129 demands for mediation with the Luxembourg Institute of Regulation were filed in 2018, with the majority thereof in the area of telecommunications. The director of ILR, Luc Tapella, presented a report on Thursday, along with a number of recommendations for consumers.
Audio in Luxembourgish
Most cases requiring intervention revolved around billing, said Sophie Steichen of the legal department. Generally these cases pertained to bills containing errors, or where services had been charged for despite the client thinking they would be free of charge, as well as changes in contracts which were then reflected differently in the bill.
Roaming also posed a large issue for many consumers, said Tapella. Since the roaming surcharge was abolished across Europe, many Luxembourgers abroad forget to switch off data roaming, which then poses an issue if they visit non-EU countries and can incur unexpected charges.
Steichen reminded consumers that in countries such as Monaco or Switzerland, the roaming charge has been dropped by most networks but not all. Consumers are advised to inform themselves prior to visiting these countries so they are aware of which operators will charge different tariffs, so as to avoid any unpleasant billing surprises.
More than 70% of the cases where the ILR intervened were resolved for both parties.
