The New Zealand telecommunications industry is providing world class service, according to the NZ Telecommunications Forum, despite the number of consumer complaints increasing.
The latest Telecommunications Dispute Resolution Scheme found a significant increase in enquiries for the 2015/2016 period, a total of 2.619. The figure is the highest since the report's inception in 2007, representing a 35% increase on last year and 18% higher than the previous year.
Despite the results, TCF CEO Geoff Thorn says the telecommunications industry is ahead of the pack when it comes to the services it offers users.
"New Zealand is one of very few countries offering nationwide gigabit services to consumers via the UFB network, and this kind of innovation is putting us ahead of many other global service providers," says Thorn.
"The TDRS has seen an increase of over a third compared with the previous year and the TCF shares the view that this is mainly due to greater awareness of the scheme itself and the high number of connected New Zealanders," he says.
"The scheme has been actively promoted by the TDRS, particularly online. Customers now know where to go for help in resolving their telecommunications issues and this is encouraging," Thorn adds.
"The TDRS was established with the intention of providing a simple, independent and free disputes resolution process between telecommunication providers and their customers and it is certainly delivering on this," he says.
"Because the TDRS exists, consumers have a means of escalating unresolved issues in a results-oriented manner.
Thorn says the TDRS has also proven to be flexible in its ability to adapt to market changes.
"An excellent example of this is the inclusion of UFB related complaints within the scope of the scheme," he explains.
"The TCF is encouraged to see a high Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +67, which indicates a high level of satisfaction with the scheme," says Thorn.
