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Another example of the difference between good regulation and Comreg?

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  • 07-10-2005 1:50pm
    #1
    Mr_Man
    Registered Users Posts: 638 ✭✭✭


    Ofcom, the British Regulator, has started an investigation into problems at Bulldog regarding billing and failure to adhere to the code of practice on Customer Complaints.

    Given the issues highlighted on these boards with BT and other ISP's why are Comreg not doing something similar. The answer of course is that we have an Irish regulator for an Irish problem,


    M.


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    #2
    jwt
    Registered Users Posts: 849 ✭✭✭jwt


    Has anyone actually used the Comreg escalation procedure to pursue a complaint against a telecom operator?

    I would be interested to hear from anyone who has and how it went.

    If no one has, then its not suprising that ComReg haven't done anything about the complaints.


    John


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    #3
    Mr_Man
    Registered Users Posts: 638 ✭✭✭Mr_Man


    I have had some experience with Comreg's approach to problem handling. Their basic response is that as long as the ISP/teleco follows some kind of complaints procedure and that the issue is correctly escalted within the company then they are happy to leave it at that, irrespective of the outcome for the consumer .

    If however the company don't follow the comaplints procedure, Comreg will intervene, - to tell them to follow the procedure.

    Therefore Comreg do not seem to address the wider picture. I mentioned in the original post the numerous complaints about BT, surely a regulator who sees so many complaints (even if not expressed directly to Comreg) would get up and investigate what is going on.

    The question is therefore do they have the power to do so, if they don't that is one matter. If they do have the power and refuse to exercise it then that is a completely different problem.

    M.


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    #4
    Sponge Bob
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25,234 ✭✭✭✭Sponge Bob


    Mr_Man wrote:
    If however the company don't follow the procedure, Comreg will intervene, - to tell them to follow the procedure.
    More like chide them gently . "Intervene" is an awful strong word to describe Comreg .
    The question is therefore do they have the power to do so, if they don't that is one matter. If they do have the power and refuse to exercise it then that is a completely different problem.
    They are not there to exercise power (they have it ) but to wave little pinks handbags at the baddies .....maybe.


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    #5
    Blaster99
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,630 ✭✭✭Blaster99


    Out of the blue, IBB suddenly started showing some interest in my problems. This with classics like "I see you're experiencing a lot of packet loss". No ****. I'm fairly sure this was to do with a chap (Adey-something) collecting details for an ASAI complaint because IBB's response to my problems were at least a month after I contacted IBB and only shortly after the ASAI complaint. Suddenly I had engineers calling out to the house and all sorts of stuff that I have never experienced before, like support staff responding to e-mails.

    This perhaps goes to show what can be achieved if a bit of pressure is put on ISP's to deal with customer problems. I know there were people complaining to ComReg about IBB at the time too but I don't think they got anywhere.


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    #6
    RangeR
    Registered Users Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    I got joy from Comreg but not sure what they did for me

    After 3 or 4 months of telling IBB to cancel my contract because of less then useless service, and non responsive phonecalls. I got in touch with Comreg. They told me that there was little they could do other than talk to IBB and get them to respond.

    After hearing this, I followed IBB's complains procedure to the letter. I wrote a letter of formal complaint and sent it to them. I detailed my problems and their lack of response. I also detailed their complaints procedure to them, just in case they weren't aware of it.

    I told them that they had x days to acknowledge receipt of my complaint. They then had x days to investigate said complaint, then had x days to resolve said complaint.

    Needless to say, IBB NEVER responded so I went back to Comreg. Withint 2 weeks IBB rang me to apologise for my problems. I promptly told them to remove their equipment [in a very civil but assertive tone] and cancel my contract. Which they did. However, they are still sending me bills. I've been in touch with them 3 times since and they keep sending them. Not taking any money out of my account, though. I cancelled that :)


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