Legal Resolution and Monitoring
From New Zealand Connections
Here you can find links to companies, services and government agencies offering legal assistance and monitoring related to the NZ Telecommunications market.
Contents |
Disputes Resolution and Enforcement
Commerce Commission
- Fair Trading Act
Ministry of Consumers Affairs
- Consumers Guarantees Act
Telecommunication Dispute Resolution (TDR)
A new consumer complaints ombudsman for phone and internet companies, called the Telecommunications Disputes Resolution Scheme, offers a lawyer-free route to justice for consumers. The service is offered free of charge.
Specially-trained adjudicators will handle complaints referred to the Telecommunication Dispute Resolution Scheme. They can order telcos to pay customers compensation of up to $12,000 if they are found to be in breach of a customer complaints code finalised in June. While the scheme can order the telcos to make financial restitution, it cannot order compensation for things like "pain and suffering", loss of profits, or exemplary damages.
The customer complaints code says that telcos must do their best to provide reliable, quality services, but cannot guarantee they will be fault- free.
Members are Telecom, TelstraClear, Vodafone, iHug, Orcon, Kordia, Call Plus, Eziphone, Digital Island, Airnet, CallPlus Services, Igrin Internet, Snap Internet, and WorldxChange Communications.
Monitoring Services
Epitiro
The Commerce Commission has contracted UK company Epitiro Technologies to measure the quality of broadband internet services provided in New Zealand.
Epitiro will monitor up to 10 of the largest internet service providers (ISPs) from multiple sites, and from early 2008 will enable consumers to measure their ISP's performance from their own computer at no charge.
Features/measurements include:
- The time to connect
- Connection speeds
- Email roundtrip times
- The difference in performance between peak time and off-peak times.
- Much of the data will be made public
- The ability for the public to run sophisticated tests from their own PC's
Digital Strategy
The Digital Strategy initiative is mapping broadband providers in your area:
You can add your own future demand, as a business or residence, in your community. This helps companies decide where to put broadband next.
