Hey Guys
I lodged a complaint with ICASA pertaining to the areas that Telkom are in direct violation of their bill (Local caps, 24 hour resets etc) and interestingly enough when they replied to my complaint they send me a copy of their internal complaints handling procedure. Thought it might interest you
:
The Consumer Protection department has got an internal complaints handling mechanism that stipulates the following:
STEP ONE:
1. The department shall be a point of entry and recording for all consumer related complaints.
2. The department shall accept complaints brought to their attention by all modes of communications i.e.
2.1. Post
2.2. Fax
2.3. E-Mail
2.4. Telephone
2.5. Customer Walk-ins
3. Upon receipt of a complaint, it must be acted upon within THREE WORKING DAYS i.e.
3.1. All complaints received must be sent to the office of MANAGER: POLICY & STRATEGY.
3.2. This office shall enter all received complaints Received complaints into a REGISTER BOOK, in accordance with the following approach:
3.2. a. Case Reference Number,
3.2. b. Name of Complainant,
3.2. c. Whether the Complaint is about a business or about a private user,
3.2. d. Whether the Complainant is male or female,
3.2. e. Complaint Category (We have standard template for Complaints Categories – It must be adhered to strictly for statistical purposes).
3.2.f. Date received,
3.2.g. Date closed,
3.2.h. Case Life/duration,
3.2.i. Name of an Officer the complaint is allocated to.
4. The office of Manager: Policy & Strategy shall then ALLOCATE complaints randomly, but also equally between/amongst Complaints Handling Officers.
5. The office of the Manager: Policy & Strategy must allocate every complaint within THREE WORKING DAYS from the date of receipt.
6. The Officer allocated a complaint must then write a LETTER OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT and have it sent to the Complainant within THREE WORKING DAYS from the date when she/he received a complaint.
7. Again, the Officer to whom the complaint has been allocated must do the following:
7.1 analyse a complaint,
7.2. collates the merits of the case,
7.3. write and sent correspondence to the RESPONDENT within THREE WORKING DAYS from the date when she/he received a complaint.
8. ICASA has signed a MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU) with all the licensees that stipulates a Complaints Escalation Procedure whereby the Authority will not accept complaints that have not been lodged first with the Service Providers and/or licensees, before they are forwarded to us.
9. That means consumers/complainants must first lodge a complaint with the Customer Relationship Consultant right at the Service Provider/Operator level, all the way through the levels of accountability within the operator, before the matter is forwarded to ICASA for arbitration.
10. Secondly, the Authority has, in the same MoU agreed with the operators on a FOURTEEN (14) BUSINESS DAYS (incubation period) before we can get a response from the respondent.
11. If the complaint is not resolved by the Complaints Handling Officer at ICASA within 14 days he/she must write a LETTER OF REMINDER to the respondent and give them a SEVEN (7) BUSINESS DAYS (SECOND incubation period) to respond.
12. Should the complaint still not be resolved within that period, the matter is ESCALATED TO THE LINE MANAGER who is responsible for complaints handling unit.
13. The Line Manager must act on the matter within FORTY EIGHT HOURS (BUSINESS DAYS) of it having landed on his/her table.
14. He/She will then give the respondent THREE (3) BUSINESS DAYS to resolve the matter.
15. If the matter is still not solved, he/she must ESCALATE TO THE OFFICE OF THE SENIOR MANAGER: CONSUMER PROTECTION.
16. The senior Manager Consumer Protection shall then consider the matter, as well as the recommendations proposed by both the Complaints Handling Officer and the Line Manager in an attempt to bring the matter to finality.
17. Should the Senior Manager Consumer Protection be unable to resolve the matter, she/he shall escalate it to the office of the General Manager in the division.
18. Should the divisional GM also not be able to deal with the matter, he shall table it as an AGENDA ITEM in the Executive Management meeting.
19. Should the Executive Management still be unable to address the matter, it shall be escalated to Council.
20. If the complainant still feels that the Authority did not address his/her matter accordingly/properly, he shall be referred to the Office of the Public Protector.
POINTS TO NOTE:
1. It is important to note that Consumer Protection is not an extension of the Customer Care Centres of licensed operators.
2. Rather, the Consumer Protection department acts as an arbitrator in matters of dispute between consumers and licensees.
3. It therefore stands to reason that some of the cases lodged with the Authority by consumers may NOT BE DECIDED IN FAVOUR OF COMPLAINANTS, based on the facts/merits of a case.
I lodged a complaint with ICASA pertaining to the areas that Telkom are in direct violation of their bill (Local caps, 24 hour resets etc) and interestingly enough when they replied to my complaint they send me a copy of their internal complaints handling procedure. Thought it might interest you
:The Consumer Protection department has got an internal complaints handling mechanism that stipulates the following:
STEP ONE:
1. The department shall be a point of entry and recording for all consumer related complaints.
2. The department shall accept complaints brought to their attention by all modes of communications i.e.
2.1. Post
2.2. Fax
2.3. E-Mail
2.4. Telephone
2.5. Customer Walk-ins
3. Upon receipt of a complaint, it must be acted upon within THREE WORKING DAYS i.e.
3.1. All complaints received must be sent to the office of MANAGER: POLICY & STRATEGY.
3.2. This office shall enter all received complaints Received complaints into a REGISTER BOOK, in accordance with the following approach:
3.2. a. Case Reference Number,
3.2. b. Name of Complainant,
3.2. c. Whether the Complaint is about a business or about a private user,
3.2. d. Whether the Complainant is male or female,
3.2. e. Complaint Category (We have standard template for Complaints Categories – It must be adhered to strictly for statistical purposes).
3.2.f. Date received,
3.2.g. Date closed,
3.2.h. Case Life/duration,
3.2.i. Name of an Officer the complaint is allocated to.
4. The office of Manager: Policy & Strategy shall then ALLOCATE complaints randomly, but also equally between/amongst Complaints Handling Officers.
5. The office of the Manager: Policy & Strategy must allocate every complaint within THREE WORKING DAYS from the date of receipt.
6. The Officer allocated a complaint must then write a LETTER OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT and have it sent to the Complainant within THREE WORKING DAYS from the date when she/he received a complaint.
7. Again, the Officer to whom the complaint has been allocated must do the following:
7.1 analyse a complaint,
7.2. collates the merits of the case,
7.3. write and sent correspondence to the RESPONDENT within THREE WORKING DAYS from the date when she/he received a complaint.
8. ICASA has signed a MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU) with all the licensees that stipulates a Complaints Escalation Procedure whereby the Authority will not accept complaints that have not been lodged first with the Service Providers and/or licensees, before they are forwarded to us.
9. That means consumers/complainants must first lodge a complaint with the Customer Relationship Consultant right at the Service Provider/Operator level, all the way through the levels of accountability within the operator, before the matter is forwarded to ICASA for arbitration.
10. Secondly, the Authority has, in the same MoU agreed with the operators on a FOURTEEN (14) BUSINESS DAYS (incubation period) before we can get a response from the respondent.
11. If the complaint is not resolved by the Complaints Handling Officer at ICASA within 14 days he/she must write a LETTER OF REMINDER to the respondent and give them a SEVEN (7) BUSINESS DAYS (SECOND incubation period) to respond.
12. Should the complaint still not be resolved within that period, the matter is ESCALATED TO THE LINE MANAGER who is responsible for complaints handling unit.
13. The Line Manager must act on the matter within FORTY EIGHT HOURS (BUSINESS DAYS) of it having landed on his/her table.
14. He/She will then give the respondent THREE (3) BUSINESS DAYS to resolve the matter.
15. If the matter is still not solved, he/she must ESCALATE TO THE OFFICE OF THE SENIOR MANAGER: CONSUMER PROTECTION.
16. The senior Manager Consumer Protection shall then consider the matter, as well as the recommendations proposed by both the Complaints Handling Officer and the Line Manager in an attempt to bring the matter to finality.
17. Should the Senior Manager Consumer Protection be unable to resolve the matter, she/he shall escalate it to the office of the General Manager in the division.
18. Should the divisional GM also not be able to deal with the matter, he shall table it as an AGENDA ITEM in the Executive Management meeting.
19. Should the Executive Management still be unable to address the matter, it shall be escalated to Council.
20. If the complainant still feels that the Authority did not address his/her matter accordingly/properly, he shall be referred to the Office of the Public Protector.
POINTS TO NOTE:
1. It is important to note that Consumer Protection is not an extension of the Customer Care Centres of licensed operators.
2. Rather, the Consumer Protection department acts as an arbitrator in matters of dispute between consumers and licensees.
3. It therefore stands to reason that some of the cases lodged with the Authority by consumers may NOT BE DECIDED IN FAVOUR OF COMPLAINANTS, based on the facts/merits of a case.
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