Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Tarai) today mandated all operators to set up a complaint centre that would have a toll-free number and can be accessed by a subscriber of even another mobile operator.
Trai’s Telecom Consumers Complaint Regulations, 2012, said such a centre would be responsible in addressing all complaints it receives. Further, all operators have to set up a web-based complaint monitoring system, through which the consumer can track their complaints, according to the regulations.
A two-tier system will replace the existing three-tier complaint redressal mechanism — now comprising call centre, nodal centre and appellate authority — by doing away with the nodal officer. This is because the complaint centres are essentially registration and response centres, and do not deal with the resolution of complaints. They only facilitate registration of consumer complaints — and the level at which a problem is resolved within a company depends on the complexity of the issue involved, Trai said.
Every complaint at the centre will be registered by giving a unique docket number, which will remain in the system for at least three months. The docket number, along with the date and time of registration and the time limit for resolution of the complaint, would be communicated to the consumer through SMS. The customer shall also be informed of the action taken through a texted message over the mobile phone. The service provider will set up a two-member advisory committee in each of the service areas. It will comprise a member from the consumer organisation registered with Trai, and another member from the service provider.
Further, mobile operators will publish a citizen’s charter that will contain different time-frames specified by the authority for various complaints and various procedures related to services -- such as mobile number portability, amount to be deducted and consumer's rights, the regulator added.