FIXING CONSUMER PHONE RIGHTS

Sir,

Tomorrow (March 15) is World Consumer Rights Day, commemorated annually all over the world. The campaign for this year is to ‘Fix Our Phone Rights’ and is devoted to tackling the issues that most affect consumers of mobile services. Already, mobile services have transformed from being just telephones that enable us to talk and text, into min-computers giving us access to information and services that are crucial to our livelihoods and health. They have become a necessity that helps to empower consumers.

As consumers, we have noted, though, the manner in which the mobile service provider has treated us since it was introduced in the early nineties. From being a monopolised mobile network provider, MTN has gone on to completely control the networking system in our kingdom. SPTC, which we have regarded as the ‘mother company’ of communications systems, has been providing their One Mobile phones, dongles, Mi-WiFi, etc, that were just umlilo wemaphepha, only leaving us poorer than before and with no compensation after legal closure.

We acknowledge the submissions made by certain MPs who have shown some concerns on the MTN-SPTC issue and we are very optimistic that such submissions will give the newly-formed Swaziland Communications Commission something to work on to tackle these communication ‘cartels’.

According to Consumer International, a world federation of consumer rights groups established in 1960, some of the issues that need to be addressed are:

•    Providing consumers with fair contracts explained in clear, complete and accessible language: Consumers often feel cheated by their mobile service providers, either because of unfair contracts and conditions or because they didn’t understand what they signed. Mobile service providers should always provide consumers with fair contracts with all the relevant information explained clearly so that consumers can exercise their right to make informed choices.

•    Providing consumers with their money’s worth: Consumers subscribe to mobile services in order to communicate and to access information. It is only reasonable that they then expect those services to be consistent and of a high quality without drops in service.

•    Providing consumers with fair and transparent billing: Consumers shouldn’t be billed for services they did not request. We demand fairness and transparency in our bills and protection from billing fraud.

•    Providing consumers with power over their information: Telecommunications providers and regulators alike must protect the personal data that consumers give up in order to use mobile services. While giving consent to use personal data can enhance the experience of using a mobile phone, it can also compromise the consumer’s rights to safety. Consumers must be able to set the terms of how this data is used.

•    Listening and responding to consumers complaints: Telecom providers should have an effective complaints system and, if consumers are not satisfied, there should be redress mechanisms to ensure a fair outcome. We must be able to penalise providers for abusive and unjust business practices.

The Swaziland Consumer Forum plans to fight for these consumer rights because the mobile service provider brings real benefits to the consumers in our country and the world. However, there are certain concerns that need to be tackled to ensure that a good consumer-mobile service provider relationship is prioritised. We have already prepared for a workshop that will specifically deal with mobile services and will invite different organisations and individuals, including MTN, SPTC and SCC, to debate on the theme, ‘Fix my Phone’.

The venue is still Caritas, Manzini, but due to the event that will be taking place in Manzini on this date, we have decided to shift it to the 22nd March. We shall also discuss the recently drafted National Consumer Protection Act and how it is going to assist consumers in such issues.

Mandla Ntshakala
Swaziland Consumer Forum

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