87% of all the complaints sent to ANCOM in 2018 concerned electronic communications services. The users were mostly dissatisfied with issues regarding the contractual relation with their electronic communications services providers, indicating problems on contract termination (17% of all the complaints regarding electronic communications services), billing of the services (12%), providers’ breach of contractual provisions (11%) and execution of distance contracts (9%).

More than 21% of the complaints sent to ANCOM concerned issues in the process of porting telephone numbers.

14% of the complaints - more than in the previous year - referred to roaming issues, especially to the roaming conditions in the European Economic Area (Roam like at home).

ANCOM data show that 24% of the users’ complaints concerned the services provided by Vodafone Romania, 20% - by Telekom Romania Mobile Communications, 15% - by Telekom Romania Communications, 15% - by Orange Romania, and 12% - by RCS & RDS.

 

8% of the total complaints filed with ANCOM in 2018 (14 percentage points less than in the previous year) concerned the provision of postal services.

The main issues indicated by postal services users were related to the postal items delivery term (22% of all the complaints), delivery failure (19%), deterioration of postal items (17%), and loss or theft (15%). Once with the consumers’ rising preference for e-commerce, the role of parcel delivery has also increased significantly. The most complained about service providers were Urgent Cargus (36% of all complaints regarding postal services), Fan Courier (15%), The National Company Romanian Post (13%) and Dynamic Parcel Distribution (12%). 

 

5% of all the complaints received by ANCOM in 2018 regarded radio equipment issues, the regime of infrastructure networks or issues arising from the usage of the radio frequencies.

 

ANCOM can step in where the providers of telephone, internet or television services infringe the users' information rights, do not provide the number portability service (or do not comply with the legislation in the field), do not include certain information in the contracts or do not observe the conditions for the conclusion of distance contracts.

Complaints about non-compliance with the contractual terms may be addressed by residential users to the National Consumer Protection Authority (ANPC), while the business users in this situation may address to the competent court.

As regards the postal services, in the event of non-observance of the delivery term, the users may contact ANPC, which is the competent authority to sanction suppliers for non-compliance with the Contract/General Conditions for the provision of postal services. In case of loss, theft, (total or partial) destruction or damage of the postal item, the users who have not received a reply from the provider within 3 months or are dissatisfied with the reply, may address to ANCOM, with the proof of going through the complaint procedure with the provider, following the steps described here. However, ANCOM cannot determine the amount of damage payments, nor can it oblige the supplier to pay them, as such competence lies with the court.

 

Further details are available in the InfoCentre section of ANCOM’s website or on the Authority’s Facebook page.