Trai for three-tier grievance redressal structure

In a move to address the growing customer complaints on service quality against telelcom operaters, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), has directed operators to set up a three-tier grievance redressal structure which will include call centres, nodal officers in each area and a appallette authority in each circle.

Complaints pertaining to fault repair, service disruption and disconnection of service will have to be attended by the operators within a maximum period of three days and other complaints in seven days. If unsatisfied, consumers could approach nodal officers. However, if their greivances are still not redressed, they can go in appeal to the appellate authority, which will have to adjudicate within a maximum period of three months. Nodal officers for complaints like fault repair, service dsiruption will have to resolve the complain within three days while for other complaints, the period is ten days.

But the move has not got the support of consumer advocacy groups who are peeved that the redressal would be undertaken by operators who are the defaulters.

Telecom complaints account for a majority of complaints received by consumer advocacy groups (CAGs) like National Consumer Helpline, VOICE.

S K Virmani, manager, National Consumer Helpline said, "More than 20% of complaints we receive are against various telecom service providers. The issue that has now come up is that the operators themselves have been given the power to address consumer grievances."

Responding to customer complaints that the billings sent to them by operators are difficult to understand, Trai has directed operators that information on applicable tariff plan, credit limit, security deposit, method of calculating the pulse rate will have to be printed with the bill.

For the first time pre-paid customers, Trai has directed, should be provided itemised bills of calls they have made at a reasonable cost when requested.

M C Chaube, advisor, Trai said:"There is growth and competition in the telecom sector and it has thrown up new challenges for protection of consumer interest. We have asked all the telecom operators in our country, who provide basic telephone service, unified access services, cellular mobile telephone service and broadband service, to establish a formal structure to address consumer grievances. The mechanism would be in place within three months."

Legal recourse could be taken against operators who do not comply with the regulation, Chaube said.