Telecommunications Dispute Resolution (TDR), the main consumer dispute resolution service for the telecommunications industry in New Zealand, has issued its Annual Report to June 2017.
The report shows the annual number of complaint enquiries received by the service has remained steady after an increase in 2015, but remains substantially lower than the number of contacts received as a percentage of connections by dispute resolution bodies in other comparable sectors, and telecommunications disputes services in other jurisdictions, such as Australia and the UK.
In the last year, an increase in marketing resulted in a 55% increase in visits to the TDR website, and changes to make the TDR website mobile-friendly saw a 209% increase in mobile users visiting it.
In 2016/2017 the TDR received 2,252 complaint enquiries from consumers. Of those, 94% of the enquiries (2,117) did not result in formal complaints to TDR. This means that in most cases, telecommunications providers were able to resolve issues quickly, directly with consumers.
“We encourage consumers to engage the TDR if they are unable to resolve problems with their telecommunications provider in the first instance” says Geoff Thorn, CEO of the TCF (New Zealand Telecommunications Forum). “The industry funds the independent complaints process, and retailers actively promote it on customer invoices and on their websites.”
“The TDR provides an invaluable service for consumers by giving them somewhere to go to get independent assistance to resolve disputes with their telecommunications retailer” says Mr Thorn. “It’s positive to see that as an industry, the number of complaints we receive as a percentage of connections, remains extremely low when viewed on a global scale.”
About TDR
TDR is an independent body for the prompt, unbiased resolution of telecommunications disputes at no cost to the consumer.
TDR was set up by the New Zealand Telecommunications Forum (TCF), whose members provide a service to 95% of New Zealand telecommunications customers.
FairWay Resolution Limited, an independent company providing specialist conflict management and dispute resolution services, manages the TDR service, which currently has an NPS of +67.
-ENDS-
For more information, please contact: Geoff Thorn, TCF, CEO
Ph: +64 21 937 920 | Email: Geoff.thorn@tcf.org.nz
www.tcf.org.nz | Twitter: @TCFNZ
