Motorcyclists ride past the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications in the capital’s Daun Penh district. Heng Chivoan
The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications has instructed all mobile operators in the country to stop providing loan services following a customer backlash after money was deducted from accounts without reason.
A video clip recently posted on the Yeay Kum Teuk Cha Facebook account that has been widely shared on social media shows a woman expressing anger with Smart Axiata. She claimed that money was deducted from her account without reason after she topped up her phone.
She said her displeasure came from the fact she had not requested a loan and was unaware of getting one, and was angry to have received the deduction without a reason being given.
The ministry said it had, in cooperation with the Telecommunications Regulator of Cambodia (TRC), conducted a study to resolve the matter.
The ministry said that after looking into the woman’s experience, it had found that the deduction was due to the account owing money to the company after she had made calls without credit, with it deducted when she topped up.
“To prevent instances of lending money without people’s knowledge, TRC urges all mobile operators to stop providing the loan service to avoid further confusion and to protect the interests of consumers,” it said.
The ministry has released a video clip explaining how to dismiss the loan service on its Facebook page, at https://fb.watch/eq5gO55sjc/.
It also called on people encountering problems related to the telecommunications sector to call the TRC’s Department of Consumer Protection on 6789 and have them addressed.
“The ministry pays close attention to the protection of consumer rights, particularly the deducting of money by mobile operators without a reason and the connection to other services without informing users. The code *1200# allows users to disconnect unwanted services.
“The ministry is committed to the continued monitoring of the telecoms sector, and to take the strictest action in accordance with the laws and regulations in force against any mobile service provider committing wrongdoing,” it said.
The Nakomi social media account expressed support for the move on the ministry’s Facebook page.
The account holder requested that the ministry monitor the services from some operators that could not be disconnected by using the *1200# code, and pointed out that contacting the customer services of those companies could take significant time, with multiple calls needed to meet with an agent.
Other Facebook accounts also raised concerns over the matter, and highlighted problems they had personally encountered so the ministry could take action.
San Chey, executive director of the NGO Affiliated Network for Social Accountability, said similar cases had occurred in the past, with consumers on numerous occasions having posted messages of dissatisfaction on social media about mobile phone companies in the country.
He said that while the strong competition in the Kingdom’s mobile telecoms sector should mean a better deal for consumers, people were having money deducted without reason and suffering poor service delivery.
“It’s not just about the deducting of money, it’s also about service because some areas have poor service and some none at all.
“Despite a lot of procedures being implemented in the past on these issues, they are still happening. So this is an opportunity for companies in this sector to conduct better business practice,” he said.
Chey said the relevant authorities should provide prompt solutions to problems encountered in the sector to better serve the people and improve the mobile telecoms industry in Cambodia.
