A Consumer Protection Court in Karachi (South) has ruled against internet service providers Cybernet Internet Services (Pvt.) Ltd. and StormFiber, holding them responsible for deficient and interrupted internet service provided to a customer.

The judgment was issued by Judge Abdul Ahad Memon in Complaint No. 44/2022 filed by Khaleeq Ahmed, who alleged prolonged internet outages, poor service quality, and billing inconsistencies despite regular payments.

According to the complaint, the subscriber experienced continuous disruptions in internet connectivity from January 2022 onwards. He stated that multiple complaints were lodged with StormFiber customer support and Cybernet-linked service channels, but the issue remained unresolved for an extended period.

The complainant further argued that although service providers claimed the issue had been fixed and even replaced equipment, connectivity problems persisted. He also raised concerns over repeated billing discrepancies despite confirmation of cleared payments.

The court noted that the defendants failed to properly resolve the service failure and did not satisfactorily address the consumer’s grievances during proceedings.

In its order, the court held both Cybernet Internet Services (Pvt.) Ltd. and StormFiber jointly responsible for deficiency in service.

The court awarded Rs50,000 as compensation to the complainant for inconvenience, mental stress, and service disruption. It also imposed a Rs5,000 fine on the defendants, to be deposited in the government treasury.

Additionally, the court directed the service providers to improve service quality and ensure uninterrupted and reliable internet provision to consumers.

The defendants have been ordered to comply with the decision within 30 days.