Portuguese Regulator Sees Surge in Customer Complaints

Portugal's telecoms regulator, Anacom says that during the first half of 2007, it received 10,259 written complaints and 363 requests for information from users of communications services and from the general public about their dealings with providers of communications services and the use of these services. In addition, a further 2,347 consultations were made by phone or in person.

Compared to the same period of 2006, the overall volume of complaints has increased by 28% from 8,004.

The majority of complaints, as in previous years, concerned the electronic communications sector (7,772 complaints out of a total of 10,259), both in terms of complaints addressed directly to Anacom (3,331 complaints out of a total of 3,495) and in terms of complaints entered in complaints books (4,441 complaints out of a total of 6,764). In the postal sector, which saw a total of 2,384 complaints, around 96% were made using the complaint book system.

As far as the electronic communications sector is concerned, the VoIP service gave rise to the largest number of complaints per 1000 customers, with 0.13% of the service's customers logging a complaint; this was closely followed by the internet access service with 0.12% of its 1.660 million customers making a complaint and by the telephone service at a fixed location (2,698 complaints from a total of 3,272,665 customers, corresponding to 0.08% of the client base); in the last case the figures were inflated by an increase in complaints about delays in the deactivation of pre-selection.

The main issues behind complaints about the electronic communications sector were equipment (1,449 complaints), followed by customer service (1,412 complaints) and billing (1,308 complaints). It should also be noted that, as mentioned above, an exceptional volume of complaints (1,284 complaints) was received in respect of selection and pre-selection, due to an increased number of reported delays in the deactivation of this service by certain service providers.

At the same time it should also be noted that the number of complaints on the unbundling of the local loop saw a fall.

Posted to the site on 9th October 2007