10 October 2013
An ever larger number of the complaints received by the Romanian Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications refer to the billing of telephone or internet services. Generally, the operators’ exchanges are digital, secured systems, whose parameters are periodically checked, which significantly reduces the occurrence of traffic charging errors caused by the operators’ exchange. Nevertheless, unfair charging may be generated by the fact that a provider has failed, by human error, to introduce the offer or extra-options from which a certain customer benefits.
For example, R.M. from Bucharest has complained to ANCOM for being charged a higher amount, due to the mobile operator’s erroneous implementing the commercial offer. In this case, the problem has been remedied and the complainant was granted damages. On the other hand, the complaint submitted by I.S., who challenged the data traffic achieved through his/her mobile telephone, has not been solved to the complainant’s advantage, since no billing error could be proved. In this instance, there was no erroneous billing, but the bill shock, that can occur especially for mobile internet. Such costs may emerge following the fact that the terminal used allows unintended/automatic connection to the internet or has certain programmes installed, which perform automatic, connection-based updates, thus generating additional traffic.
In order to avoid such situations, the users are advised to check the settings of the terminal they use, as well as the applications or services installed. For example, where a user has a free wireless connection, the telephone should not be set to connect by default to the internet provider’s network, if the wireless network signal fades.
Moreover, the users may check the traffic volume used by means of traffic check service made available by the providers, having in mind that this service is for reference only.
For a more accurate account on their service usage, internet and telephony users may request an itemised bill from the providers, irrespective of their using a subscription or a prepaid card. The itemised bill may include, among others, information on the number of hours/traffic volume included in the subscription (traffic limit), as well as the additional traffic performed.
Furthermore, given the legislation in the field of electronic communications, the contracts concluded between the providers and the users of telephony and internet access services must provide, alongside the prices and tariffs for each service or service package contracted, any further information that may help the user in understanding the charging method, such as the minimum charging unit of calls or of data transfers, the applicable rounding (for example, the first minute is indivisible), the SMS charging method, the usage order of the included minutes/SMS/MMS/video calls or data traffic, as applicable.
As regards the voice/data traffic metering in the exchanges of the providers of electronic communications services, the legal provisions in force do not allow the Authority to perform inspections in order to determine accuracy.
The certification and verification of the metering systems and equipment (including the ones measuring the duration and distance of voice calls) lie exclusively within the responsibility of the producers and of their authorised representatives, the importers and the beneficiaries being liable for the quality of the respective metering means, as far as metrology is concerned.
All the problems encountered regarding the billing of an electronic communication service must be referred to the provider first. If a complainant is unhappy with the provider’s answer, he/she may address to the competent court, which could ask the respective provider to produce a proof of the accuracy of the traffic metering, such as the technical data registered in the exchange.
For further information, you may visit the info centre section on the Authority’s website, subsection “Service billing”.