Here's What You Can Do If You Are Having Problems With Your Telco

As a consumer, you are protected and entitled to obtain satisfactory services from your service provider.

If, for some reasons, you run into problems with your telco services, you may choose to make a complaint. This can be done through your telco's official channels, usually through their helplines, emails or support forms.

To make it easier for you, we've compiled the relevant channels for the main telcos in Malaysia:

1. MAXIS: Website | Facebook | Call 1-800-82-1123

2. DIGI: Website | | Facebook | [email protected]

3. CELCOM: Website | Facebook | Call 1111 from Celcom numbers

4. UMOBILE: Website | Facebook | [email protected]

5. YES4G: Website | Facebook | [email protected]

Established in 2002 by Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to protect consumer interests, CFM is tasked to work closely with the various service providers to foster the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance.

According to CFM, the company you are complaining about must first be given the opportunity to sort out the dispute.

1. Billing
Billing disputes, billing errors, delayed bills, no bills, overcharging, refund delay.

2. Service
Dropped calls, blocked calls, no coverage, poor coverage, slow Internet speed, service activation delay, service restoration delay.

3. SMS
Scams, spams, receiving unsubscribed SMS, receiving threatening, abusive, or obscene SMS.

4. Information Privacy
Identity theft, online identity fraud, unauthorised distribution of personal information.

5. Others
Disputed terms & conditions, unauthorised subscription of services, unfair practices, poor customer service, misleading advertisement & promotion, misleading prices and packages, online threatening, abusive, or obscene content.

1. Write a complaint at the Portal Aduan CFM (formerly known as CFM Complaint Portal) website

2. Send an email to [email protected]

3. Call to complaint or enquire through the consumer hotline 1800-18-2222

4. Walk-in to the office Communications & Multimedia Consumer Forum of Malaysia (CFM) at Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Off Persiaran Multimedia, 63000, Cyberjaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan

5. Send an SMS to SKMM ADUAN [Complaint Details] SMS to 15888

6. Fax to +603-8320 9083

7. Find CFM on Facebook

1. You can expect CFM to acknowledge and issue you a file reference number within one to three working days.

2. CFM will seek redress for a resolution to your filed complaint. An officer from CFM will be deployed to follow-up and closely monitor the developments of your case until the case is resolved.

3. According to CFM’s General Consumer Code Of Practice (GCC), all service providers are required to acknowledge receipt of a complaint within three working days.

4. A service provider must respond within seven days and come up with a solution or explanation of what needs to be done and provide a timeline for the complaint to be resolved.

Do take note that the service provider is obligated to resolve at least 95% of its complaints within a timeframe not exceeding 30 business days. This timeframe begins from the time of submission of all relevant supporting information or documents as requested by the service provider with regards to the nature of the complaint, in accordance with the GCC.

As mentioned earlier, consumers may lodge a complaint on MCMC's Aduan website and the users may easily track the progress and updates to their case.

In 2016 alone, CFM received 7,556 valid complaints and 2,385 general enquiries.

"Among the top five consumer complaint categories received by CFM in 2016 were billing and charging (2,914), poor service (2,506), poor coverage (619), unfair practices (442) and no coverage (404)," CFM chairman Megat Ishak Maamunor Rashid revealed.

They managed to resolve 99% of the complaints received while the remaining 1% is still under investigation.

Instead, breathe and proceed to use the right channels to seek a win-win solution with your service provider to resolve your issue.