January 2010

India has more than 500 million mobile phone users in which nearly half of the users face lot of problems with their services and will not always be able to contact their service providers to post their complaints. To find a easy way for the dissatisfied customers to post their complaints, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is planning for better customer grievance redressal mechanism. TRAI will set up a web based integrated customer complaint handling system. Now any customer can log on to this web-based system, that will be maintained by Trai, to register complaints, violations,billing, metering and refund of security deposits or any other grievance against their mobile operator. The website will help prospective customers to select their service providers. The complaints will get transferred to the telecom operator in question in real time and the efficiency of operators complaint handling will be monitored. Trai is planning to make this system accessible to people through SMS and IVR too as only one fourth of the mobile subscribers have access to internet. Trai is also of the view that despite all operators having directed a three-tier redressal structure, which includes call centers, area-wise nodal officers and appallette authorities, most grievances went unaddressed. Currently, the only other option that a consumer has is to take the operator to court. Trai is also planning to junk the Do-Not-Call (DNC) registry, as this has failed its purpose of ensuring that telemarketers do not make unsolicited calls or send SMSs to those enlisted in the DNC. Instead, the regulator plans to explore the option of setting up a ‘Do-Call’ registry, where only registered users would be called by telemarketing firms. This is a great plan which will be encouraged by almost all the mobile users. The regulator will begin the processing through online model by next month, and after consultations with all stakeholders, it plans to have the platform working from the beginning of next fiscal (April 1, 2010).  Meanwhile, the telecoms regulator will also meet the two telecom industry bodies next week — Cellular Operators Association of India and the Association of Unified Service Providers of India — over a demand by the industry that they be allowed to charge subscribers for calls made to customer care outlets.  At present, all calls made to the customer care are free. Similar Posts: None Found Share/Save