ComReg condemns persistent problems with Eir

The watchdog which overseas the Irish communications sector is to hold discussions with Government to see if legislation is needed to force phone and broadband providers to deliver a better standard of care to customers.

ComReg has condemned as “completely unacceptable” ongoing problems which Eir customers have experienced when trying to make contact with the provider.

It also defended its role in ensuring communications companies deal with customers complaints in an efficient and effective manner.

The regulator issued a lengthy statement to The Irish Times in the wake of comments made in the Dáil last week calling on it to act and questioning whether it was fit for purpose.

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On Wednesday, the Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan said Eir's customer service was "totally unsatisfactory and something the company is going to have to address".

He said ComReg would have to to do something about Eir’s “shocking poor performance”.

Ceann Comhairle Sean Ó Fearghaíl said Eir’s service was “appalling” adding that growing consumer concern about the company raised “profound questions as to whether ComReg is doing its job”.

However, the regulator has defended its role in overseeing the sector and pointed to thousands of complaints it resolved expeditiously once consumers alerted it to problems.

Legislation

It said it was investigating what more was needed to make sure issues were resolved faster.

“ComReg is also considering whether it would be possible to place additional obligations on service providers and we will discuss with the Government if new legislation is needed,” the statement said.

The watchdog said it had sought a remediation plan from Eir and had “raised with [it] the level of public dissatisfaction and consumer detriment as a result of its customer care”.

It highlighted bimonthly meetings it has been holding with Eir to monitor progress being made in plans to improve the situation. “It is very unsatisfactory that Eir has not yet been able to remediate its customer care to meet the needs of its customers,” ComReg said, adding that it would continue to use its powers “to assist affected customers with their complaints, and to press Eir to improve matters”.

The statement said ComReg had resolved 5,354 complaints in total, relating to all service providers from the beginning of the year to the end of September 2020 with 3,477 complaints resolved by its Consumer Line on behalf of Eir’s customers. It said most customers complaints reported to it were resolved within 10 working days.

“Consumers should be able to choose and use services with confidence. This includes having, at a minimum, convenient ways of contacting service providers, in order to obtain timely, effective and fair resolution of issues,” the statement said. It stressed the importance of ensuring “a culture of compliance is engendered so that consumers’ rights are upheld by their service provider. Effective compliance and enforcement is important in achieving this.”

Apologised

Meanwhile, an Eir spokeswoman said resolving customer care wait times was its “number one priority” as she pointed to an average wait time last week of under 10 minutes.

She said the company was “making steady progress” and apologised “for the delays some customers have experienced”.

She pointed out that the pandemic had made managing its call centres in Sligo, Limerick and Cork "challenging with more than 400 care agents transitioned to working from home overnight, the closure of our retail stores, and a dramatic increase in call volumes due to more households working and learning from home".

She stressed that Eir had been recruiting nationally since restrictions eased “and we are proud to have hired 92 new recruits to our care team with further team members joining in the weeks ahead”.