The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has resolved over 85% of the 877 complaints it received against Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar from January to August 2016.
The CRA’s Consumer Affairs Department said it is “working closely” with the two service providers to resolve the rest of the complaints, which are still under investigation.
“As the regulator of communications services, CRA encourages all consumers to understand their rights, as well as obligations clearly before signing any contract with their service provider or before subscribing to paid services,” said Amel Salem al-Hanawi, CRA’s Consumer Affairs department manager.
She added: “However, as a consumer, if you have a complaint against your service provider pending for more than 30 days, or the resolution is unsatisfactory, please contact CRA’s 24-hour hotline at 103. We are there for you.”
Consumer complaints, according to the CRA, 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, and replenishment failures and failure to activate SIM cards.
The CRA is mandated to manage disputes within the sectors it regulates. The CRA said it receives an average of about 100 complaints against both service providers each month.
According to the CRA, 56% of the complaints against Ooredoo’s mobile services are related to billing issues, while 7% are network coverage issues. On the other hand, 40% of Vodafone mobile services complaints are about billing issues, while 20% covered service disconnection issues.
Data collected revealed that 14% of Ooredoo fixed line complaints are related to delay in installation and activation while 9% of the fixed line complaints are about disconnection issues.
“The Telecommunications Law and the licences 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 CRA said.
It added: “The CRA’s Consumer Affairs Department is responsible in receiving and investigating 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.”
Consumers can email the CRA at consumervoice@cra.gov.qa, or submit an online complaint form on the CRA website or through Twitter @CRAqatar. For more information, visit http://cra.gov.qa/en