A consumer court in Rajkot ordered Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to pay Rs 1,500 to a customer for not refunding him the deposit after he surrendered connections following poor data service.

According to case details, Rajkot’s Arunkumar Joshi approached the Rajkot District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum in May with a complaint that BSNL had not refunded Rs 395 for the internet connection he stopped subscribing to due to problem with the telecom company’s 3G service in the area.

Joshi claimed that he had to surrender the broadband connection as well as the mobile connection because the company’s internet facility was not up to the mark. After surrendering the BSNL connections, he sought refund of Rs 395 but did not get it. The company maintained that it had paid the dues.

Joshi was asking for compensation for harassment caused to him because of poor service by the company. He also claimed that all BSNL users in the area should be compensated for poor service.

After hearing the case, the consumer court said that it cannot order compensation for deficiency in service for all customers in the area. But BSNL should be asked to pay Rs 1,500 to the complainant for mental harassment, and Rs 500 to compensate for his expenditure incurred on the case.