Time to shut out pesky callers
When finance minister Pranab Mukherjee received an unsolicited telemarketing call on his mobile in the middle of a Parliament session, it made news. But this is very familiar to millions of customers who are harassed by these calls every day.
Reports say that telecom minister A. Raja has asked his ministerial secretary to talk to operators and take steps to curb the menace.
While it would take time for a move to be implemented in this direction, consumers share their side of the story of “pesky calls”.
“What’s worse is that now they call you from personal mobile numbers, which makes it more difficult to deal with them. The other day, I was in a meeting and was expecting an important call, that’s when I got a call from someone asking me to change my mobile billing plan. I got so frustrated that I started shouting at him,” says Vani, a 23-year-old working professional.
Some see the funny side too. “I lost my wallet the other day, when a guy from some life insurance firm called to ask if I wanted to invest money. I found it funny as well as irritating. I ended up telling him that I’ve lost my wallet and investment is the last thing on my mind. Later, I laughed at it. I wish there was a way to stop these calls,” says Rajat, a 26-year-old businessman.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recently said that it will meet mobile services operators to work towards a solution to curb the menace of unsolicited commercial calls and bulk messages. “I get a message to buy a Sauna Slim belt everyday. It’s funny and disgusting at the same time. Then there are stupid messages about ‘bikini babes’ and what not. You can’t blame telecallers as they’re just doing their job, but if government takes action against it, it’ll be really helpful,” says Nikita Mehta, a teacher.
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