No remedy: Jazz continues penalizing the customers
Aftab Ahmed
Mobile company-Jazz Pakistan has turned a deaf ear to the complaints box pouring every day, not in dozens but thousands. It is business as usual for Jazz. It is milking the poor consumers to report more profit back in headquarters.
Pakistan Telecom Authority compiled consumer complaints every month. The consumers have urged the telecom sector regulator to exercise its regulatory powers to address the consumers’ issues.
CEOs of foreign corporate entities in Pakistan have been meeting the executive of the country as well. However, Prime minister Imran Khan should intervene now.
Rather, Information Technology and Telecom Division had been pressing the economic coordination committee (ECC) to give more tax incentives to telecom operators, including jazz. So, this is not a time for a reward. But it is time for action against telecom companies providing poor services to consumers.
Jazz, the country’s largest Telecos among the other CMOs, has the largest portion of complaints, PTA received in October 2020. Nearly 63% of complaints out of the total complaints are against Jazz regarding the quality of service. When judged on this parameter, PTA reported that Jazz is on the top of complaints. But the Authority did not share further break up of these findings against Jazz.
The complaints, the consumers reported to PTA on quality of service, Lahore is the worst with 40 % complaints, Faisalabad with 17 % complaints whereas Islamabad had 17 % and Karachi has 12 %, said the PTA data.
Likewise, with Jazz’s poor service quality, PTA data reported that Jazz consumers also had complaints on coverage issues. Out of the total reported complaints regarding network issues, Jazz consumers have 53 % complaints. Among the worst-hit consumers of Jazz regarding coverage, Lahore at the top, while Islamabad and Jahania are also among the top complaints.
Similarly, 57 % of Jazz consumers complained about tariff or billing issues. The consumers in six out of seven cities have billing issues.
Jazz Pakistan, a subsidy of Veon, has the largest market share of 38 % in the telecom sector. According to its profile, Jazz is the country’s biggest mobile operator, with the largest voice and data network and most customers. The company traces its history back to 1994 when it became the first GSM operator in Pakistan.
READ Cabinet approves establishment of Telecom Tribunal.
Jazz today remains at the forefront of the country’s rapidly evolving digital landscape thanks to its significant investment in 4G. Its digital financial services platform, JazzCash, is also the most widely used digital wallet, providing mobile-based services such as money transfers and bill payments and an online payment gateway for e-commerce.
