The short messaging service (SMS) alert facility launched by Tangedco all over the State last year for informing residents of bill payment details is yet to be streamlined fully.
In fact, consumers in the city have been complaining that they have either been receiving wrong alert messages or no messages at all. The SMS alert was inaugurated by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in June last year.
The SMS facility, with details of the customer connection number, bill amount and the due date of payment was extremely useful to customers. Added to this, the SMS alert sent three days before the last date of payment came in handy for those who had forgotten to see the first one.
N. Purushothaman, a resident of Pattabhiram, said he received bill alerts for more than 10 service connections, though he had only 6 electricity connections. When this problem of receiving SMS for services that did not belong to him was raised before local officials, he was directed to visit the nearby section office to make the necessary changes. He said the error had caused him unnecessary nuisance on the one hand and on the other hand, the intended customers might not have got the messages.
T. Sadagopan, president, Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre, also complained about the lack of uniformity in sending SMS alerts to the customers.
A senior official said in a data set involving more than two crore customers out of a total of 2.44 crore, some discrepancies are bound to occur. As several complaints have been received from customers, a mobile number registration form has been prepared and instructions issued to all Chief Engineers to make necessary arrangements to obtain the customer data. Also those consumers who have already registered their mobile number would have to fill the prescribed forms to confirm their mobile numbers, he added.
However, a local official in south Chennai said that they have not received any information about mobile number registration.
In fact, consumers in the city have been complaining that they have either been receiving wrong alert messages or no messages at all. The SMS alert was inaugurated by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in June last year.
The SMS facility, with details of the customer connection number, bill amount and the due date of payment was extremely useful to customers. Added to this, the SMS alert sent three days before the last date of payment came in handy for those who had forgotten to see the first one.
N. Purushothaman, a resident of Pattabhiram, said he received bill alerts for more than 10 service connections, though he had only 6 electricity connections. When this problem of receiving SMS for services that did not belong to him was raised before local officials, he was directed to visit the nearby section office to make the necessary changes. He said the error had caused him unnecessary nuisance on the one hand and on the other hand, the intended customers might not have got the messages.
T. Sadagopan, president, Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre, also complained about the lack of uniformity in sending SMS alerts to the customers.
A senior official said in a data set involving more than two crore customers out of a total of 2.44 crore, some discrepancies are bound to occur. As several complaints have been received from customers, a mobile number registration form has been prepared and instructions issued to all Chief Engineers to make necessary arrangements to obtain the customer data. Also those consumers who have already registered their mobile number would have to fill the prescribed forms to confirm their mobile numbers, he added.
However, a local official in south Chennai said that they have not received any information about mobile number registration.
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