Reliance Jio excited everyone with the JioPhone features phone that they called Effectively free many booked the JioPhone for Rs. 500 and now waiting for the handset. However the JioPhone Terms and Conditions have been listed on the official site and if you go though that, it is going to change your mind, Mind it!
First of all what everyone knows / thought – was that the JioPhone is a free phone, you are just paying Rs. 1,500 which is kind of interest free refundable security deposit that you can get back after 3 years. Now when the phone was announced this is what was mentioned but when you go through the terms and conditions there is a lot more to it.
JioPhone users are not allowed to tamper the phone, misuse the phone and it is for As It is Basis usage. JioPhones come with SIM locked features which means that it will work with Jio SIM only but the terms says that it is up to the company if they want to remove this locking and allow the phone to be used on other networks – but for now it is Jio SIM locked.
Returning the JioPhone before the 3 years lock period
If you want to return the phone before the 3 years lock period then do check the terms it is not good. It says if you return up to 12 months from the date of issue then you need to pay Rs. 1,500 plus taxes / GST. (Not sure what happens with the Rs. 1,500 deposit?, I guess that is also considered so for example you end up paying taxes only).
If you return after 12 months and up to 24 months you need to pay Rs. 1,000 plus taxes / GST. If you return after 24 months and up to 36 months then you pay Rs. 500 plus taxes / GST.
When returning the phone should not be damaged (normal wear and tear is acceptable).
If you are thinking why you would want to return the JioPhone then read on.
Repossession of JioPhone
In case a user does not return the phone and also breaks the terms and conditions then the the refundable deposit shall be forfeited, company shall be entitled to receive / repossess the JioPhone and this is interesting – company may exercise any other recourse or remedies to get the phone back whether in law or in equity.
So in all it is not that simple what many users though was you pay Rs. 1,500 and if you want you can return the phone after 3 years and get the Rs. 1,500 or simply forget it and keep the phone. Well that is not the case.
Reliance Jio wants you to use the phone and charge the SIM with minimum value of Rs. 1,500 per year (approx Rs. 125 per month) and keep doing it for 3 years. If you do not recharge you will need to return the phone and pay the price as mentioned above.
I am still waiting for the JioPhone, though I have paid the Rs. 500 booking amount, not sure if there is a refund of the booking amount in case I do not want to go ahead with this. Another thing is – I am not sure if I can use any Jio SIM, or need to use the Jio SIM that comes with the phone. Since I am using a Jio SIM, I would rather use that SIM and not subscribe to a new SIM just to use JioPhone, makes no sense.
So in all for Rs. 1,500 you are getting a phone on Rent, you need to pay monthly chargers or the owner will take the phone back.
After going though these JioPhone terms and conditions in case if you were planning to the the iPhone 8 from Jio, better check the Terms and Conditions first or wait for it to be listed in case it is not listed.