Airtel & Vodafone Will Block Calls After 30 Days If You Don’t Recharge; Anti-Consumer Move?
Telcos are now using new strategies to improve ARPUs. And we are questioning this move.
Consumers have been using their existing numbers from Vodafone, Airtel or Ideas as a primary number apart from a Reliance Jio sim for data and free calls. All the major telecom operators have been incurring losses since Jio arrived.
In spite of slashing prices, the other telcos are yet to keep up with the competition.
As most of the users only use these numbers to receive calls, the companies have come up with a new plan to improve the average revenue per user (ARPU). The companies have introduced minimum prepaid recharge packs valid for a limited period only.
The latest move by Vodafone, Airtel and Idea is aimed at increasing the average revenue per user. The companies now want to focus on active customers who generate revenue.
Also Read: Thugs Of Telecom – Airtel, Vodafone-Idea Will Sacrifice 25 Crore Users To Increase Profits
Airtel and Vodafone are going to be the first companies to introduce minimum recharge plans for customers to keep their connections active.
Minimum Recharge Packs: Focus On Mid & Upper Tier Customers
Unlike another top up plans which came with lifelong validity, the minimum recharge packs will come with limited validity.
The companies are shifting their focus towards the middle and upper-tier customers, who don’t switch operators based on prices and does not compromise on quality.
The minimum recharge packs will have a limited validity. They are meant to improve the ARPU where these operators are losing out money on customers who do not generate any active revenue.
The minimum recharge plans are priced at under Rs 100 are Rs 35, Rs 65 and Rs 95 offering talk time and data with a 28 day validity.
Outgoing Calls Will Be Blocked After 30 Days, Incoming Calls After 45
If you don’t recharge your Vodafone or Airtel number with any of the minimum recharge plans, your outgoing calls will be blocked after 30 days. Not only outgoing, but the incoming calls will be blocked as well, in 45 days.
While users continue not to use any of these numbers, telecom operators are losing a major chunk of the revenue to keep these numbers operational.
As most of the customers use a Reliance Jio SIM with any of their existing Airtel and Vodafone number just to receive calls and texts, the new move seems inevitable.
While these telcos are not able to generate any revenue from these users, they plan to let this section of users go. The companies will only now focus on mid-tier and upper-tier users who don’t compromise on network over prices.
New Move To Improve ARPU
The new minimum recharge plans have been specifically designed to improve the average revenue per user (ARPU) for these operators. The limited validity plans will ensure a flow of income for these operators.
Airtel and Vodafone no more plan to retain customers based on freebies and low-priced plans.
To sum up, companies will block customers who do not generate any active revenue for them. The current minimum plan is priced at Rs 35 offering talktime and mobile data for 28 days.
While Reliance Jio is in no mood to give its aggressive pricing a break, it will be interesting to see how things turn out for Airtel and Vodafone in the meantime.
fucking airtel and idea and vodafone, i will port to BSNL, airtel network is worst, even iam not able to talk calls because of worst network coverage in villages and now fucking rules,
I think now we should show them customer’s real power. We all should should port to JIO. There are still many who don’t afford to buy new 4g phone and start using 4g data. They just want a phone for call. Unlimited plans are useless for them. It would be better if they put rs 20 with unlimited validity. NOW WE SHOULD START SHOWING THEM THAT THIS OPEN LOOT WILL NOT HAPPEN.
The move by Airtel & Vodafone Idea is certainly anti-consumer and the TRAI / DOT / Ministry should intervene and stop their LOOT. What will happen to the talktime balance of the prepaid customer if he is switched off by the Telecom operator under this pretext. OPEN LOOT. If they insist on bringing in this move then least they should be directed is to refund the balance Talktime (in Rs.) to the prepaid customer before blocking calls of the customer. Many prepaid customers have talktime balance upto several hundreds of Rupees. Moreover Airtel and Vodafone Idea have also stopped the method whereby you could pay for recharges/plan charges from your balance talktime.
If you have a lot of balance, I think you can extend your outgoing validity by recharging for Rs. 10 (option is still available in Airtel atleast) every month until you use up your balance (you get credited with Rs. 10 + 1 month validity) and then shift to monthly plans.
And please don’t exaggerate. Its only fair what they’re doing considering that many people are using them only for incoming while using a second jio number for outgoing. They’re simply asking you to either stick with them and pay a fair price or go to jio. India already has some of the cheapest telecom rates in the world despite heavy govt. taxation! Their profit margins are currently so low that its actually profitable for them to not run the business and simply keep their money in a fixed deposit!
Think about it; no company wants to lose customers, but here you have them willingly risking millions of them. I’m sure they know they’ll face backlash, but its either this or bankruptcy.
No this is not possible. The talktime recharge will not be enough. Compulsory recharge for validity extension is needed. This is nothing but fraud. I have over 800 talktime balance. That will be gone to waste now. The talktime would have been used up by the company as credit instead of taking loans from bank. This would save them interest of 10% per annum. But they still want to steal the principal amount itself.
I was using Vodaphone as my secondary sim and was availing services where Jio was n’t working. Now I’ll port to BSNL for lifelong validity. Fuck you Vodaphone and Airtel
I think we should also approach new strategy porting 2 sim also to jio , there are methods on internet to make 2 sims work on dual sim phones.
There is no way 2 4G SIM can work of dual SIM phones. There is no way of 2 JIO SIMs. BSNL is better as it has Rs36/180day
Fine as i am Jio user and using Airtel sim as second one to not get disconnected in other areas. I will ditch Airtel as this network is one of the worst one, It’s my personal experience. If they are money minded then customers will also show what they can do. It would be waste of time to hang these networks who robbed us with unusual tariffs like just for 1GB / 300 rupees per month. Customers like me can not forget there robbery and support there stupid moves any more.