The insurance sector provides insurance ombudsmen in different regions of the country to resolve consumer disputes with the insurers. For settling complaints against the banking industry, you have the banking ombudsmen. But there is no such provision when it comes to resolving consumer problems vis-?-vis telecom companies.

Well, here’s some information that would strengthen the consumer demand for an ombudsman in the telecom sector. The National Consumer Helpline, in its first monthly progress report submitted to the Union ministry of consumer affairs, analysed the calls that were received during the month of April. It came as no surprise that 30 per cent of the calls were complaints against telecom operators. The complaints pertained to inordinate delay in changing from pre-paid to post-paid service, poor network coverage, overcharging, disconnection after bill payment, delay in resolving complaints, failure to activate the recharge card, national and international roaming, and delay in refunding security deposit.

Initiated and funded by the Union ministry of consumer affairs, the toll-free national helpline (1600-11-4000) received 1,585 calls during the month of April. Complaints against all products put together came to another 30 per cent, while complaints pertaining to other services such as banks (eight per cent) insurance (five per cent), electricity supply (one per cent) were far less than that of telecom (30 per cent ).

That was not all. Whenever consumers call in, the helpline tries to see if their problem can be resolved out of the consumer court. It gives its callers the names and addesses of senior officials whom they can approach for settlement of their disputes. However, in the case of telecom companies, the helpline faced a peculiar problem. Despite writing to individual operators as well as the Mobile Operators’ Association, the helpline could not get the names and addresses of grievance redressal officers in these companies!

In a letter to the department of telecommunication last year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had observed that the prevailing structure of grievance redressal available with the telecom players was neither adequate nor fully effective. TRAI had therefore recommended the establishment of ombudsmen on the lines of the insurance ombudsmen.

It’s time consumers stepped up their demand for telecom ombudsmen to resolve their complaints against telecom companies at the earliest.