(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has disclosed the number of telecom consumer complaints and inquiries received for 2015 through its official channels - hotline 103, mobile app Arsel, and Twitter channel @CRAqatar. CRA's Consumer Affairs Department is working closely with both service providers € Ooredoo and Vodafone-Qatar € to finalize the unresolved complaints.
In 2015, CRA received a total of 1,985 inquiries from telecom consumers and 1,135 consumer complaints. Of the 1,135 complaints, over 90% have been resolved, and less than 10% are still under investigation.
"CRA is mandated by Emiri decree to manage a dispute resolution system that is transparent, fair, speedy and effective. These figures show that CRA is proactively managing disputes, with nearly 100 complaints received on average each month against both service providers.
Resolving these complaints is a vital part of our role in protecting telecom consumers in Qatar," said Amel Salem Al-Hanawi, CRA's Consumer Affairs Manager, adding, "In the spirit of transparency, we will continue to share these figures with the consumers in Qatar." Common complaints received by CRA by consumers include disconnections, delays in service provisions, refunds, incorrect billing, slow internet, weak broadband services, services not activated or mistakenly disconnected, high roaming charges, double debiting, replenishment failures and failure to activate SIM cards.
Specifically, 30% of the complaints received about Ooredoo's mobile services are related to billing issues and 20% are related to network coverage issues. 30% of Vodafone mobile services complaints are related to service disconnection issues and 20% are related to billing issues.
From the data collected, 53% of Ooredoo fixed line complaints are related to delay in installation and activation while 32% of the fixed line complaints are related to fixed line disconnection issues.
The Telecommunications Law and the licenses issued to service providers include provisions to protect consumers by placing obligations on the service providers to be honest and be fair in their dealings.
Consumers with a complaint can freely approach the CRA if they first complain to their service provider and this complaint remains unresolved for 30 calendar days, or if they are dissatisfied with the resolution offered.
The Consumer Affairs department within CRA is responsible to receive and investigate telecom consumer complaints by working with both consumers and service providers in a prompt and balanced way to find mutually acceptable solution. The Consumer Affairs department also responds to consumer inquiries about any issues they have regarding the services provided by their telecom service provider.
The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) is the communications regulator in the state of Qatar established by virtue of Emiri Decree (42) in 2014. CRA regulates the communications & information technology sector, postal services, and access to digital media. CRA uses its regulatory powers mandated by the Emiri decree to protect consumer rights, ensure competition, manage the resolution of disputes, and manage the electromagnetic spectrum. In all its activities, the CRA seeks to ensure the provision of advanced, innovative and reliable ICT and postal services across the state of Qatar.
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