TRA reminds consumers to approach their service providers first for complaints and enquiries

TRA launched a consumer help line last year (17520044), where members of the Consumer Affairs team at TRA answer consumer calls. TRA has identified that the majority of complaints brought to its attention were from callers who had not contacted their service provider to raise their complaint in the first instance, and as such TRA could not process these complaints, as the Telecommunications Law mandates that complaints should first be lodged with the service providers.

If the complaint is not resolved by the consumer's telecoms provider within 60 days, consumers can approach TRA to investigate their case. TRA has published on its website (www.tra.org.bh) a step-by-step guide that consumers can follow when they have a complaint. One of the most important steps of this procedure is to start at the right place, i.e. by initially contacting the service provider. Consumers are also advised to keep their complaint specific to the problem they are facing and to have the relevant details at hand when contacting the service provider, such as their telephone number, the nature of the problem, when it started, and their subscription details. This information will assist the service provider to address the problem efficiently.

While consumers can lodge complaints either by phone or in writing, TRA strongly advises that consumers keep records of their correspondence with the service provider, such as copies of the letters sent and responses, or dates and names of call agents that dealt with their calls if complaints were made by phone.

Keeping such records will help TRA trace the history of a complaint if it is not resolved by the service provider and is consequently lodged with TRA at a later stage. Once a complaint is lodged with TRA, the Authority will begin its investigation and respond to the consumer with its decision within one month, depending on the nature of each complaint.

The General Director of TRA, Mr. Alan Horne, commented as follows on the complaints procedure: "We would like to see consumers in Bahrain speaking out about their needs and the problems they face with their telecoms services, as we believe that consumer feedback has an important role in improving services. We also expect service providers to listen carefully to what their customers have to say and take the necessary steps to address problems in an effective manner. TRA will continue to monitor complaints brought to its attention and pursue its investigation until a resolution is reached. However, we believe that it is to the benefit of the customer and service provider if the problem is solved by direct interaction between the two parties."