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SURAT: Television viewers in the city are a harried lot as they are being fleeced for installation of set top boxes. Even otherwise there appears to be no way for Surat to meet the deadline for installation of set top boxes for every television cable connection. With just five days to go, a large number of complaints are coming from customers of being cheated about the rates of set top boxes.
The variation in prices of installation of a set top box ranges from Rs 499 to Rs 5,000 in the market. There are about 2.75 lakh households having TV connections that are supposed to install set top boxes by April 1. Apart from the cost of the boxes, operators are charging Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 for installation depending on the customer and the area.
There have been instances where a customer in Varaccha had to pay Rs 750 for a set top box and Rs 200 for installation. For a similar set top box, a customer in Nanpura had to pay Rs 1,500 besides Rs 500 as installation charges.
"We know that people are being made to shell out more. We have issued instructions to operators and will punish those who are found not adhering to them," a deputy collector with entertainment department said.
He said cable operators have been asked to stick to their own areas for installation. They must submit a rate list of set top boxes and charge only prescribed rates for installation.
Till now, the city has just 1.5 lakh set top boxes installed and the number could go up by another 25,000 by March 31. The Centre has set March 31 as the deadline for installation of set top boxes in 1.67 crore households in 38 cities, including Surat.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-27/surat/38069048_1_top-boxes-installation-tv-connections
The variation in prices of installation of a set top box ranges from Rs 499 to Rs 5,000 in the market. There are about 2.75 lakh households having TV connections that are supposed to install set top boxes by April 1. Apart from the cost of the boxes, operators are charging Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 for installation depending on the customer and the area.
There have been instances where a customer in Varaccha had to pay Rs 750 for a set top box and Rs 200 for installation. For a similar set top box, a customer in Nanpura had to pay Rs 1,500 besides Rs 500 as installation charges.
"We know that people are being made to shell out more. We have issued instructions to operators and will punish those who are found not adhering to them," a deputy collector with entertainment department said.
He said cable operators have been asked to stick to their own areas for installation. They must submit a rate list of set top boxes and charge only prescribed rates for installation.
Till now, the city has just 1.5 lakh set top boxes installed and the number could go up by another 25,000 by March 31. The Centre has set March 31 as the deadline for installation of set top boxes in 1.67 crore households in 38 cities, including Surat.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-27/surat/38069048_1_top-boxes-installation-tv-connections
