How To File A DND Complaint – A Complete Checklist

In this highly competitive era, each business organizations want to gain market supremacy just by tapping a huge customer base. To achieve this feat, they don’t hesitate to scale the extra mile. Since digital marketing is high in popularity; business institutions pick highly effective digital marketing techniques. Sending promotional SMS and calls is one of such digital marketing techniques that have been used widely worldwide.

 However, receiving unsolicited calls or SMS sometimes make the recipients worry and they don’t want to receive that anyway. This is the reason DND (Do Not Disturb) has been formulated. Several people today are using DND to block the flood of unsolicited calls and messages on their cell phones. However, sometimes, the DND doesn’t work after completing the process. This article will educate you on how to file a DND complaint.

Register A Complaint Regarding DND

If you are still receiving Unsolicited Commercial Calls (UCC) even after DND registration at the NDNC/NCPR registry, you can complain to the service provider. One thing is to keep in mind that TRAI or NDNC registry doesn’t take any complaints directly regarding the DND. It is the telecom operator that handles such complaints.

 Steps To Check Before Making Complaints

There are some steps that you must follow before making complaints for DND.

1. Check the status of your mobile number.
2. Ensure the DND is already activated.
3. Check the status of the National Do Not Call Registry.
4. If you found your number is registered in both portals then go ahead to fill out the complaint.

Complain Process

If still the subscriber receives calls and messages, he has to complain to the mobile service provider. While complaining, he has to mention the particular number from which he gets the calls and the messages which he doesn’t want to get. He has to also mention the date along with the last time of that particular number. According to the provision, actions should be taken against the complaints within seven days. After the deadline (7 days) and still if you receive any unsolicited commercial communications, there are two options by which you can register your complaint.

Dialing the toll-free number 1909

Or

Sending an SMS to 1909

One thing is to keep in mind that, the complaint has to be registered from that particular telephone number on which the unwanted calls are and the messages are coming.

Registration Of The Complaint Dialing 1909

If you call 1909, it will guide you through the IVR or customer care executive and let you register the complaint. This is the most used process for registering a complaint.

Registering The Complaint Through Customer Care

Here are the steps to follow to register the complaint through the customer care executives.

1. Dial 1909 and select the option to register the complaint through the customer care executive.
2. Once the call is connected, you have to provide all the details of the unsolicited calls to your number.
3. The information should be given pointedly. These are mentioned below.
   • Specification of the telemarketer
   • The telephone number from which the unsolicited commercial communication has been originated
   • The particular data and time of the unsolicited commercial communication
   • Brief description regarding the unsolicited commercial communication
4. Once you have given all these details to the customer care executive, he will register the customer complaint and acknowledge the complaint by providing a unique complaint number.
5. Save the complaint number for future communication.
6. The deadline for this type of complaint is 7 working days. the complaint has to be resolved within the deadline and once it is resolved, you will be informed through message. 

Registering the complaint through SMS

You can also register the complaint by sending an SMS. Here is the format that you should use to register the complaint to stop all types of unsolicited commercial communication to your number.

Comp Tel No xxxxxxxx, DD/MM/YY, Time HH: MM Where xxxxxxxx – is the telephone number of the SMS, as the case may be the unsolicited commercial communication has originated.

This complaint will be registered and properly acknowledged across the provider just by sending a unique complaint number through SMS.

The resolving time of these type of complaints are generally 7 days and this is why you will get a confirmation SMS after it is resolved within the deadline.

Penalty To The Telemarketer

• TRAI has announced to minimize the unsolicited calls just by penalizing the telemarketing agency along with the operators with heavy fines. All the telemarketers calling numbers start with 140. All telemarketing agencies must have their special phone numbers starting from 140 series. In this way, the mobile phone user can decide whether they will receive the phone or not. On the other hand, if the telemarketer calls from any other number to avoid such scrutiny then TRAI levies a hefty amount as a penalty.
• The fine amount can be from 25,000 to 2.5 INR. It entirely depends on the complaint received against the telemarketing firms. If any telemarketing firm violated the guideline, then TRAI levies more penalties on them.  
• Mobile operators can be fined up to 10 lakhs if TRAI received 4 times complaints against them.

Conclusion

Privacy is the right of a mobile phone user and TRAI always tries to maintain this by capping on the telemarketers not to disturb the users. If you don’t want to get intimidated by promotional calls or SMS then DND is the best way to go.