Mobile phone users complaining against the services of telecommunications companies were urged by the Department of Trade and Industry in Oriental Negros to file cases with the National Telecommunications Commission so proper action can be taken.

With the increasing number of cellular phone users in the country, it is not surprising to hear many people complaining, Angeline Gonzalez of the DTI provincial office said. She, however, lamented that, in many cases, mobile phone users don't bother to lodge a complaint against wireless service providers, making it difficult for government agencies to take action.

Gonzalez said the DTI office in Dumaguete helps facilitate complaints with the NTC-Region 7, who regularly sends a representative to look into these cases on a regular basis.

Complaints range from missing or lost load credits for pre-paid users, overcharging in billing statements and scam messages, among others, the DTI said.

Many phone users have also expressed disgust over what they perceive as the lack of knowledge of customer care representatives to attend to their individual complaints via hotlines, she added.

Meanwhile, the DTI has already warned some stores selling sub-standard items in Dumaguete as this could pose a risk to the public.

Gonzalez said many cheap goods from other countries like China are being sold to the consumers at low prices but what the public tends to overlook are the risks that come with buying these items, such as their being fire hazards.

The DTI has summoned officials of a local business establishment and ordered the management to stop selling some items that have repeatedly been the subject of complaints from customers, she added.*JG

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