New rules to prevent the mis-selling of fixed-line phone services are a good move says Consumer Panel
17 March 2010
The Communications Consumer Panel says that new Ofcom rules on fixed-line mis-selling will provide better protection for vulnerable consumers. The new rules should prevent consumers from being switched to another fixed-line provider without their explicit consent or entered into a new landline contract without understanding the terms and conditions.
“Mis-selling of fixed-line phone services is one of the longest-standing problems affecting consumers in the communications sector,” commented Panel chair Anna Bradley, “so we welcome this move to strengthen the rules and to allow Ofcom to enforce them more effectively.”
But the Panel warns that the communications sector will need wider-ranging changes in future to keep up with the way consumers buy products.
“Consumers are buying bundles of services, such as fixed-line telephone, mobile and broadband, in increasing numbers and each element of these bundles have a different switching process,” said Anna Bradley. “We want industry to develop a single, quick and easy switching process that can be used for all these products as soon as possible.”