TRAI proposes speedy resolution at service providers level

New Delhi, Jan 3 (UNI) Telecom Regulatory Auhtority of India (TRAI) has proposed a service provider centric institutional mechanism for for handling consumer complaints and their speedy and effective resolution at the company level.

The mechanism defines structural framework at the level of call centre, nodal officer and appellate authority and also outlines the processes and procedures and time limits for redressal of grievances at these levels.

The telecom regulator has made a case for a toll-free contact number at which the consumers may report their grievances at the first instance.

The authority maintained in a consultation paper that all the complaints pertaining to fault or service disruption, shall be attended within three days and all other complaints shall be attended by the Call Centre within seven days, subject to time limits laid down in regulations on Quality of Service.

In case the consumer is not satisfied with the redressal of his grievance at the Call Centre level or in case the Call Centre within the above time limit does not attend to the complaint, he may approach the Nodal Officer.

All grievances received by the Nodal Officer with respect to fault or service disruption or repair/restoration of fault shall be redressed within three days and other grievances shall be redressed within 10 days of the registration of the grievance.

In case the consumer is still not satisfied with the redressal or in case his complaint is not redressed by the Nodal Officer within the above time limit or no reply is received regarding resolution of the complaint from Nodal Officer, he may appeal to the appellate authority for redressal of his grievance and the appellate authority shall decide on the appeal within 30 days.

TRAI has also asked the service providers to publish a 'Manual of Practice for handling consumer complaints' outlining the various provisions, time limits, benchmarks and procedures for seeking redressal of grievances including information which affect the consumers.

It observed that the tremendous growth and competition the telecom sector is witnessing and the frequent introduction of new tariff plans and value added/premium rate services by service providers have brought about increasing number of incidences of consumer grievances leading to consumer dissatisfaction.

One of the recurring grievance brought before the authority by the consumers is lack of information relating to where and how to lodge grievances, the officials of the service providers to be contacted/approached for redressal of grievance and the time period by which the grievance will be resolved.

''Although Department of Telecommunications has mandated that service providers have to set up Consumer Grievances Redressal Mechanism at the Call Centre level and an Appellate Authority within the company, the complaints being received in the Authority show that the implementation of these mechanisms is not effective enough to address the grievances of consumers,'' TRAI noted.

The redressal of individual consumer complaint lies with service providers and in case the consumer is not satisfied with the redressal by the service provider he can take legal recourse through consumer courts, it added.

In order to raise the level of satisfaction of consumers there is a need to deliberate the issue and evolving a well defined institutional mechanism for handling consumer complaints and their speedy and effective resolution as is prevalent in many countries across the world, TRAI said.

UNI