Anger as Mayo people charged for phone/internet services not working

A Mayo Oireachtas member has written to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to query the rights implications of telecoms companies continuing to charge customers who have been without service since Storm Éowyn.

Deputy Conway-Walsh said: “Storm Éowyn took place on January 24 and, while it was one of the most devastating weather events in memory, the reality is that we are now almost seven weeks after the storm and many households across Mayo are still without phone and internet services.

“People have been left in phone queues for hours trying to notify the telecoms companies of faults and to get an updates on reconnection.

“Businesses have also been affected, such as rural post offices, and their operations have been severely restricted.

"Self employed people and people working remotely have been greatly impeded.

“In some cases emergency 5G internet connection has been provided to individuals and portions of their bills have been waived, but for others this hasn’t happened and people have been charged for the full amount of their bill despite receiving no service.

“I have contacted ComReg in relation to this and have written to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to ascertain what action can be taken regarding holding the communications providers to account.

“Demanding people pay for a service they are not receiving is just not acceptable.

“The Oireachtas Committees should be up and running by now.

"Eir with the telecom providers, government departments, ComReg and the CCPC must be urgently brought before the committee to resolve the issues that have left so many households and businesses without vital communication infrastructure.

“The people of Mayo are paying the price for past government decisions to privatise our main telecommunications network.

"These privatisation policies continue have devastating effects for rural Ireland.”