NOW PUBLIC — 28 MAY 2026 — NCH DOCKET: 9407934
How Watcho's billing negligence quietly empties subscribers' pockets — ₹60 Crore every year
A 30-day plan delivers only ~29 days. Every monthly subscriber loses approximately 20 hours of paid service through Watcho's negligent billing configuration. At scale, this constitutes unjust enrichment of approximately ₹60 Crore/year at subscribers' expense.
~20 hrs
Missing service per subscription
₹60 Cr
Estimated annual overcharge
5 days
Days ignored — deadline: 26 May
The proof: side-by-side comparison
✗ Watcho (wrong)
Recharged at19 May, 7:28 PM
Validity end17 Jun, 23:59
Actual service29d 4h 8m
Should be30d from activation
Missing~20 hours
Watcho's excuse"We count days, not hours"
✓ JioHotstar (correct)
Recharged at20 May, 7:51 PM
Validity end20 Jun, 00:01
Actual service30d 4h 10m
Method30 × 24-hour blocks
MissingNothing
Industry standard?Yes
What Watcho does: It treats the calendar date of activation as Day 1, even if a subscriber activates at 11:59 PM. That one minute counts as a full day. The plan expires at midnight on Day 30 — cutting off up to 24 hours of paid access.
What every OTT platform should do: Start the 30-day clock at the exact moment of payment, deliver 30 × 24 = 720 hours of service, then expire. JioHotstar does this correctly. Watcho does not.
What every OTT platform should do: Start the 30-day clock at the exact moment of payment, deliver 30 × 24 = 720 hours of service, then expire. JioHotstar does this correctly. Watcho does not.
Documentary evidence — screenshots
Screenshot 1 — Watcho portal (watcho.com)
Order ID: UREPR1905261578949095
Package: WATCHO_LUSHAINET_3_1M
Effective From: 05/19/2026 07:28 PM
Expiry: 06/17/2026 11:59 PM — only 29 days
Package: WATCHO_LUSHAINET_3_1M
Effective From: 05/19/2026 07:28 PM
Expiry: 06/17/2026 11:59 PM — only 29 days
Screenshot 2 — JioHotstar SMS (JM-JIOHTT-S)
Activated: 5-20-2026 8:36 PM
Amount billed: ₹149.00
Next billing: 20th June 2026 — full 30 days
Amount billed: ₹149.00
Next billing: 20th June 2026 — full 30 days
Both screenshots taken on the same device within 24 hours of activation. The Watcho portal itself confirms the "Effective From" timestamp of 7:28 PM on 19 May — yet the expiry is set to 11:59 PM on 17 June, not 7:28 PM on 18 June. The gap is irrefutable and visible in Watcho's own system.
Escalation timeline
26 April 2026
Partnership discussions begin with Dipankar "Vicky" Dey (Zee Entertainment / Watcho POC, dipankar.dey@zee.com, +91-7638000000)
5 May 2026
Documents submitted. Account activation promised within 2 days
15 May 2026
Account finally activated — 10 days late, not 2. No proactive communication during the wait.
18 May 2026
₹5,000 deposited to wrong portal. Onboarding representative David (Zee Entertainment, Aizawl) failed to disclose EasyPay portal requirement or director's account mandate.
19 May 2026
Billing shortfall discovered after activating a 30-day plan at 7:28 PM — only 29d 4h 8m delivered. Complaint raised with Dipankar "Vicky" Dey (Zee Entertainment). Dismissed with: "We count days, not hours."
20 May 2026
JioHotstar test independently confirms correct 30-day delivery from activation timestamp. Benchmark established.
21 May 2026
Conference call with Dipankar "Vicky" Dey (Zee Entertainment) and his reporting manager. Manager admits: "Till today nobody highlighted this issue." Commits to investigating.
22 May 2026
Only update received from Watcho: "It's highlighted." No corrective action, no timeline, no written acknowledgment.
25 May 2026
Pre-litigation notice sent privately to Watcho management with link to this complaint dossier. 48-hour response window opens. If no substantive response by 26 May 2026, password protection will be removed, TRAI and NCDRC filings submitted simultaneously, and this dossier publicly distributed.
TO: grievance@watcho.com
CC: Dipankar "Vicky" Dey — dipankar.dey@zee.com
CC: nodalofficer.nesa@dishd2h.com (Nodal Officer, NE)
✉ View email sent ▶
26 May 2026 — 7:39 PM IST
₹5,010 (₹5,000 + ₹10 test deposit) credited to personal account via RTGS. UTR: IN226146064706669. No prior communication, no accompanying message from Watcho.
27 May 2026 — 3:33 PM IST
Dipankar "Vicky" Dey (Zee Entertainment, Supreme Tower, D Lobby 3rd Floor, Office Tribe Cabin 6, Christian Basti, GS Road, Guwahati, Assam 781005) sent WhatsApp message forwarding RTGS slip: "5000+10 refunded, please check and confirm."
Reply sent at 5:25 PM IST: "Received. What about other stuff?"
No reply received. Only written communication from Watcho/Zee side in the entire complaint period. Addresses solely the ₹5,010 — the smallest of six demands. Billing negligence, acknowledgment, and correction timeline ignored.
Reply sent at 5:25 PM IST: "Received. What about other stuff?"
No reply received. Only written communication from Watcho/Zee side in the entire complaint period. Addresses solely the ₹5,010 — the smallest of six demands. Billing negligence, acknowledgment, and correction timeline ignored.
WhatsApp screenshot — 27 May 2026
27 May 2026 — 11:00 AM IST
Deadline expired. No substantive response received. The silent ₹5,010 refund proves Watcho read the notice — they chose to address only the smallest claim while ignoring ₹60 Crore in systematic subscriber overcharging.
28 May 2026
Password protection removed — this complaint dossier is now public. Formal grievance filed with National Consumer Helpline (Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Govt. of India).
Docket No: 9407934 — Track on consumerhelpline.gov.in
Docket No: 9407934 — Track on consumerhelpline.gov.in
28 May 2026 — support call
Received call from Watcho customer support representative. Maintained company position that "30 days service is being provided." Unable to counter the argument that a subscriber recharging at 10 PM is charged for the full calendar day from midnight. Representative confirmed escalating response internally.
30 May 2026 — 2:26 PM IST
NCH Docket 9407934 status updated to IN PROCESS. Company remark from Dish TV India / Watcho: "working on same" — logged on consumerhelpline.gov.in. First formal acknowledgment on a government portal. Written acknowledgment, billing correction, and timeline still pending.
30 May 2026 — 3:26 PM IST
Second call from Watcho support. Asked: "Do you have issues with content/app functionality?" — Confirmed no content issues. This was deliberately misrepresented in their NCH remark as: "You have confirmed that you have no issue related to uses of OTT apps." The complaint is about billing duration, not app functionality — two entirely different matters.
30 May 2026 — 3:26 PM IST
NCH Docket 9407934 unilaterally marked CLOSED by Dish TV India / Watcho with a false remark on the government portal. Company remark stated: "You have confirmed that you have no issue related to uses of OTT apps for Watcho RMN 9625045214. We have informed that one month is equal to 30 days."
This is factually incorrect and misleading. Confirmation that app content works is not confirmation that the billing complaint is resolved. The core issue — Watcho's billing system delivering 29 days on a 30-day plan — remains completely unaddressed.
Filing fresh NCH complaint and escalating to TRAI.
This is factually incorrect and misleading. Confirmation that app content works is not confirmation that the billing complaint is resolved. The core issue — Watcho's billing system delivering 29 days on a 30-day plan — remains completely unaddressed.
Filing fresh NCH complaint and escalating to TRAI.
30 May 2026 — fresh NCH filed
Fresh NCH grievance filed following false closure of Docket 9407934. New Docket No: 9419924 — Track on consumerhelpline.gov.in
Complaint documents: Watcho portal screenshot + NCH false closure screenshot. Core billing negligence complaint remains open and on government record.
Complaint documents: Watcho portal screenshot + NCH false closure screenshot. Core billing negligence complaint remains open and on government record.
30 May 2026 — evening
Media outreach initiated. Formal complaint dossier and story pitch sent to Indian technology and business journalism outlets:
MediaNama — nikhil@medianama.com Entrackr — jai@entrackr.com YourStory — editorial@yourstory.com
This is the first documented public case of Watcho's billing methodology. No media coverage of this practice existed prior to this complaint.
MediaNama — nikhil@medianama.com Entrackr — jai@entrackr.com YourStory — editorial@yourstory.com
This is the first documented public case of Watcho's billing methodology. No media coverage of this practice existed prior to this complaint.
30 May 2026 — evening (3rd call)
Third call received from Dish TV head office — triggered by fresh NCH complaint 9419924. Representative maintained the same position but made two significant statements:
Admission 1: "If you recharge on same day, full day will be counted" — this directly confirms the billing complaint. A subscriber recharging at 7:28 PM is charged for the full calendar day from midnight, losing hours of paid service. The representative confirmed this without realising it validates the entire complaint.
Admission 2: Claimed "this is not a billing complaint" — despite both NCH filings 9407934 and 9419924 being formally categorised as Overcharging/Inflated Bill on the government portal. A direct contradiction of their own records.
Representative committed to updating NCH portal with new information. Dipankar Dey (Zee Entertainment) is no longer the point of contact — Dish TV head office is now handling directly, confirming the escalation has reached corporate level.
NCH Docket 9419924 — falsely closed (second time)
Company remark on government portal reads: "If you activate the Watcho plan on the same day, that day will be counted as a full day of the subscription period."
Admission 1: "If you recharge on same day, full day will be counted" — this directly confirms the billing complaint. A subscriber recharging at 7:28 PM is charged for the full calendar day from midnight, losing hours of paid service. The representative confirmed this without realising it validates the entire complaint.
Admission 2: Claimed "this is not a billing complaint" — despite both NCH filings 9407934 and 9419924 being formally categorised as Overcharging/Inflated Bill on the government portal. A direct contradiction of their own records.
Representative committed to updating NCH portal with new information. Dipankar Dey (Zee Entertainment) is no longer the point of contact — Dish TV head office is now handling directly, confirming the escalation has reached corporate level.
NCH Docket 9419924 — falsely closed (second time)
Company remark on government portal reads: "If you activate the Watcho plan on the same day, that day will be counted as a full day of the subscription period."
This is a written admission on a Government of India portal. Dish TV has officially confirmed that a subscriber activating at 7:28 PM is charged for the full calendar day — meaning 19 hours 28 minutes of paid service are lost on Day 1 alone. They intended this as a defence. It is a confession of systematic overcharging, now on permanent government record under Docket 9419924.
30 May 2026 — official records
Official NCH complaint dossiers — downloadable government records
Both complete NCH grievance records including all company remarks, admissions, and false closure attempts are preserved as official PDF documents:
⬇ NCH Docket 9407934 — False closure with misrepresented remark
⬇ NCH Docket 9419924 — Written admission: "that day will be counted as a full day"
Both complete NCH grievance records including all company remarks, admissions, and false closure attempts are preserved as official PDF documents:
⬇ NCH Docket 9407934 — False closure with misrepresented remark
⬇ NCH Docket 9419924 — Written admission: "that day will be counted as a full day"
Key admission in Docket 9419924 (Dish TV's own words, timestamped 30 May 2026 17:43:16):
"If you activate the Watcho plan on the same day, that day will be counted as a full day of the subscription period."
This is Dish TV officially confirming on a Government of India portal that subscribers are charged for the full calendar day regardless of activation time — meaning a subscriber activating at 7:28 PM loses 19 hours 28 minutes of paid service on Day 1 alone. This statement is now permanent government record.
"If you activate the Watcho plan on the same day, that day will be counted as a full day of the subscription period."
This is Dish TV officially confirming on a Government of India portal that subscribers are charged for the full calendar day regardless of activation time — meaning a subscriber activating at 7:28 PM loses 19 hours 28 minutes of paid service on Day 1 alone. This statement is now permanent government record.
30 May 2026 — 8:31 PM IST
@watchoapp publicly confirmed their billing policy on Twitter — a verified account reply timestamped 8:31 PM, 30 May 2026:
"Hi Manish, as per the team update, it has been informed that one month is considered as 30 days. If a Watcho plan is activated on a particular day, that day will be counted as a full day of the subscription period."
— @watchoapp (verified), Twitter, 30 May 2026, 8:31 PM IST
This is the third documented confirmation of Watcho's overcharging policy — after the NCH portal remark (17:43 IST) and multiple phone calls. A subscriber activating at 11:59 PM is charged for the full day = 1 minute of service for 24 hours of charges. Now publicly confirmed by the company itself on Twitter.— @watchoapp (verified), Twitter, 30 May 2026, 8:31 PM IST
🔍 Click to enlarge
May 2026 — onboarding
During onboarding, Dipankar "Vicky" Dey (Zee Entertainment) verbally communicated that FIFA World Cup streaming would be available to Watcho subscribers for an additional charge of approximately ₹80 per customer. This was a key factor in Lushainet's decision to offer Watcho plans to its broadband customers.
3 June 2026
Lushainet begins activating "Hotstar+Sony+Zee5+FanCode" bundled Watcho plans for customers. Door-to-door activation conducted across rural service territory in Mizoram — visiting each customer's home to set up the Watcho app on mobile and TV. 43 customers subscribed based on the FIFA streaming promise.
10 June 2026 — night
Second incident discovered: Zee Entertainment never granted FIFA World Cup broadcast rights to any partner — not Airtel, Jio, Watcho, or OTTPlay. All subscribers require a separate ₹799/3-month Zee5 plan to watch FIFA. The ~₹80 upgrade promise made by Dipankar during onboarding was never possible.
Contacted David (Zee Entertainment, Aizawl): "It's not on our level. You have to upgrade with ₹799."
Contacted Dipankar "Vicky" Dey: Completely ignored. No response.
David confirmed on WhatsApp that Dipankar had communicated the ₹80 approximate upgrade cost — creating a documented record of the misrepresentation.
David also confirmed: "All the distributors are dissatisfied due to our package price were changing." — establishing this is a systemic issue affecting all Watcho distributors, not just Lushainet.
Contacted David (Zee Entertainment, Aizawl): "It's not on our level. You have to upgrade with ₹799."
Contacted Dipankar "Vicky" Dey: Completely ignored. No response.
David confirmed on WhatsApp that Dipankar had communicated the ₹80 approximate upgrade cost — creating a documented record of the misrepresentation.
David also confirmed: "All the distributors are dissatisfied due to our package price were changing." — establishing this is a systemic issue affecting all Watcho distributors, not just Lushainet.
11 June 2026 — morning
Lushainet issues public apology to all 43 affected customers — posted in customer group and sent individually to each subscriber. Full refunds processed to all customers who paid for plans they cannot use for FIFA. Commercially significant activation costs already paid to Dish Infra Services Pvt. Ltd. (DISPL) cannot be recovered due to the no-refund clause (Contract Clause 5.7 / 10.5). Active plans not deactivated as no refund mechanism exists — customers retain access to non-FIFA content only.
Lushainet absorbed the entire financial loss from this misrepresentation — a direct consequence of Zee Entertainment's failure to communicate the FIFA rights situation to its distribution partners before activations began.
Lushainet absorbed the entire financial loss from this misrepresentation — a direct consequence of Zee Entertainment's failure to communicate the FIFA rights situation to its distribution partners before activations began.
Who is responsible
Watcho / Dish TV India
Corporate entity
Corporate entity
As the platform owner and billing system operator, Watcho bears primary legal responsibility for the systematic under-delivery of paid service duration. The billing configuration that charges for the partial day of activation as a complete calendar day is a product-level decision — not a one-off glitch. Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the corporate entity is accountable for all deceptive trade practices carried out by its platform, regardless of individual employee actions.
Dipankar "Vicky" Dey
dipankar.dey@zee.com | +91-7638000000
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., Guwahati
dipankar.dey@zee.com | +91-7638000000
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., Guwahati
Designated point of contact for the distribution partnership, operating as a Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited representative for the Northeast region. When the billing discrepancy was raised on 19 May, Mr. Dey did not escalate it as a technical or legal issue — he attempted to dismiss it by asserting "we count days, not hours, we are OTT not telecom," a reasoning with no basis in consumer law. His role as partner support manager required him to investigate and escalate; instead he deflected, causing a 5-day delay in resolution and no corrective action to date.
David
Onboarding Representative, Aizawl
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (field staff)
Onboarding Representative, Aizawl
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (field staff)
During the onboarding process on 18 May, David — a Zee Entertainment field representative based in Aizawl — guided the deposit procedure without disclosing the EasyPay portal requirement or the director's account mandate. This caused ₹5,000 to be deposited from a personal account to the wrong portal. Refund received on 26 May 2026 only after formal pre-litigation notice was served.
Collateral damage
Lushainet Networks & Technologies
Lushainet Networks & Technologies
As a distribution partner, Lushainet had already begun informing its existing broadband subscriber base that OTT access through Watcho would soon be available as a bundled offering. These communications — made in good faith based on the partnership agreement — have now created an expectation among customers that cannot be fulfilled due to Watcho's unresolved onboarding failures and billing negligence. Every day this remains unresolved directly damages Lushainet's credibility and commercial reputation with its own customers in the Mizoram service territory.
Vicky's Manager
Name not disclosed by Watcho
Name not disclosed by Watcho
Participated in a conference call on 21 May and, upon being presented with the evidence, conceded that no one had previously flagged this issue — an admission that the problem is systemic and long-standing, not new. He committed to investigating. In the 72 hours that followed, the only communication received was a second-hand relay of "it's highlighted." No written acknowledgment, no investigation timeline, no corrective action. A potential ₹60 Crore annual consumer rights violation is being managed with the urgency of a routine support ticket.
Our demands
~
Immediate written acknowledgment of this complaint from Watcho senior management — Partially resolved. @watchoapp acknowledged publicly on Twitter (30 May 2026, 8:31 PM IST) and on NCH portal. No formal written acknowledgment received via email or letter from senior management.
2
Fix the billing engine to deliver 30 full 24-hour blocks from the exact timestamp of activation — consistent with every other OTT platform in India
✓
Refund of ₹5,000 misdirected to personal account due to undisclosed EasyPay requirements (pending since 18 May 2026) — Resolved 26 May 2026. ₹5,010 credited via RTGS (UTR: IN226146064706669) after pre-litigation notice was served. No written acknowledgment provided.
✓
Written explanation of Watcho's current validity calculation methodology and the legal basis for deviating from industry standard — Resolved (against us). Watcho confirmed in writing on NCH portal (30 May 17:43 IST) and publicly on Twitter (30 May 8:31 PM IST): "If a plan is activated on a particular day, that day will be counted as a full day." No legal basis provided — the methodology is confirmed but remains legally indefensible.
5
Prorated refund or service credit to all affected subscribers for the duration systematically not delivered
6
Formal acknowledgment of reputational and commercial harm caused to Lushainet Networks & Technologies — we had already informed our broadband subscribers that bundled OTT access was imminent
Incident 2 — FIFA misrepresentation & plan change non-disclosure
This is a separate but related incident involving the same Zee Entertainment representatives. During onboarding, Dipankar "Vicky" Dey verbally promised that FIFA World Cup streaming would be available to Watcho subscribers for ~₹80 additional per customer. Based on this, Lushainet activated 43 customer subscriptions through door-to-door campaigns in rural Mizoram. On 10 June 2026, it was discovered that Zee Entertainment never granted FIFA rights to any partner — requiring a separate ₹799 plan. Neither Dipankar nor David informed Lushainet of this before or during activations. Lushainet has refunded all 43 affected customers from its own revenue and issued a public apology. The activation costs paid to DISPL cannot be recovered due to the no-refund clause.
Pattern of misrepresentation — same representatives, multiple incidents
| Incident | Representative | Misrepresentation |
| Billing shortfall | Dipankar Dey | "We count days not hours" — dismissed valid complaint |
| EasyPay misdirection | David (Zee, Aizawl) | Failed to disclose EasyPay requirement — ₹5,010 misdirected |
| FIFA promise | Dipankar Dey | Verbally promised ~₹80 FIFA upgrade — never possible |
| Plan change non-disclosure | Dipankar + David | Never informed distributor of FIFA rights change before 43 activations |
WhatsApp evidence — David confirming Dipankar's FIFA promise
David (Zee Entertainment, Aizawl) confirmed on WhatsApp that Dipankar "Vicky" Dey had communicated the ~₹80 FIFA upgrade cost. David also confirmed "All distributors are dissatisfied due to our package price were changing" — establishing this is systemic across Watcho's distribution network. Click any screenshot to enlarge.
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🔍 Dipankar conversation — Click to enlarge
Impact on Lushainet: 43 customers activated. Door-to-door setup in rural Mizoram — significant time and operational cost. Full refunds processed to all 43 customers on 11 June 2026. Public apology issued. Commercially significant activation costs paid to DISPL are unrecoverable due to Clause 5.7/10.5 of the Distribution Agreement. Dipankar "Vicky" Dey has not responded to any communication since this issue was raised.
How ₹60 crore was calculated — methodology
Source for subscriber numbers: official Dish TV press releases.
Step 1 — subscriber base
| Oct 2022 (launch) | 0 |
| Aug 2023 | 20 Lakh (2M) |
| Dec 2023 | 30 Lakh (3M) |
| May 2026 (est., conservative) | 1 Crore (10M) |
Aug→Dec 2023: +10L in 4 months = 2.5L/month. Dec 2023→May 2026: 30 months × ~2.5L = ~75L added. Conservative estimate used: 1 Crore.
Step 2 — per-customer shortfall
| Base plan price | ₹100 / 30 days |
| Daily rate | ₹100 ÷ 30 = ₹3.33/day |
| Actual service delivered (measured) | 29d 4h 8m |
| Unearned charge per customer/cycle | ≈ ₹3.33 |
Step 3 — aggregate calculation
| At ₹100 plan: ₹3.33 × 1 Cr subs × 12 | ≈ ₹40 Crore/year |
| At ₹200 plan: ₹6.67 × 1 Cr subs × 12 | ≈ ₹80 Crore/year |
| Midpoint (cited in complaint) | ₹60 Crore/year |
Assumptions and caveats: (1) All subscribers assumed to be on active monthly plans simultaneously. (2) Subscriber count extrapolated from official Dish TV PR data; not verified post-Dec 2023. (3) Shortfall of ~20 hours measured from a single activation on 19 May 2026. (4) Calculation does not account for plan tier mix. The ₹60 Crore figure is a reasonable midpoint estimate, not an audited figure.