Deceptive packages continue to flood the market by Telenor and once initial euphoria is settled down, customers actually end up paying more. An advertisement discernible at every location, space and airtime by Telenor claims to have offered its customers network wide free unlimited calls. The ad states, ’For the first time, Telenor has offered network wide unlimited free calls. Till February 10th 2012, Telenor is offering its customers to make free unlimited calls to all on-net numbers in Pakistan. Telenor 24 Hours Package holders can make unlimited free calls (excluding 6 PM – 9PM) to any Telenor number at a flat daily charges of Rs. 7 plus tax’.

In this media galaxy people are ready-to-be-hoodwinked as long as companies tactfully conceal the real facts but certainly they are not naïve as not to do simple arithmetic. We all know that a day ends electronically at 12 midnight. Now contrary to the claims made by Telenor that customers can make free call from 9:00Pm to 6:00pm a customer can avail the facility only for three hours as he/she would have to opt for the facility again after 12 midnight (since the offer is not auto-recurring and one has to opt-in). Why the offer is on a package which is called “24 hour package”. By virtue of its name, all offers on it should essentially be for 24 hours, not less! This 21 hour offer negates the idea of ‘24’hours and I tell you what the offer is not even 21 hours. Behind the jugglery of words Telenor is actually offering 18 hours as the countdown begins at 12:00 midnight and whimpers down to 6:00 pm the same evening. The next three hours are out of package and from 9:00 pm to 12:00 midnight the offer lasts for three hours only.

Globally, telecom operators are encouraging customers to call on off-net numbers, in order to stay alive in fierce competition but Telenor looks in deep slumber and seems satisfied with apparent swell in its revenues but you take my word, the balloon is soon going to prick if Telenor did not encourage off-net calls.

During 6 to 9 which is peak time, Telenor is charging almost twice as other operators. Probably it wants to punish customers for opting –in for the facility!

Another question that should haunt the bosses at Telenor is how their shabby infrastructure and gadgets are going to sustain the ‘tsunami’ (tsunami and Telenor are concomitant!)of calls as the result of this package and once their system is choked the company would end up depositing heavy fines to the national kitty but that is not something unique to the company! Also, I do not find off-net and SMS and MMS packages very attractive which are 0.80 per 30 sec, Rs 1 and Rs 5 respectively.

As a couch potato (and one cannot challenge me on this count!) I have noticed that Telenor competes its rivals only in the realm of advertisement as better infrastructure and gadgets are something Greek to her. I would advise the company to pay attention to its services and stop hoodwinking people.

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