Telcos pushed to lift service
Telco providers are coming in for more scrutiny over the way they treat their customers.
The Commerce Commission has released a paper outlining how it will implement new legal provisions designed to improve the retail service quality that telco customers receive.
The commission wants to better understand what quality of service is provided to customers, the priorities it should focus on in its oversight of the sector and the appropriate tools to use when intervention is needed.
‘‘Retail telecommunications is a commission priority, in particular in the areas of billing, switching, contract terms, and marketing. Parliament has now given us more tools to improve retail service quality and safeguard consumers,’’ telecommunications commissioner Stephen Gale said.
The new provisions require the commission to monitor aspects of retail service quality including performance, speed and availability, customer service and billing and installation issues, as well as providing information for consumers to help them with their choices of technologies and providers.
They also require it to periodically review the Telecommunications Dispute Resolution scheme.
‘‘We receive lots of consumer inquiries and complaints about telecommunications providers and have responded over the past few years through Fair Trading Act warnings and prosecutions. The new provisions will help us encourage telcos to compete more on retail service quality, not just on prices,’’ Gale said.
Telecommunications was the biggest source of complaints to the Commerce Commission last year.
But Gavin Male, of broadband comparison website Broadband-Compare, said the industry did not deserve its poor reputation.
‘‘If you look at the number of complaints received, every household in the country has at least one or two accounts with these telcos. The percentage is a tiny amount.
‘‘While it’s the most complained about industry, it’s the industry with the most customers.’’