Telephone companies lead the consumer complaints: high fraudulent registrations, incorrect invoices, connection failures.
CONSUMERS SICK OF ABUSES.
Excessively expensive rates, improper charges for services not requested, registrations we have not asked, penalties … are many causes that motivate consumer complaints to telephone companies. But why settle there.
We have feedback …
– The Spanish paid by mobile more than our French, English or Italian neighbours.
– The differences between the offers of the companies exceed 120 euros.
– Half of the customers pay a lot for the service they receive.
– Telephone problems lead the consumer complaints, and Protestapp or social networks.
THE 4 STEPS OF A CLAIM.
The first step always is to present a formal customer service telephone company complaint.
If you the answer does not convince you or if one month has gone by since your complaint and you still do not have a reply, these are the following steps:
– This will have to be done before one month from the time you knew the problem.
– Go to the Consumer Arbitration Board in your community: you have 3 months to do it and they are required to respond within a maximum of 6 months. The decision of this body can solve your problem, but it can also happen that the operator is not subject to arbitration (in that case, go to step 3).
– Go to the Office of Telecommunications Customer Care: You have 3 months to do it (start counting from the refusal of the operator to arbitration). If the final decision is favourable but will not be abided by the operator, you might consider point 4.
– If the monetary claim does not exceed 2,000 euros, you can go without paying lawyer or solicitor, or fees.
I WANT TO CANCEL.
You have the right to leave the contract at any time and it has to be effective in up to 2 days.
Check if your contract has a permanence clause: if you have not yet fulfilled it, they may force you to pay compensation.
Rate the possibility of keeping the same number:
YES: you have to ask the portability of the line. they will give you lower your current operator and make you to keep your number: the company that you go (and not your current operator) deals. Once the new operator calls the old one to make sure you’ve unsubscribed from all its services.
NO: if you signed up by phone or Internet, you have a right to be disembroiled by the same route. If you signed up in a store, you will probably ask you to send a fax or to turn to a store. In mobile lines, a simple alternative is to apply the change to prepaid card and simply let the line die.
They cannot charge you a single euro from the time of effectiveness of the signing off: 2 days after request.
In order to prove the date, you asked for the signing off, you may send a registered letter with return receipt to the company.
THEY REGISTER ME WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.
They are sadly common fraudulent registrations: they call with an offer, you say no and soon discover that you have been discharged into a new company or service.
Do not trust telephone solicitations: do not hire before having detailed information in writing.
Although the contract is made by phone, you have the right to receive a written document.
If you are a victim of non-consensual registration:
1) Report it to the Police or Civil Guard.
2) Claim to the operator: by phone (need to provide you an incident number) or written (with acknowledgment of receipt to the registered office of the company letter, attaching a copy of the complaint).
3) If you spend 30 days and do not know anything, you have 3 months to complain to the Consumer Arbitration Board in your community or to the Office of Telecommunications Customer Care.
CHANGE OF COMPANY WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.
The rule is clear: an operator can only start a portability after receiving verbal consent. This consent must be heard by a person and not by an automatic system.
You have the right to interrupt portability once started, although the deadlines are very short. In mobile you have only 1 day before portability to be effective, so you’ll have to hurry if you want to cancel.
On this website you can enter a mobile number and know which operator is currently attached.
In this other web you can do the same with a fixed number.
If you are caught in a portability that you did not request, you must:
1) Reclaim the operator that currently has your number.
2) Report first to the Consumer Arbitration Board in your community and if does not work, the Office of Telecommunications Customer Care.
If you have not asked for portability, you have to allow yourself back to your old company without charging penalties.
INTERNET FALLS CONSTANTLY.
If your Internet connection is interrupted for more than 6 hours (continuous or discontinuous) between 8 am and 22 pm, you have a right to be returned the proportional share of the bill: subscription charge and other fixed charges prorated according to the duration of the interruption.
This compensation will have to be automatic and will consist of a discount on the next bill.
There will be no compensation if the service has been interrupted because of you (network damage due to the connection of non-approved terminals).
If you have hired pack, the operator will have to detail how much of the bill corresponds to each service in order to compensate you for the lack of Internet.
If they do not do so, it is assumed that the price of each service is proportional to its contract separately.
If the operator does not offer these services separately, it is considered that the Internet represents 50% of the total price.
EXAGERATE BILLS AFTER A TRIP.
If you can use your mobile abroad is due to roaming. This service has a cost and the foreign operator manages a part of any calls you make or receive, charging the amount to our national operator.
Rates vary widely depending on the country. Find out by calling your operator before you travel.
If your trip is within the European Union, you should know that there is a Eurotariff with maximum prices for calls, SMS and Internet.
If you travel outside the EU, pay attention: the cost of both making and receiving calls is very high.
Do not hire any offers roaming with your operator without having very clear that interests you. These “deals” often out faces.
Be very careful if you go cruising: Many ships have a satellite telephone service via very high cost. Better turn off the phone or manually control which network you are connecting (prevents satellite).
As a general rule, it should disable Internet on your phone when you are abroad. Connect it only when you go to use it. Although not use it if you have connected some applications can be automatically updated, consuming data (and money).