Melita, Go generating highest number of complaints, says consumer affairs council

Consumer Affairs Council ‘preoccupied’ with telecommunications sector and approach to consumer rights.

29 December 2010, 12:00am
by Matthew Vella

1 min read

The recent removal of popular channels Living TV and Comedy Channel from the Melita and GO digital terrestrial TV services has become the focus of meetings between the consumer affairs council, and the Malta Communications Authority.

The council said the removal of the two channels, whose broadcast was illegal in the first place, had triggered many complaints by consumers in this sector.

“This sector is probably the one where most complaints by consumers are being registered. Such complaints could include possible misleading advertising, unfair contract terms, unfair commercial practices, difficulties to move from one operator to the other and other instances of possible abuse of consumer rights,” the council said.

The matter is already being scrutinised by the Consumer and Competition Division as directed by the Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said.

The council will be holding meetings with the MCA and the Consumer and Competition Department to discuss these issues.

The MCA said that it was not empowered to order monetary compensation to customers of GO and Melita over removal of popular Comedy Central and Living TV channels. 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.

While GO has already discontinued the channels, Melita is still running Comedy Central, which is set to be discontinued early in January. Nationalist MP David Agius accused the service providers of “taking customers for a ride” and should be compensating consumers left without the popular channels.

Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...

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Consumer rights?! What consumer rights? Does the consumer have any rights in Malta? The only people who have rights are Eddie Fenech Adami to get three annulments for his children, Gonzipn for giving himself a payrise of Eur 600 a week, RCC for getting a poshy job @ minimum wage in Brussels + 24 x 7 free security, Zaren Vassallo the mega builder (who is always present on the JS file) to build the power station extension, Joe Saliba and PBO for getting free holidays paid by Zaren Vassallo, Tonio Fenech for free maintenance work in his "hut" + free travel + free football tickets for himself and his son................and the consumer, for having to pay for all this....and more!!

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Misleading advertising and unfair contract terms are common practices adopted by these service providers. There is no proper enforcement and the consumer is often left unprotected. It is a shame that the authorities do nothing to avert the situation, so to my mind the question is a very natural one - what kind of country is this?

Albert Zammit •

And I will tell you why both Melita and GO are producing all these complaints: because they are being allowed by the Government to get away with murder, that's why. Their services suck, both of them. Even if you call their technician, you are given a whole morning/afternoon's appointment, and if you are single, you simply get stuck at home from, say, 8.00 am till 12.00, only to find the man at the door at 12.10! They are simply unable to meet the customer's particular needs - both of them! And the consumer/client has been given the promise the competition will bring prices down and better services. Like hell it has! Not in Malta!

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Does the Commissioner of Police actually need to have this theft reported to him to take action or is there enough public evidence for him to move?

Luke Camilleri •

More and more reason why the Maltese consumer should not be made to pay a T.V. License at the deal he is getting! Since when do we have Consumer Affairs Council ? Why doesn't Consumer Affairs Council take up the matter of why the Maltese Consumer has to pay a TV license over and above a Go or Melita subscription? Maybe this Council can also take up the issue of why we the Maltese have to pay a TV license and for what? Why doesn’t David Agius make pressure with Dr Gonzi and Minister Tonio Fenech, Members of the same Party for which he is Whip and in charge of the country’s administration to honour one of their many pledges - removing the license fee as a fiscal measure in the 2008 pre-Budget document. Go on David Agius do your thing and possibly “COPY” what Joseph Muscat did on the issue of the n annual Lm25 (about €58) fee on satellite dishes/receivers ,the subsequent abolishment of this fee and the refund the Maltese Consumer got with his intervention.! Go on David Agius, do something worthwhile and follow up, as P.N. Whip on the pledges your Party tends to blurt out from time to time top mesmerize the electorate!

Alfred Galea •

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E.

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they were stealing the programs and charging their customers to view them.so they should be charged with selling stolen goods just like any ordinary thief period..