JEDDAH, 6 September — Saudi Telecom Company will refund customers for defective pre-paid mobile cards (SAWA cards) sold by its authorized distributors for prices ranging from SR100 to SR1,200, an official source at STC told Arab News.
The move follows mounting complaints from customers who bought SAWA cards from authorized outlets.
A subscriber who bought a card carrying the secret no. 9291761700967 and serial no. 006818985 said he tried to call with the card for five days without any response. His attempt to get help from 902 also did not work.
STC’s authorized distributors also complained of the difficulties faced by some of their customers in using the cards.
Refund service will be available at the STC office close to the intersection of King Fahd Street and Tahlia Street in Riyadh.
“Complaints from people who bought unauthorized cards or who have no balance amount left in the card will not be entertained,” the official source said.
He said there are some antisocial elements who sell duplicate prepaid cards, “but their circulation is not large.”
The official said any subscriber who finds a problem with his card should first contact 902 for subscriber services. This office will direct him to the refund service section.
According Samil Al-Jaryan, supervisor at 902 said since there are several reasons for a card to malfunction it is his office which is competent to direct a customer what he should do in case of a problem.
Distributing companies cannot be held responsible for the technical difficulties experienced by customers while using the card because the problems result from excessive load on the STC network after the launch of the popular SAWA card service, according to a source at an approved SAWA card distribution agency.
