proof. When the buyer takes it for the first time, price of LPG gas plus cylinder will have to be paid. Subsequently, they will just need to pay the refill amount.
Free trade of LPG has been introduced keeping in mind the needs of people who move around a lot or population such as students, IT professionals, BPO employees and persons with odd duty timings as it would provide them the flexibility to pick up cylinders and obtain subsequent refills at time of their choice as Petrol Stations are open for longer hours.
This scheme has been currently launched in the cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore on a pilot basis.
[Full Press Release]
