ISLAMABAD - On account of poor network coverage on the part of cellular companies, people faced immense problems on the eve of Eid and the days that follow. Over charging, poor signals, over burdened networks, and frequent call droppings were reported from all over the country. TheNation has observed that soon after the announcement of Eid, all the cellular networks were jammed and people  tried for hours to congratulate their loved ones but to no avail. Mobile users complained that while they were trying to call their dear ones on chand raat and on Eid Day, they could not get their call through due to poor  network but their balances were deducted. "I tried to call my family living in Narrowal on Eid Day, but couldn't get connected and lost almost Rs 50 in the process even without making a single call ", lamented Iqbal Ilyas who celebrated the Eid away from his family in the Capital. "When I would get connected to the people whom I tried to call, the call would either get dropped immediately or there were frequent distortions", added Fayaz Sikandar, a resident of Satellite Town. Consumers also complained about the frequent voice breaking amidst distortions besides call being dropped and being overcharged. Several people told TheNation that their cellular phones proved to be a useless commodity since the users could not draw any benefit from them, with their balance being deducted without making calls. Instead, the cell phones turned out to be and an extra burden on their pockets on Eid. Also, those consumers who had subscribed to SMS or call packages also reported that the cellular companies charged much more than what they prescribed in the advertisement for Eid packages. Ayla Zafar, a housewife informed that she had subscribed a package that offers around 1000 texts for Rs 75. "However when I subscribed this package, I found that my entire credit worth  Rs 100 was consumed before the activation of the package. This is like cheating and deceiving the customers, she deplored adding that she intended to subscribe the aforementioned package since she found it feasible to send texts to her wide network of friends at cheaper rates. Other consumers like those of Ayla faced similar problems pertaining to Eid packages for calls and texts. "It's only when we subscribed such packages, we found that they were nothing more than a fleecing phenomena introduced by these mobile companies to accumulate maximum money from the consumers on Eid" alleged Ashiq Hussain, a university student. Mobile companies have extorted their 'Eidee' from the simpleton users on the Eid, he added. The heavy charges imposed by those companies in the wake of poor network service being offered by mobile companies calls for stern action including heavy fines and cancellation of licences. , against the cellular service providers on the part of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). It seems that the tall claims made by the Chairman Senate's Standing Committee on Interior Senator Talha Mehmood to keep a strict check on mobile service providers have been undermined by the cellular companies. He must assert his authority to punish such cellular companies who have proved to be unfriendly towards customers, to do justice with people and to make his presence felt at his office, demanded the consumers.