Opposition wants OUR and PM to ensure better cell service

Julian Robinson, member of parliament for St Andrew South East and opposition spokesman on science and technology, has called on Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) to intervene and ensure that the basic standard of cell phone service is maintained across networks.

The senior opposition spokesman said he has been receiving increasing complaints from cell phone customers that there is a breakdown in service delivery and that customer care has disappeared.

In a news release, Robinson said he has received reports from across the spectrum that it is difficult to resolve complaints with cell service because of the slow automated system now in use by the companies.

POOR QUALITY

He said that the litany of complaints surrounds the general poor quality of service, service disruptions, dropped calls, disappearing credit, and bill charges.

According to Robinson, the self-care options available to customers are not user-friendly and do not readily provide an option to speak with a customer services representative, which increase the level of frustration and anxiety for consumers.

He said it is time for the OUR to intervene to leverage its authority and ensure that consumers are not exploited by cell providers. Robinson added that the OUR must insist that the cell-service providers remedy the situation and return real value to their customer base.

"Cell phone service has deteriorated to the point of customer frustration, and I am very concerned that some of these complaints are long-standing and there is no obvious evidence that there any moves to fixing them," he said.

CAC INTERVENTION

The opposition spokesman is also urging customer with grievances to seek the intervention of the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) to address their concerns.

He noted that the CAC has intervened in the past on behalf of consumers who had complained against cell service providers.

Robinson said that Prime Minister Holness must intervene and provide the required leadership in directing the relevant government agencies to seek redress for the consumers.