Ministry moves to protect phone users
Ministry moves to protect phone users
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Tari, a public relations officer, did a double take when she
received last month her phone bill, which was more than double
previous months' bills.
"I was receiving SMSs on information that I did not ask for. It
turns out that I was charged Rp 2,000 (about 21 U.S. cents) for
each message I got," she grumbled.
"I joined a quiz by sending a message to the cellular operator
once, and since then I have been receiving unwanted SMSs," she
said. "These days technology comes at a price. A price we have
not agreed upon that is."
Billing complaints over telecommunications services are common
as the industry grows.
"Some of the people I know seem to have problems with
telecommunications services, from erroneously deducted credit to
the inexplicably high value of phone calls," said Tari.
Recently, a group of consumers of telecommunications firm PT
Telkom complained they had been charged Rp 2,000 for a service
they never received.
In the next couple of weeks, the Ministry of Information and
Communications will issue an instruction requiring operators to
provide protection as consumer billing complaints are increasing
in number.
"For example, every feature that operators offer must be made
available on demand. Customers must be familiarized with the
extra charges that come with the services," said the ministry's
director general of post and telecommunications Basuki Yusuf
Iskandar.
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), however, received
just 54 consumer billing complaints in 2004. Complaints over the
uncharacteristically high value of calls were the most common
with 25. Others complaints ranged from administrative problems to
service quality.
"The resolution of billing problems is an uncertain area for
consumers, although clearly they are the ones being abused," said
YLKI representative Karunia Asri Rahayu. "Currently, consumers
always end up having to pay for services they never demanded in
the first place."
The new regulation to be issued will deal with customers who
have been billed for unasked for services.
Among the features to be regulated are voice mail box, call
forwarding, call waiting, three party calling, abbreviated
dialing, detail billing and ringtone services.
Operators will be required to familiarize consumers on their
service charges for a period of at least one month, during which
they must cease the applicable services.
The features can again be made available after the
Telecommunications Regulatory Body (BRTI) is informed of the
service contracts made with the customers.
Other details on the problems of the erroneous deduction of
credit and unexplained billing will be finalized in the next
couple of weeks.
"There will be sanctions but we will most likely rely on the
operators' good faith to follow the instructions," said Basuki.
There were 40 million cellular subscribers as of September
2005. Compiled data from telecommunications service providers
reveals that the cellular business is worth between Rp 40
trillion to Rp 50 trillion annually, with SMSs contributing Rp 10
trillion to the total amount.