‘HP Anytime,' a round-the-clock refill booking facility for the cooking gas consumers of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited in Chennai and Puducherry, was launched at a function here on Tuesday.
Nearly three lakh customers in the city and the Union Territory served by 17 distributors would benefit from the IVRS/SMS-based facility, officials of HPCL said. By December, the company expects to offer the facility to all its customers in the State.
Customers can also lodge complaints using the facility. Whenever a call pertaining to a gas leak is made, the system would immediately SMS the distributor and the mechanic concerned, the officials said.
Three languages
Launching the facility, Principal Secretary to the Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection Department, Swaran Singh said it was a “novel idea” and the IVRS offered three language options – Tamil, English and Hindi.
Complaints
Commissioner, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Ka. Balachandran said the facility would help the customers as they have issues with the existing system of booking refills. The complaints included busy telephone lines at the showroom of the distributors or no response to the calls.
Deputy general manager (LPG), South Zone of HPCL, K.Radhakrishnan said ‘HP Anytime' was a solution to comprehensively address the customer grievances pertaining to booking. The customers would get SMS once they book refill, when the bill is generated by the distributor and after the delivery is made.
Customers of HP Gas in Chennai and Puducherry need to call the common number – 9092223456 – for booking refills.
Free service
The oil company, which has engaged Idea Cellular for the project, would provide the service free. Customer calls to the booking number would be charged at the usual rates.
