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MCA not empowered to order monetary compensation to dissatisfied customers
The Malta Communications Authority (MCA) said that it was not empowered to give monetary rewards to customers of GO and Melita over removal of popular Comedy Central and Living TV channels.
28 December 2010, 12:00am
Rachel Zammit Cutajar
Rachel Zammit Cutajar
1 min read
In correspondence with a complainant, the MCA said that while it agreed that people choose a service provider based on the television content, they do not regulate content and that provision of TV channels is subject to commercial agreements between service providers.
Disgruntled customers can however seek compensation if they believe that they have been provided a service that is not satisfactory by filing a claim before the Consumer Claims Tribunal. The tribunal is empowered to determine disputes between customers and traders and to make awards up to €3494.06 (Lm 1,500) including awards of up to €232.94 (Lm 100) for inconvenience or distress suffered.
GO and Melita have recently discontinued channels Comedy Central and Living TV due to rights issues. However a spokesperson for Living TV said the station should have never been broadcast on GO or Melita as they never possessed the necessary rights to air the channels.
While GO has already discontinued the channels, Melita is still running Comedy Central, which is set to be discontinued early in January.
Meanwhile, Nationalist MP David Agius accused the service providers of “taking customers for a ride” and should be compensating consumers left without the popular channels.
Rachel Zammit Cutajar graduated in economics from the University of Malta...
Luke Camilleri •
What about some comepensatiopn or possibly refunds on TV Licences Mr Agius, as pledged By Gonzipn Cashier Tonio Fenech in the 2008 Pre-budget document?
Min irrid jithaq b'min?
OPr will this be another pre-electoral promise ?
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Nationalist MP David Agius accused the service providers of “taking customers for a ride” and should be compensating consumers left without the popular channels.
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Another non-regulating regulator, setup to create high paying jobs for PN croonies whose main occupation is then to indulge in conflicts of interest and look after politically recommended friends.
The Gaming Authority is another case that comes to mind. The same can be said for any 'Authority' under GonziPN.
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If MCA has got balls, it should look into GO & MELITA contracts with channel providers to check whether they are providing their service as according to the law. We, the consumers, now know that they have been making hundreds of thousand of Euros selling a service (Living & Commedy channels) when they had no right. All this to OUR expense. And much more. These "christians" went all their way out to call "Dreambox" installers thieves!! What should we use as an adjactive for GO and MELITA? As for the MCA...............an authority without teeth?....but good for exorbitant salaries.
