During the first half of 2007, ANACOM received 10,259 written complaints and 363 requests for information from users of communications services and from the general public about their dealings with providers of communications services and the use of these services. In addition, a further 2,347 consultations were made by phone or in person.
Compared to the same period of 2006, the overall volume of complaints has increased by 28% from 8,004.
Complaints made using the complaints book system made up around 66% of the total volume of complaints received by this Authority during the first half of 2007 (6,764 of an overall total of 10,259).
The majority of complaints, as in previous years, concerned the electronic communications sector (7,772 complaints out of a total of 10,259), both in terms of complaints addressed directly to ANACOM (3,331 complaints out of a total of 3,495) and in terms of complaints entered in complaints books (4,441 complaints out of a total of 6,764). In the postal sector, which saw a total of 2,384 complaints, around 96% were made using the complaint book system.
As far as the electronic communications sector is concerned, the VoIP service gave rise to the largest number of complaints per 1000 customers, with 0.13% of the service's customers logging a complaint; this was closely followed by the internet access service with 0.12% of its 1.660 million customers making a complaint and by the telephone service at a fixed location (2,698 complaints from a total of 3,272,665 customers, corresponding to 0.08% of the client base); in the last case the figures were inflated by an increase in complaints about delays in the deactivation of pre-selection.
The main issues behind complaints about the electronic communications sector were equipment (1,449 complaints), followed by customer service (1,412 complaints) and billing (1,308 complaints). It should also be noted that, as mentioned above, an exceptional volume of complaints (1,284 complaints) was received in respect of selection and pre-selection, due to an increased number of reported delays in the deactivation of this service by certain service providers.
At the same time it should also be noted that the number of complaints on the unbundling of the local loop saw a fall.
In the postal sector, also in line with the previous year, the correspondence service gave rise to the largest number of complaints (1,168 complaints out of a total of 2,384) followed by post office services (671 complaints) and parcel services (335 complaints). The most common issues raised in complaints involved customer service (861 complaints) and delays or failure to deliver correspondence or parcels (335 and 326 complaints, respectively).
During the same six months, ANACOM received 363 requests for information, 39% less than during the same period of 2006. Again the electronic communications sectors gave rise to most of these (316 requests), with the other sectors and especially the postal sector giving rise to considerably fewer.
ANACOM's public assistance services received 2,347 requests, of which 2,217 were made by telephone and 130 were made in person. Of these 91% consisted of complaints by users about service providers, with the remaining 9% consisting of requests for information.
