Thousands Have Complained About Ooredoo and Vodafone in Qatar

There are many residents who are unsatisfied with the telecom providers.
 

There were 3,504 complaints filed by Qatar residents against Ooredoo and Vodafone in 2016. However, the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) deemed most of them invalid.

The majority of the complaints concerned billing, poor network, roaming charges, delays in service activation and spam calls/texts.

There were 2,058 out of the 3,504 thrown out as they didn’t meet the company’s criteria of a valid complaint. According to the CRA, 94% of the 1,446 remaining complaints were taken care of, while the remaining 4% should be resolved in the upcoming weeks.

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Consumers can expect the launch of a new interactive complaints management system soon. It’s meant to make it easier and more convenient to make complaints and follow up on them.

After filing an initial complaint with the telecom provider, consumers can make a complaint with the CRA if no solution is reached. The CRA can investigate but it only acts in an advisory role, it can’t force the providers to do anything or get involved in legal disputes.

If your complaint concerns a disconnection of services, you can register a complaint if the issue remains unresolved for 48 hours (72 hours for fixed line). For other issues, you can file a complaint if it remains unresolved for 30 days or if you're unsatisfied with the resolution.

If your provider refuses to let you lodge a complaint, then you can contact the CRA immediately. 

Filing a complaint

To file a complaint with the CRA, you can do so online here, email them at [email protected] or call the CRA Hotline on 103 from Qatar and 00974 44069938 from overseas. 

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You will need to provide the following information:

• Your contact details (eg. phone, email, address, etc.)

• The complaint “Reference Number” provided by your service provider

• Your consent to disclose your complaint details to the service provider

• Copies of any documents relating to your complaint (eg. bills, advertisements, receipts, etc.)

• A full description of your complaint and any resolution offered to you by the service provider

• Your Qatar ID number as proof that you are the subscriber of the service related to the complaint

Ooredoo (formerly known as Qtel) and Vodafone are the only two mobile phone providers in Qatar. Ooredoo is the local provider and also offers landline and television channel services. Vodafone is an international company and also offers Internet broadband services.