ComReg stands by claims about Eir's complaints as TDs call for company to appear before them

File image of the front of an eir store in Waterford

COMREG HAS DENIED claims made by Eir that the Commission made “serious, unprecedented and incorrect allegations” against the company.

Yesterday, a Dublin District Court judge branded Eir “disgraceful” due to how the company threatened staff with “disciplinary action” if they handled customer complaints according to its own code of conduct and in compliance with Irish law.

Judge Anthony Halpin convicted and fined the company €7,500 after it was prosecuted by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) over its former customer complaints procedures.

Eircom, which trades as Eir, said it had remedied the problem.

The company also paid €10,000 in costs and pleaded guilty to 12 offences for breaching the Universal Service Regulations for two years commencing in mid-2021.

Barrister Shelley Horan, for ComReg, said Eir did not adhere to the legal requirements and made “deliberate decisions” not to handle complaints in an acceptable manner.

ComReg compliance analyst Michelle O’Donnell told the hearing that customer care staff were warned not to give out the right customer complaint numbers or website address unless callers used specific “trigger words”.

O’Donnell said the manual stated that calls would be transferred to the complaint line only if the customer used “trigger words”, such as “code of practice”, or mentioned the industry regulator ComReg.

In a statement, Eir said it “categorically rejects these accusations” that the company instructed its customer care team to not comply with regulatory obligations.

Eir said these claims were “based on documents they (ComReg) interpreted incorrectly” and that it “could have been easily clarified had they engaged with us directly in advance of the court hearing”.

It added that slides used in evidence were “taken out of context” and were a “part of training material for new customer service agents, outlining the steps they should take to escalate calls to Eir’s dedicated specialist complaint management team”.

Eir said it is “regrettable and deeply concerning that ComReg chose to introduce these incorrect claims without notice in the court” and that “Eir is committed to the highest standards of compliance and integrity”.

However, in a statement today, ComReg noted that Eir yesterday pleaded guilty to 12 counts of not having complied with legal requirements relating to its complaints handling processes.

“Eir did not raise objection to the facts underlying any of the 10 cases before the Court,” said ComReg.

It added: “During the course of the hearing, reference was made to an onboarding manual used by Eir for new customer service agents.

“This manual was provided to ComReg by Eir in the course of a formal investigation into Eir’s complaints handling processes and procedures.

“It formed part of the book of disclosure in the prosecution. Eir was convicted in each of the 10 cases before the Court.”

Labour’s Communications Spokesperson Duncan Smith today criticised Eir for its “mistreatment of staff”.

Smith said Eir’s treatment of staff is “completely unacceptable”.

He added that no employee should ever be put into this position and face disciplinary action from their employer.

Smith noted that he previously worked in a call centre and knows firsthand the “challenges and pressures faced by workers” in these “highly demanding jobs”.

“To add the burden of potentially facing disciplinary action for simply doing what is required is unacceptable,” said Smith.

He called on Eir to apologise to its staff for “putting them in such an incredibly difficult position”.

He also called on the Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications to “summon Eir to explain its actions and breaches of the law, including its failure to acknowledge customer complaints and provide responses within the mandated time frame of 10 working days”.