Telcos review funding for Telco Dispute Resolution service

The Telecommunications Carriers Forum has released its annual report into how well the telco sector is going and highlights include increased investment, increased competition and reduced prices for consumers.

But the launch also saw the demise of the Telecommunications Dispute Resolution service in its current form.

The dispute resolution service acts as a final backstop in any dispute between customers and their telcos. When all else fails, when all avenues of progress have been stymied, there is the dispute resolution service.

However, the dispute resolution service has never really sat comfortably within the forum and chief executive Geoff Thorn revealed that the dispute resolution service will be moved out of the forum in the near future.

The management of the dispute resolution service is outsourced to FairWay Resolution Ltd, an "independent, Crown-owned company providing specialist conflict management and dispute resolution services."

FairWay handles more than 14,000 disputes each year in a variety of industries including medical, insurance, financial services, local government as well as telecommunications and employs around 90 staff and around 120 specialist reviewers.

The telecommunication providers have constantly complained they pay too much for the service and too few people use it to warrant the expense.

Those on the other side of the coin would suggest the telcos do little to promote awareness of the scheme and that uttering the magic words "I see we have reached an impasse and I have no choice but to contact the Dispute Resolution Service" generally triggers an instant resolution of any problem the customer might have, which suggests the TDR does indeed have a role to play.

Previous ministers of communications, including Steven Joyce and Amy Adams, have pushed the industry participants to create a robust and workable resolution process or have one thrust upon them. Quite what the current minister, Simon Bridges, will do if the telcos remove their funding remains to be seen.

(NOTE: The editor formerly sat on the TDR Council as a customer representative.)

Paul Brislen is news editor for the Institute of IT Professionals