The Telecommunications Users Association is calling for UK telephone operators British Telecom and Mercury Communications to ramp up their compensation programmes to include consequential payments. This request comes in the wake of Mercury’s announcement that it has started a scheme to compensate customers whose phones are installed late and Telecom’s plans to introducecompensation next April. Vivienne Peters, who chairs the Association, says that countless of its members have lost business as a result of late delivery of telephone lines or delayed repairs, but have no means of redress at present because the operators are protected by the 1984 Telecommunications Act. Both Telecom and Mercury plan to offer rebates related only to missed deadlines of deliveries or repairs and their top rebate payment is UKP5,000. Oftel is currently reviewing the Public Telephone Operator licence which is due to be revised in 1990. UK corporate telecommunications users want the same means of redress through the courts that users enjoy in the US.
UK TELECOM USERS DEMAND CONSEQUENTIAL COMPENSATION FROM OPERATORS
