Vol. 408 No. 4
14 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications his views on whether the monopoly position of Telecom Éireann is open to abuse by the company; and if he has any proposals to deal with such abuse.
Telecom Éireann were granted, by law, the exclusive privilege of providing telecommunications services within the State and the reasons for granting this exclusive privilege are set out clearly in the legislation. I accept that any monopoly position can be abused and indeed a relatively small number of allegations of abuse of privilege have been made. These allegations have been investigated by the Department but most of them have not been substantiated. A code of conduct has been drawn up to ensure that all Telecom staff are aware of their responsibilities in areas where abuses might arise.
If the Deputy brings to my notice any case of abuse of their exclusive privilege by Telecom Éireann I will have the allegations looked into immediately.
Would the Minister accept that over one in three of all complaints received by the Ombudsman relate to telephone accounts? Would the Minister further accept that the manner in which complaints are dealt with by Telecom Éireann in relation to telephone bills would not be tolerated in respect of any commercial concern in any country where such concern did not have a monopoly? In such circumstances the operation concerned would be out of business.
That figure seems to be about right, Deputy. A very large proportion of complaints to the Ombudsman are in fact about Telecom Éireann. That is why I have come to the conclusion that some more independent structure may now be required to speed up the process of dealing with those complaints. I am looking at a few options in that area.
Would the Minister accept that Telecom Éireann use, in my view, unethical strong arm tactics to force people to pay accounts which may not be due? The principal tactic is the threat of disconnection which they can issue with impunity because of their monopoly position but they also use other tactics which have been drawn to my attention by members of the legal profession.
As I said, I am very interested in getting information on any specific cases, on a confidential basis if necessary, and I will see to it that they are dealt with urgently and firmly.
I will respond to the Minister's invitation in relation to the complaints I received from the member of the legal profession and I will submit the details to him. It seems there is a need for a telephone arbitrator who would be able to bring Telecom Éireann to heel without the threat of disconnection hanging over the head of a person who wants a complaint properly investigated. Does the Minister accept the need for such an appointment and, if so, will he take steps to establish such a position forthwith?
That is one of the options I can consider. I have come to the conclusion, given the large number of complaints to the Ombudsman, that there is a need for some speedy and non-bureaucratic way of dealing with these complaints, possibly with some element of Telecom involved. I will have to try to thrash that out as a matter of urgency.
While I accept the Minister's commitment to consider the matter, he will agree that the general public are at the mercy of Telecom Éireann when it comes to querying bills. Will the Minister agree that the only way to reassure people who feel they have been overcharged on their phone bills is in the area of technology? The technology is in the hands of Telecom Éireann and the ordinary lay-person has no way of knowing whether their bills are correct. Will the Minister ensure that Telecom Éireann install such equipment as is necessary to prove once and for all whether consumers are being overcharged?
I sympathise with the spirit of what the Deputy said. If Telecom Éireann have the technology and the customer complains, he has no way of proving his point of view. There is a metering system available at the moment but it would be inordinately expensive for every household to avail of it. It is in that area that I am trying to find a solution as soon as possible.
Would the Minister agree that this issue comes up about this time every year when the Ombudsman's report is published but we then forget about it until the next year? Bearing in mind the arrogant, cavalier fashion in which the consumer is being treated by Telecom, would the Minister consider calling in the chief executive of Telecom Éireann, and their senior officials, to have a face to face discussion with them on the issues affecting the public?
We should keep this matter in proportion. Many suggestions are being made here. The vast majority of consumers are dealt with fairly by Telecom. In a minority of cases consumers feel vulnerable because they cannot argue the point and, as Deputy Byrne said, they have no independent technology or advice available to them. I am seeking to resolve that matter by some non-bureaucratic, slimline, speedy structure that will allow complaints to be dealt with somewhat independently of Telecom.
I would like to raise with the Minister the fact that Telecom Éireann are misleading the customer when they talk about investigating their complaints. They write to the customer a standard pro-forma letter, a copy of which I have received from a complainant, telling them that the matter is being fully investigated when, as has now been detailed by the Ombudsman, no such investigation takes place. All they do is examine the fault record and then send out the standard response. That is utterly irresponsible and misleading behaviour on the part of a semi-State body, or, indeed, any commercial organisation.
The Minister is defending them.
I will seek an immediate response from the company to that specific point made by the Deputy.
Do not stand over it.
