Telecoms have been asked to provide solutions after poor reception was identified as the No. 1 source of consumer complaints that the National Communications Commission (NCC) received in the first quarter this year.
From January to March, the commission received 1,234 complaints related to telecom service, down from 1,281 during the same quarter last year, NCC statistics show.
However, 771 of the complaints in the first quarter were related to reception of telecom services, with 64.59 percent being about poor reception that users experienced at home or at work.
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, changes in telecom service contracts and subscriber service were identified as the second and third-biggest sources of complaints, accounting for 11 percent and 8 percent respectively, the NCC said.
The three telecoms that received the most complaints were Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Star and Taiwan Mobile, with 32.41 percent, 19.53 percent and 18.48 percent of the complaints.
Consumers who complained about poor indoor reception often asked telecoms to reduce their monthly service fees or improve the reception immediately, the commission said, adding that some demanded that their service contracts be terminated.
The commission offered two possible explanations for poor indoor reception.
“Transmission of electromagnetic waves could be hindered by buildings or topography, depending on where base stations were installed,” it said.
Another reason might be that a telecom removed a base station after residents in the area complained about it, but failed to find a different location nearby to reinstall it, it said.
“We have asked telecoms to conduct tests at locations where a majority of complaints took place and offer solutions accordingly,” the NCC said. “If consumers complain about poor reception, telecoms are advised to give consumers a rebate or allow them to terminate service contracts early while they find ways to address the problem, such as quickly installing a new base station.”
Telecoms should inform consumers that they have a seven-day free trial period for any telecom service they plan to subscribe to, the commission said.
Telecoms are obligated to disclose their service coverage areas to consumers, it said, adding that such information should be available in their retail stores and on their Web sites.
Telecoms must also disclose exactly what their service entails based on the “Telecommunication Service Quality Items and Formats,” which was published on April 8 last year, the NCC said.
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