ADVERTISEMENT

WhatsApp To Offer 24-Hour Customer Support For Payments Services In India 

WhatsApp’s 24-Hour customer support in Hindi, English, Gujarati, and Marathi for its payments services.  

The WhatsApp Inc. mobile-messaging application WhatsApp is displayed on a Samsung Electronics Co. Galaxy S4 smartphone, left, and an Apple Inc. iPhone in this arranged photograph taken in London, U.K. (Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg)
The WhatsApp Inc. mobile-messaging application WhatsApp is displayed on a Samsung Electronics Co. Galaxy S4 smartphone, left, and an Apple Inc. iPhone in this arranged photograph taken in London, U.K. (Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg)

Facebook-owned WhatsApp is working on setting up a 24-hour customer support for users of its payments services that is slated to be rolled out in India in the coming weeks.

"We will provide a 24-hour customer support. When the service will be rolled out, payments users can contact the support team via e-mail and a toll-free number," a WhatsApp spokesperson said.

Opinion
WhatsApp Updates Privacy Policy, Terms Of Use Ahead Of Payments Service Launch

The spokesperson added that the support will be available in English as well as three Indian languages -- Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati.

However, the official declined to comment on the launch dates and other details.

While WhatsApp is yet to announce the official date of launch of its UPI-based payments service, industry watchers expect an announcement to come in the next few weeks.

Almost one million people are "testing" WhatsApp's payments service in India, which is the largest base for the company that has over 1.5 billion users globally. WhatsApp payment service, which rivals the likes of Paytm, has been in beta testing in India over the last few months.

The Facebook-owned company is also updating its terms of service and privacy policy for users to "reflect the addition of payment interoperability features" ahead of the full-fledged launch of the service.

The spokesperson said WhatsApp has worked closely with the National Payments Corporation of India, bank partners, and the Indian government on the details of how its service works.

Under the updated terms, WhatsApp states that it will not provide refunds or facilitate any chargebacks. Once a user makes a payment, it is final.

"WhatsApp is not liable for unauthorised transactions. We assume no responsibility for the underlying transaction of funds, or the actions or identity of any transfer recipient or sender," it adds.

The spokesperson explained that while users can connect with WhatsApp for queries related to the payments offering, they would have to reach out to their banks for any dispute resolution.

Opinion
IT Ministry Seeks More Details On WhatsApp Payments