Barcode thefts stump Jio customers in Indore

Barcode thefts are a recurring complaint among the people who recently bought Reliance Jio SIM cards. Lured by the unlimited free 4G mobile broadband offer till December 31, many customers in Indore bought Jio SIMs but were left disappointed as their barcodes were already redeemed.

Barcode thefts are a recurring complaint among the people who recently bought Reliance Jio SIM cards.

Lured by the unlimited free 4G mobile broadband offer till December 31, many customers in Indore bought Jio SIMs. (Pic for representation)

Lured by the unlimited free 4G mobile broadband offer till December 31, many customers in Indore bought Jio SIMs but were left disappointed as their barcodes were already redeemed.

“I waited for hours in the queue to get the SIM but the Jio staff rejected Barcode saying it was used,” said Rishabh, a student of Christian Eminent College.

Under the activation procedure, a user with a 4G enabled handset needs to download MyJio app from Google Playstore which generates a unique code in the form of a barcode. The user then needs to show this code at the Jio outlet to activate the SIM card.

Several barcode theft complaints can be seen in the National Consumer Complaint Forum’s website. “Out of every 150 people, who demand for Jio SIM every day, at least 20-25 of them find their barcodes are already in use. It is also possible to register SIM card with a slight change in barcode number i.e. a hit and trail method,” a Reliance Digital Express staffer said.

A senior Reliance Jio official said it was quite possible that private retailers selling Jio SIMs had tampered with the barcodes.

When contacted, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd spokesperson Franko William said: “There is zero tolerance for any unethical practice and strict action will be taken against any misdemeanour.” But he did not provide any clarification on complaints over barcode thefts.