The Malta Communications Authority (MCA) received 155 complaints in the first six months of 2014, an average of around 25 complaints per month.

Similar to the complaints received between January and June in 2013, the most common complaints relate to service provision, in particular the repair of intermittent and temporary faults to TV, internet and fixed telephony services.

Such faults are generally the result of damages, either to the service provider’s infrastructure to the residence’s internal wiring or to the physical equipment.

The MCA monitors the action undertaken by the service provider and in those cases investigated by the MCA, subscribers were offered compensation or refunds, particularly in cases where the fault was not caused by force majeure.

The most common complaints of a contractual nature received by the authority related to the termination of a service/s. In some of the cases reported to the MCA, such complaints were the result of lack of information with regard to the procedure to be undertaken – such as the return of equipment or advance notification – or its implications, such as early termination fees.

When the procedure for termination of service/s was not adhered to by the service provider, the authority took the necessary regulatory action.

Some complaints were related to billing, charges and tariffs – in which case the MCA ensured that the operator in question provided the necessary clarifications to its subscribers when billing details were unclear. Where charges were not justified, the authority took the necessary steps to ensure that such a charge was waived.

The Consumers’ Association reacted soon after the release of the MCA report, saying that it had repeatedly brought up issues with the authorities, particularly relating to high termination fees, equipment return and the pressure on consumers to take bundles even though they might not require all the services.

The full report is available on the MCA website at http://www.mca.org.mt/consumer/notices-and-announcements/end-user-half-yearly-report-jan-june-2014-0 .