Complaints grow over ‘poor’ quality of mobile services

Unhappy mobile users in the Philippines are being urged by the Department of Trade and Industry to file cases with the regulator, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), so that proper action can be taken to remedy the ongoing problem of poor levels of service. With cellular usage on the rise, it is not surprising that users are experiencing difficulties, however. Angeline Gonzalez of the DTI provincial office says that regrettably users are not carrying through with a formal complaint, making it difficult for government agencies to take action. Customer complaints cover the whole gamut of services, including missing or lost cellphone credits on pay-as-you-go SIMS, overcharging and other billing errors, and mobile phone scams, to name a few. Many mobile users are also dismayed by what they see as poorly trained staff handling operators’ customer care lines.