Making a complaint about telecommunications or postal services

Introduction

The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) is the statutory body charged with regulation of the electronic communications and postal markets in Ireland, including premium rate telephone services. It also deals with unresolved complaints about telecommunications and postal services. ComReg has produced a guide to your rights when making a complaint about your service provider.

Rules

Where should I complain?

If you have an issue with your service provider, you should first contact your provider, outline your complaint and ask for it to be resolved. Your provider should have a code of practice for handling complaints.

Try to be clear about the issue by providing enough details when making the complaint to your service provider. Record the date and time that you make your complaint and ask for a reference number for your complaint. Make a note of the name of the person who takes your complaint.

Give your service provider a chance to resolve your complaint. Make a note of any commitments that are made by your provider.

Who can complain to ComReg?

If you have contacted your service provider about your complaint and you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can complain to ComReg.

The issue giving rise to your complaint must have occurred within the previous nine months for telecommunications issues. However, you must make your complaint within 3 months of the use of a premium rate service.

The time limit for postal issues, where An Post or another postal operator offered a universal service, is:

• Within one month of receiving an item
• Within three months of posting mail within Ireland
• Within six months of posting of international items

For other postal operators you should check the terms and conditions that apply. Postal operators authorised by Comreg are listed on Comreg’s website.

Generally, you should be the person who has experienced the service failure (either the account holder for telecoms complaints or the sender or the recipient of mail for postal complaints). In some cases, however, ComReg will work with other people or organisations.

Rates

There is no charge for making a complaint to ComReg.

How to apply

If you wish to make a complaint to ComReg, you can make it by phone, fax, e-mail or by post. You can also complete an online complaint form.

What details should I give about my complaint?

When you contact ComReg you should provide the following:

• Your contact details including a mobile telephone number if possible for telecoms complaints, and full postal address for postal complaints
• The account name and account number (if applicable)
• Details of the complaint, including the complaint reference number
• Details about previous dealings with the service provider
• A clear statement of what you hope to achieve by raising your complaint

When you are giving your information, you should let Comreg know if there are any particular details that you do not want ComReg to send to the service provider.

ComReg provides further information to assist you when making a complaint to your telecommunications or postal service provider on its consumer website www.askcomreg.ie.

Advice for consumers on making a complaint about premium rate telephone services is also available on ComReg’s website.

Where to apply

When making a complaint by post to ComReg, you should write to the ComReg Consumer Team.