Most complaints received by the Malta Communications Authority in the second half of last year were regarding proposed changes to subscriber contracts, billing and contractual issues.

In its End-User Half Yearly report, the MCA noted that towards the end of last year, both GO and Melita proposed changes to their subscriber contracts, leading to a number of complaints being lodged with the MCA.

Service providers are required to notify the affected subscribers at least 30 days prior to the implementation of such changes, providing them with the option to decline the proposals without incurring any penalty fees.

In this respect, the MCA issued a decision against GO requiring it to ensure that subscribers who chose to terminate their service as a result of its proposed modifications were provided with a refund in relation to the unused portion of the advance payment for the lease of their set-top box.

Corrective action was taken by Go and no further actions were required. Both Go and Melita adhered to their obligations in the remaining instances, the MCA said.

Other major issues reported to the MCA related to billing and contractual issues.

The most common complaints were related to the charging of early termination fees, normally applicable when contracts were terminated prior to expiry.

Indoor mobile reception complaints were also on the rise during the second half of 2011. The MCA's view on this matter was that when subscribers experienced significant reception problems from their place of work or from their residence, if the service provider was unable to resolve the problem, subscribers should be provided with the possibility to exit their contract and port the mobile number without incurring early termination penalties.

The MCA said that, in such circumstances, service providers took appropriate action in response to such complaints.

The MCA also registered a complaint on roaming-related billing.

The authority said that, from time to time, it received complaints about telephony and internet packages marketed as unlimited despite having an applicable usage limit and/or threshold.

"The MCA is of the view that such limitations, contrast with the term unlimited and, therefore, could possibly constitute a breach of consumer law.

Such complaints were brought to the attention of the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority for action as appropriate.

The MCA said that when service providers applied usage limits and thresholds, these had to be clearly specified in subscribers' contracts in line with the applicable laws regulated by MCA.

The MCA also received a few complaints relating to unsolicited commercial calls. Under normal circumstances, the MCA informed the service provider in question about such complaints, requesting him to desist from making such calls in line with the end-users' request.

With regard to the postal sector, the MCA investigated three separate complaints which related to courier services, tampered mail and customer care, respectively. The MCA notes that in all these cases, the necessary evidence could not be gathered to enable a conclusive decision by the authority.

Nothwithstanding, it closely monitored the situations and ensured that MaltaPost provided the necessary redress to end-users were possible.

The MCA's full report can be read in the pdf link below.