The British telecom regulator, Ofcom, opened a consultation on Tuesday to examine “Unexpectedly high bills.”
As Ofcom describes in its summary,
Communications services feature usage-based charging, which combined with the availability of a wide variety of services priced at different levels, some of which are used infrequently, means that consumers can find themselves facing bills that far exceed what they are used to, or expect. This is sometimes referred to as bill shock.
The consultation claims to be designed to enable Ofcom to better understand the issue of unexpectedly high bills “by inviting consumers to share their experiences.”
In parallel, Ofcom is asking services providers “about the steps that they take to protect their customers against unexpectedly high bills.”
Ofcom has also carried out some market research; the findings are set out in the Call for Inputs [pdf, 133 KB].
There are already a number of rules to protect consumers against unexpectedly high bills, such as requiring that service providers “supply consumers with clear and transparent information about their services and do not engage in unfair practices.” There are also some specific consumer protection rules that cover roaming in other EU countries.
Is this an exercise to develop new rules or to respond to political pressures? What additional rules would you seek? Should the CRTC act on bill shock?