The South African Internet consumer’s response to a mediation process put in place by the country’s Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) has been “overwhelmingly positive”.
That’s according to Guy Halse, ISPA co-chair, who says the industry association’s members have also embraced ISPA’s consumer mediation process launched in September last year.
ISPA has been holding its members to an industry Code of Conduct since 2002, ensuring they treat customers fairly and provide accurate information about their service offerings.
“After seventeen years of enforcing the code, ISPA’s team has learnt a lot about some of the issues consumers may experience with Internet Service Providers (ISPs). ISPA’s consumer mediation process puts this experience to good use,” says Halse.
He explains that the mediation process is designed to offer support to consumers who may be struggling to get speedy assistance from an ISPA member.
“The ISPA team will collect as much useful information about the problem as possible and make sure it reaches the right person at the right ISP,” Halse explains.
The mediation process is also intended to assist ISPA members in dealing with spikes in consumer complaints, for example, because of a change in a wholesale offering outside of the ISP’s control.
ISPA works with the member to find a resolution to the consumer’s complaint that aims to keep that consumer as a satisfied customer.
Responses from members and consumers to the mediation process since it was launched have been positive, with members giving the process the necessary support to make it work, and consumers appreciative of the swift assistance they have received from ISPA’s members.
The dispute resolution only applies to complaints against ISPA members.
ISPA requires that consumers log a support ticket with their ISP before approaching ISPA. In the majority of cases, members provide prompt and effective customer support without any need for ISPA’s intervention, Halse adds.
“ISPA has spent the better part of two decades working to advance the interests of the local Internet consumer. Our mediation process represents another landmark innovation aimed at boosting the service levels provided by South Africa’s ISP industry,” he says.