No Need to Give Mobile Number to Get Bill from Shopkeepers: New Govt Advisory

New Delhi: The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has issued an advisory asking retailers not to force customers to give their personal contact details for certain services. This decision was taken because of the rise in online scams through access to mobile phone numbers.

This advisory was issued because many customers complain that retailers refuse to provide services unless they share their contact numbers.

But this goes against the Consumer Protection Act. When shopkeepers have access to mobile numbers, they may use them to send unsolicited marketing messages or make unwanted sales calls. The security and privacy of customers are at stake as mobile numbers may be shared with online fraudsters.

“Sellers say they cannot generate the bill until personal contact details are provided. This is an unfair and restrictive trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act and there is no rationality behind collecting the information,” said Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh.

The Ministry has given guidance to the retail industry and industry chambers like CII and FICCI regarding it as in India it is not mandatory for customers to give their mobile numbers to retailers to get a bill.