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Flow, Digicel to start sending customers automated usage alerts

Published:Friday | October 16, 2020 | 5:58 PM
The OUR says telecoms customers should see automatic notification alerts, free of charge.

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says as of Monday, mobile phone users should start receiving automated alerts on their usage levels by telecoms providers Digicel and FLOW.

Additionally, it says all customers wishing to enter into new contracts with telecoms operators should be offered the option of setting spending limits.

These changes are among the decisions made by the OUR following complaints from mobile telecommunications customers.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.our.org.jm/ourweb/

The complaints included unexpectedly high call charges for post-paid subscribers and the lack of notification when data credit is nearly exhausted, or has been exhausted.

In the case of prepaid customers, there were incidents of rapid credit depletion when credit is applied for data use and the exhaustion of data plan credit when ‘mobile data’ is disabled on their devices.

The OUR says telecoms customers should see automatic notification alerts – free of charge – via SMS, or other forms of communication when their bills approach a usage level of 60 per cent.

They will get another notification when their usage reaches 80 per cent and another when it reaches 100 per cent.

The OUR says at the 100 per cent limit, the alert should also provide information on how the customer can renew the plan, or add a new plan.

For pre-paid mobile customers, the usage notification alerts may be sent in the format preferred by the telecoms utility provider.

Such format may include ‘remaining minutes’, data or SMS.

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