Shopkeepers Cannot Ask For Customer Mobile Number To Generate Bill: Govt

Whenever you go to a shop or a mall to buy things, you are definitely asked for your mobile number before generating a bill. Some retailers even refuse to sell anything to customers who don't provide a phone number. However, now there is no need to share your mobile number to collect the bill.

The government has issued an advisory directing retailers not to insist on the personal contact details of customers for delivering certain services.

The advisory comes amidst increasing reports of scams being carried out through phone calls and text messages.

Also, several consumers complaints have complained to the authorities about many retailers not providing them services if they refuse to share their contact numbers.

"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," Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh told reporters.

"There is also a privacy concern. Therefore, an advisory has been issued to the retail industry and industry chambers CII and FICCI to address this issue in the interest of consumers, he added.

Notably, it is not mandatory in India for customers to furnish their mobile numbers to a retailer to generate a bill. However, customers are forced to give their numbers by the retailers, who insist that a contact number is necessary to conclude transactions.

In most cases, customers are put in an awkward situation, where they will not have an option to opt out-out.

Last year, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra raised a similar issue and accused Decathlon of violating privacy and consumer laws by asking for her mobile number and email ID while making a purchase.

The TMC leader also shared a screenshot of a message, which she claimed was from a top lawyer at the Supreme Court, urging her not to share her personal details.

"Don't give your mobile number to Decathlon. Ask them to reconfigure their system. I ran into the same problem with Lenskart and refused to give my mobile number," the lawyer said, alleging that "these retail chains have configured their system in this way to trap the customer".