Sir: I would like to bring to the kind notice of the readers a sorry situation that is being faced by me. On August 3, 2013, one of my friends purchased a mobile phone from a shop in Hafeez Centre, Lahore. This arcade is a famous name in computers and electronics. The shopkeeper in one of the many shops found there charged my friend Rs 8,300. Later, upon coming to know the actual price of the mobile phone, which is Rs 6,600, from various online sources, I jumped in to verify the credibility of these claims by enquiring the price of the phone from different mobile phone shops dealing with that particular brand of mobile phone. According to most of them, the price had stayed at approximately Rs 6,600 since its launch about two months ago.
Upon finding out, my friend and I went to that same shop in Hafeez Centre to request for compensation but, despite verifying the purchase from the invoice registers, they refused to confess to their mistake. What shocked me more were the huge price differences at different shops in Hafeez Centre. It seemed to me that almost every businessman there earns by duping the customers and fleecing them of their money. In addition to questioning the role of the law enforcement agencies, the whole matter also poses a question mark on the telecommunication regulatory authorities and particular multinational corporations.
ALI A KHAN
Lahore