Oct 28): Poor service, inadequate coverage, billing issues and additional charges were among the top complaints against telcos received by the Communications and Multimedia Consumer Forum of Malaysia (CFM) for the third quarter of this year, with the number of complaints lodged also increasing.

As of September 2015, a total of 5,233 complaints were lodged with CFM in Q3 this year. This is an increase compared with the same period last year when 5,043 complaints were made.

"The increase of complaints may be due to two things – services are getting worse or we are more prominent and visible to the public... meaning, people know they can come to us," CFM's newly-elected chairman Megat Ishak Ma'amunor Rashid said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

The complaints on poor service and coverage, billing and charges made up about 80.7% of all grouses recorded from July to September this year.

Of that, 47% of complaints were related to mobile phone services. Wired broadband services and wireless broadband services received 1,205 and 680, respectively,

Megat Ishak said CFM monitored service providers in addressing complaints, as every telco had to adhere to the General Consumer Code of Practice for the Communications and Multimedia Industry Malaysia (GCC) that ensures fair and best services are delivered to consumers.

The guidelines stipulate that service providers must solve 90% of complaints within 15 days.

Breach of the guidelines gives the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) the right to suspend licenses or disallow renewals.

CFM, which held its 15th annual general meeting today also discussed the possibility of CFM taking over the management of consumer issues in the postal and courier services, which is currently under the MCMC. – The Malaysian Insider