Why everyone wants to step on Jio's toes
If there’s something that Jio is better at, other than wooing customers, it is making enemies. Of course, when you enter an idustry like a hurricane and sunsettle everything, you are bound to make enemies.
On Monday, April 10, Vodafone registered a complaint against Jio with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), stating that Reliance Jio is violating TRAI’s norms by continuing to lure customers with the Summer Surprise offer.
"Reliance Jio is continuing with this offer held as not meeting regulatory norms, in the garb of configuration changes. For past three days, it has been promoting and luring customers to quickly recharge to avail the benefits of a non-compliant offer and also asking its retailers to communicate the same," Vodafone said in a letter to TRAI.
On April 6, Reliance Jio had issued a notice about withdrawing the Summer Surprise offer on TRAI’s advice.
“Today the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has advised Jio to withdraw the three months complementary benefits of Jio Summer Surprise. Jio accepts this decision. Jio is in the process of fully complying with the regulator’s advice, and will be withdrawing the three months complementary benefits of Jio Summer Surprise, as soon as operationally feasible over the next few days,” Reliance Jio stated, in the said notice.
But while it did look like a setback for Reliance, the cleverly worded notice proved to be otherwise. As mentioned in the statement, users who had already subscribed to the Summer Surprise offer, prior to this announcement, will avail the benefits of this offer. Additionally, Jio stated it would get rid of the offer "as soon as [it was] operationally feasible, over the next few days", which would give more people to subscribe to Jio’s Summer Special offer in the meanwhile.
According a report in the Indian Express, the Summer Surprise offer has been officially withdrawn by Reliance Jio.
Unsurprisingly, this did not go down well with Vodafone, one of Jio’s biggest competitors, and a company that has been trying its best to defeat Jio at its price-war. In fact, Vodafone managed to provide offers and recharges that were almost better than Jio’s.
In their letter to TRAI, Vodafone also referred to SMSs allegedly being sent by Reliance Jio to consumers and retailers asking them to quickly recharge to avail the benefit of the scheme. According to an India Today report, the SMSs say that Jio has given time till April 10 to its customers for enrolling for the scheme.
The texts read “Last chance to avail Jio Summer Surprise offer! Also get Rs 50 Jio Cashback Voucher on your recharge of Rs 303 or more with JioMoney.”
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| Photo: Indian Express |
According to Vodafone, Reliance Jio's continued violation of TRAI norms required an immediate intervention.
"Considering above, we request for TRAI's immediate intervention and issuance of suitable directions to Reliance Jio for withdrawing the said offer on immediate basis and notifying the consumers about withdrawal of said offer from the date of advisory received from TRAI," they wrote in their letter.
But Vodafone is not the only one waiting with pitchforks.
Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular had moved the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against TRAI for allowing free 4G service offers of Reliance Jio beyond stipulated 90 days. On January 31, TRAI had held that Jio's free voice calling and data plan were not in violation of the regulatory guidelines.
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| Vodafone is not the only one waiting with pitchforks. [Photo: Zee] |
TRAI had also added that the 'Happy New Year Offer' launched by Jio on December 4, 2016, is different from its earlier Jio Welcome Offer and could not be treated as an extension of the promotional offer as the benefits under both differed.
While the first hearing for that case was scheduled for April 10, Business Today reports that the hearing has been deferred to April 20.
With the three industry bigwigs pouncing on Jio, one after the other, perhaps Mukesh Ambani should start worrying a little.