[ENN] Broadband firms slated for customer service

viking

http://www.electricnews.net/news.html?code=9667057

Some of Ireland's biggest broadband providers have been criticised over their poor after-care service in a report due to be published next week.

The article, which appears in Consumer Choice magazine, slams Irish telecommunications firms over their failure to respond to customer complaints and for billing mistakes.

The Consumers Association of Ireland (CAI), which publishes Consumer Choice, says that complaints about the levels of service provided by telecommunications firms has grown considerably over the past few years. Moreover, a spokesperson for the CAI told ElectricNews.Net that 30 percent of the complaints received to its National Consumer Complaint Register in December 2005 concerned broadband providers.

The lion's share of complaints to the register centred on Irish Broadband, with many subscribers registering their anger over limited or nil responses to customer calls or e-mails to the firm. Others complained about dissatisfaction at the poor levels of technical expertise or knowledge of customer support staff.

One former Irish Broadband customer who spoke to ElectricNews.Net said that after subscribing to one of the provider's services last year, they found themselves in a situation where they were getting download speeds similar to dial-up, rather than broadband. An attempt was made to address the problem, but when the firm was unable to resolve the issue, it simply left the customer without broadband until an alternative provider stepped in. That same customer was then billed by Irish Broadband for a further three months use of its service despite the fact that they were no longer able to receive it.

A second disgruntled subscriber said that despite making every effort to pay Irish Broadband by direct debit for use of its service, the firm didn't take the money from them on a monthly basis but instead presented the customer with a bill for EUR200 the week before Christmas.

Irish Broadband admitted that it had experienced some problems due to unparalleled demand for its services. It also said that it had appointed a new customer services director and had put in a new integrated billing and customer management system in place. It is also recruiting an additional 80 members of staff over the coming months.

"We have put in the necessary steps to make the improvements and we're seeing substantial improvements and we should see more as time goes on," Irish Broadband's marketing director Orla Duffy told ElectricNews.Net.

Complaints to CAI's register were also made about BT Ireland, and to a lesser extent, NTL and Eircom. BT Ireland faced criticism over problems with its online billing system, which it claims to have now been resolved.

One BT customer ElectricNews.Net spoke to said that he had grown exasperated by his attempts to pay the company for use of its broadband service.

"BT was encouraging me to do online billing but I didn't want to do that because I wanted a paper bill; however, they wouldn't send me out one so I had to keep ringing them to ask how much I owed them and then try and find a way to give them the money they wanted."

BT Ireland could not be contacted at the time of publication.

The CAI said that the complaints show that there is a very strong case to be made for introducing a system of compensation for telecommunications customers.

"I think up and coming broadband providers must pay at least as much attention to after sales customer service as they do with expanding their network and customer base." a spokesperson for the CAI told ElectricNews.Net.

"In the case of Irish Broadband, it seems that they've been struggling to cope with unprecedented demand, but at the end of the day any expansion should not be at the expense of a basic level of customer care and technical support. We would also like to see a proper system of compensation for consumers who experience lengthy downtimes."

HelterSkelter

Irish Broadband admitted that it had experienced some problems due to unparalleled demand for its services. It also said that it had appointed a new customer services director and had put in a new integrated billing and customer management system in place. It is also recruiting an additional 80 members of staff over the coming months.

If they can't keep up with the demand then why the hell are they advertising for new customers constantly?

Urban Weigl

HelterSkelter wrote:

If they can't keep up with the demand then why the hell are they advertising for new customers constantly?

It could also be the other way around. Think about it.

viking

HelterSkelter wrote:

If they can't keep up with the demand then why the hell are they advertising for new customers constantly?

Simple, short term profit.