MagtiCom mobile company accused of customers’ rights violations
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Tuesday, January 19
The MagtiCom mobile company will no longer be able to charge fees for the use of the Internet without warning customers from January 1, 2016.
The Georgian National Communications Commission released a statement, in which they demand the MagtiCom mobile company abide by their ruling and not charge customers to use the Internet without warning.
“The MagtiCom mobile company is obliged to introduce an effective system which will provide individual warning of customers about the expiration of services or the introduction of different rates from January 1, 2016," reads the National Communications Commission’s decision.
According to the Commission, after the expiration of an unlimited Internet service bundle, wherein the cost of 1 megabyte was 0,005 Tetri, customers were automatically moved to a different, 70-times higher tariff service in which the cost of 1 megabyte was 0,35 Tetri, without any warning. Due to this action, hundreds of customers have accumulated debts worth thousands of lari.
According to the Commission’s calculations, for 5 months of 2015 - from April to September - the debt of 48, 000 customers amounted to 438, 849 GEL. The debts of some of the customers is equal to 4, 000 – 7, 000 GEL.
It also should be noted that the Georgian National Communications Commission made the decision after complaints made by the Kviris Palitra newspaper came to light.
The Director of Kviris Palitra, Davit Giguashvili - who also is a customer of MagtiCom - addressed the commission with his complaints. However, despite the Commission’s action against MagtiCom, Giguashvili’s own debt of 1, 813 GEL was not annulled.
