Complaints? About ISPs? Surely not!

ISPA unveils new complaints outfit

By Tim Richardson • Get more from this author

Posted in Telecoms, 19th November 2003 18:31 GMT

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The Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA) – the UK's ISP trade group - has hooked up with T-Mobile, Telewest, and Orange - to create a new independent complaints resolution service.

Given the thumbs-up by telecoms regulator Oftel today, the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS), as its called, will be run by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and will provide an independent way of settling disputes between ISPA members and their customers.

Under new legislation, ISPs and other communications service providers must give their punters access to an external dispute resolution scheme in the event of people not seeing eye-to-eye. CISAS kicks off on December 9.

Last month telecoms regulator, Oftel, approved the Telecoms Ombudsman - aka "Otelo" - a similar scheme to resolve telecoms industry disputes.

ISPs and telcos can chose which scheme - CISAS or Otelo - they wish to sign up to.

Separately, Oftel has published its latest stats on complaints it has received from punters concerning ISPs. The number of complaints were down this quarter from 5,235 to 4,700, with billing issues top of the list of gripes.

BT remains the worst-offending ISP with more complaints per thousand than any other ISP. Despite this, BT's performance was an improvement on last time, said Oftel. ®

Telecoms Ombudsman handles 'lots and lots' of complaints

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