Mobile Service Interrupted? Know Your Rights!
All mobile operators from time to time suffer from an interruption in the service provided. This can be frustrating if it’s a few minutes, but when it lasts several hours then it’s time to look at what compensation you can expect.
In March 2014, Jazztel gave all their clients a 5€ rebate on their bill due to a technical glitch that left most clients without mobile service for a day. Although 5€ doesn’t sound like a lot, it was around 50% of the average Jazztel client’s monthly bill. Jazztel dealt with a bad situation quickly and positively, leading to favourable mentions in the Spanish press but don’t expect other companies to be this generous.
What Legal Compensation is Applied?
Spanish legislation states that mobile providers must compensate clients with the higher of either of the following amounts:
- The average of the amount charged over the last three months for those services that were interrupted (mobile, internet or both) prorated by the number of hours the service was not available.
- The result of multiplying by five the fixed monthly cost paid for the services that were interrupted, again prorated by the length of the interruption.
If the result of this calculation is at least one euro, the rebate must be automatically applied and clients will not need to request it.
What About Internet-only Services (Including Cable)?
If you have an Internet service contracted, you only have a right to compensation when the service is down more than six hours and only between the hours of 8 am to 10 pm. The compensation will be calculated on the total cost you pay for the service monthly, prorated for the length of the interruption in service.
Additionally all companies must state what they consider to be a quality standard regarding the accumulative total of isolated periods in a month without internet connection. Most companies opt for paying compensation when a client has been unable to connect to the internet for a total accumulated period of eight hours in a single month. However we read last month that Ono only pays compensation when clients have been a total of more than 48 hours without internet in a month.
If applicable, clients can receive both types of compensation shown above.
What About Making a Claim?
In all cases when you suffer a break in service, remember to write down the approximate time that it started and ended in order to see if you’re entitled to any compensation and the approximate amount.
Notwithstanding your consumer rights as explained above, it’s not a bad idea to make a formal complaint to the company’s Customer Service Department when you‘ve been a considerable time without mobile or internet connection.
Related Post: Problems With Your Phone Company in Spain?
