Thaksin's firm hit by complaints

Thaksin's firm hit by complaints

THAILAND: A cellular phone company founded by Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra is being bombarded with complaints from users
for overcharging, a senator said in Bangkok on Friday.

Siriwan Prasachaksatru, who heads a Senate committee dealing
with consumer rights, said she found the company didn't charge
customers according to the advertised rates.

In Thailand, callers pay 3 baht (6 U.S. cents) per minute for
calls in the same area code and 8-12 baht (17-26 cents) per
minute to outlying areas.

But Siriwan says callers were being mostly charged the 8-baht
rate no matter where they called and that refunds were usually
two to three months late and not in cash. There also appeared to
be deliberate overcharging. --AP