|
code of practice
1. Who we are
Coms offers high quality VoIP, fixed, mobile and broadband
services to business and residential customers throughout the
UK, both directly to end-users and via selected resellers.
Coms.Com Limited (referred to here as Coms) is wholly owned by
Coms plc which is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market
(LSE:COMS.L).
2. Our customers
Coms understands that customer satisfaction and service delivery
are the most important part of its business. Our company values
are based on this, which is why our team strives to ensure that
you get what you want, when you want it. We will do our best to
meet your requirements to your satisfaction. Coms values its
customers and aims for the highest standards of account
management and customer service. By investing in our people and
in systems to support our customer care activity and by
continually developing our services, we aim to deliver the best
in customer care to stay ahead of our competitors.
3. Purpose of our Code of Practice
This Code of Practice (CoP) aims to give you, the client, a
clear statement of how we conduct our business and to describe
the relationship between you and us in all matters concerning
your purchase of services from us. This CoP provides a statement
of the services available from Coms to business and residential
customers and those interested in finding out more about Coms.
It explains how we provide these services and the key support
services and company policies that underpin them. It describes
your relationship with us and how you can and should contact us
when you need help or want to change the services you have and
how we will respond. It also describes what you should do in the
unlikely event of something going wrong. The CoP has been
approved by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator and ITSPA,
The Internet Telephony Services Providers Association.
4. Coms services
Coms uses its resources of talent and expertise to continuously
strive to find new ways to meet customers evolving communication
needs. We offer governments, businesses and individual consumers
a variety of superior solutions using a range of new, emerging
and established technologies. All of these services are
described in greater detail on our website at www.coms.com. The
information on our website is available in English only.
We own and operate our own communications facilities, as well as
sharing infrastructure with other carriers and distributing the
services of other network operators. We offer our services
through authorised resellers and have a direct sales force. The
industries and sectors which use our services include but are
not limited to broadcast and new media, oil and gas, Government
/ military, shipping, business services, transportation,
manufacturing, aeronautical, energy, mining, cruise,
engineering/consulting, yachting, rural communications,
humanitarian/disaster relief, resource exploration and
individual business users.
5. How to contact us
There are a number of ways that you can contact us and we will
be happy to answer your questions and explain our services to
you. Our contact details are also set out under Contact Us
on our website.
Sales
Tel : 020 7148 3000
Fax: 020 7148 3001
E-mail : enquiries@coms.com
Customer services and general enquiries
Tel : 020 7148 3000
Fax: 020 7148 3001
E-mail: support@coms.com
Customer Support
Tel : 020 7148 3000
Fax: 020 7148 3001
E-mail: support@coms.com
Customer accounts and billing
Tel : 020 7148 3000
Fax: 020 7148 3001
E-mail: accounts@coms.com
For customer service enquiries, please call our customer service
line on 020 7148 3000 which is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday
to Friday (excluding public holidays) or you can contact us via
our website at www.coms.com.
If you would prefer to write to us instead, please address your
letter to:
Head of Customer Service
Coms.Com Limited
46 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6JJ
6. Our services
Coms provides a wide range of communications services falling
into four broad categories:
VoIP - Voice over IP
Examples include our own hosted VoIP solution for business as
well as IP-PBXs and associated hardware.
Fixed services
Examples of these services include direct and indirect phone
line services, CPS, IDA, number translation services, premium
rate services, private circuits, non-geographic numbers, and
digital lines (ISDN).
Mobile services
Examples of these services include standard mobile services,
messaging (SMS and MMS) mobile email solutions such as
BlackBerry and other Mobile Data solutions and mobile virtual
private networks.
Broadband and other services
Examples of these services include colocation, hosted and
managed firewalls, internet connectivity including Ethernet and
xDSL, leased line based services as well as private wide area
network and other professional services.
7. Our obligations
Like all UK communications operators, Coms has a number of
obligations laid down in UK legislation. These are aimed at
providing individual clients and small businesses with less than
10 employees, with both choice and consumer protection. Coms
takes these responsibilities very seriously, while aiming to
deliver excellent service and a range of services to meet our
customers communication needs. The formal details of the general
terms and conditions of our contractual relationship for clients
can be found in the section on our website found at www.coms.com
In addition to being available online, all service-specific
terms and conditions are also detailed on each relevant order
form.
Installation of services
We offer a wide range of services and our sales team can confirm
the serviceability of your address for each of these services.
Delivery timescales are agreed with customers in advance of
installation.
Call barring
If you want to have a particular number barred so that it cannot
be dialled from your phone, please contact our customer service
team (please see contact details above under Section 3). Please
note that this option may not be available with all Coms
services.
Calling-Line and Called-Line Identity
Your phone number is by default displayed to the person whom you
are calling. However, you can alter this by requesting that your
phone number should not be displayed to the person whom you are
calling on a call-by-call basis or for all calls. However, even
if you request withholding of a phone number, we are legally
obliged to pass it on in certain circumstances e.g. to the
emergency services in case of an emergency. To request any of
the above facilities, please contact our customer service team.
Repair and maintenance
Coms carries out preventative and corrective maintenance over
its networks and services. Our aim is to minimise inconvenience
and correct faults through remote diagnostic tools used at our
National Service Centre and/or with other technical support
centres. However, should a network fault occur which is within
our direct control, we aim to clear this type of fault (i.e.
that does not require a customer visit) within 8 hours.
We encourage our customers to call us for technical support, via
our telephone support number regardless of the nature of the
problem. There is also a range of support documentation on our
website at www.coms.com
The level of repair commitment, fault fixing and service
availability depends on the type of service you purchase and the
terms and conditions under which you obtain that particular
service from us. If you subscribe to a service carrying a
specific service level guarantee, we will credit you accordingly
if we fall short of our guarantee. Unless otherwise stated in a
separate contract between you and Coms, your repair and
fault-fixing rights and obligations are set out in Coms Terms
and Conditions, posted on our website at www.coms.com
Coms employee identification
All staff who visit customers premises carry official company
identification e.g. a business card, which should be clearly
displayed. Customers should request to be shown this
identification if it is not immediately visible before allowing
anyone into their premises.
Ceasing service
Customers are able to cease their service with us at any time in
accordance with the terms and conditions of their service
contract.
Billing and payment
We invoice our customers monthly, quarterly or annually on one
combined bill. As part of the initial ordering procedure clients
may need to pay a deposit in advance. This is calculated as part
of a standard process and is determined by the customers credit
status, past history with Coms (if any), and the type(s) of
service requested. If a deposit is required it will be returned,
by credit to your account upon request, after a satisfactory
period.
We expect customers to settle their bills within their agreed
credit terms. There may be a non-standard charge for late
payment. As a client you are responsible for any charges
incurred on your account. Customers are requested to pay their
invoices by Direct Debit. Other options including Standing
Order, credit card or cheque may be possible by prior agreement
with our finance department. Full details of how to settle your
bill are provided on the reverse of each of your Coms invoices.
Prices
Coms publishes its prices in electronic and paper form available
from our sales and customer service teams. We may change these
from time to time either permanently or for limited periods
(offers and promotions) and will provide at least seven days
public notification of such changes to our customers.
Our intention is to be competitive with other leading
communication providers and to offer our customers excellent
value for money.
Credit policy
We expect our clients to:
- pay their bills promptly
- inform us of any significant change in their circumstances,
for example if you are going to be away for an extended period
which may affect bill payment
- be straightforward with us when providing information
- If a customer experiences problems in paying their bill, Coms
has a consistent policy designed to:
- help the customer manage their costs
- protect both Coms and clients in general
- help minimise debt, suspensions and disconnection
- promote good customer service
We offer a range of methods for customers to pay their bill (see
above Billing and Payment), and have a number of ways of helping
customers minimise the risk of large debts for their
communications services. Where appropriate, if a customer needs
support, a third party or a nominee can be appointed to help the
customer with their bill payment, e.g. by ensuring the customer
remembers to pay it by the due date, converting to Direct Debit
payment, or dealing on the customers behalf if the customer is
away for an extended period. The nominee will not have any legal
responsibility to pay the bill although they may do this if they
and the customer wish but simply to help the customer to manage
their account. The respective responsibilities will be made
clear to both parties that clients are required to pay their
bills within their agreed credit terms. Where this does not
happen, Coms may, according to its terms and conditions, chase
payment by contacting the customer and / or sending reminders.
If there is no response to the initial contact made and / or
full payment of the arrears is not made, then the customers
services may be restricted. The customer may be reminded that
continued non-payment will lead to full disconnection of the
service. We will follow this by debt recovery procedures, which
would include disclosure of relevant customer information to the
appropriate credit vetting agencies leading to a possible bad
credit history. Any debt recovery procedures will be carried out
professionally and in accordance with relevant UK legislation
and best industry practice.
If a customer is in genuine dispute with Coms and makes this
known to us, then the disconnection process may not be invoked,
pending the outcome of the dispute resolution, any un-disputed
portion must still be paid in full.
We are aware that some customers can get into financial
difficulties unintentionally, and this is taken into account
when dealing with instances of non-payment. We will advise the
customer of our processes to minimise debt and help them manage
their bills. Customers may of course wish to take advantage of
help from external debt Counselling agencies. Coms reserves the
right to disconnect any customer without notice if the company
has reasonable grounds for suspecting that there is an
unacceptable credit risk, for example through suspected illegal
behaviour (e.g. fraud) or a breach of the contract with Coms. We
will carry out a review of any such decision if the customer
requests it. Any customer must settle any outstanding debts, and
may be subject to credit checking and payment of any appropriate
published reconnection charges, before new service can be
re-provided. In the unlikely event that Coms were to disconnect
a customer incorrectly the customer would be reconnected free of
charge.
Resolution of complaints: What to do if you are not satisfied
with our service
If you are unhappy with our service please contact us and let us
know. It is through your feedback that we are able to review and
improve the service we provide.
We are committed to addressing any complaints as fairly as
possible and within a reasonable time. If you are dissatisfied
with any aspect of our service, please contact us and we shall
do our best to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. We
operate a complaints procedure to help ensure that any
complaints are dealt with to your satisfaction:
- you can phone us on 020 7148 3000 and our customer service
team will do all they can to resolve any problems while you are
on the phone. If your problem cannot be resolved during the
phone call we will agree a course of action with you.
- you can contact us by email at support@coms.com. We aim to
reply to you as quickly as possible.
As soon as we become aware of your complaint we give it a
complaint reference number. If you are unhappy with the way in
which your complaint has been handled you can ask for it to be
escalated. Escalation may happen immediately if you are on the
phone or we shall arrange for a manager to contact you.
In the unlikely event that your complaint has not been resolved
by us to your satisfaction within a period of eight weeks, or if
during the process of investigating your complaint a deadlock
situation is reached, you have the option of referring your
complaint to OTELO for independent consideration.
The contact details for OTELO being:
Office of the Telecommunications Ombudsman (Otelo)
Wilderspool Park
Greenalls Avenue
Warrington
WA4 6HL
Lo-call rate phone number: 0845 050 1614
Fax: 01925 430059
E-mail: enquiries@otelo.org.uk
Website: www.otelo.org.uk
Otelo resolves disputes between member operators and their
residential and small business customers. Coms is a member of
Otelo.
Special needs
At Coms we take our responsibility towards disabled customers
very seriously. We are aware of the requirements of the current
regulations (Telecommunications Services for Disabled Persons
Regulations and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995) and have
been working hard to accommodate their requirements.
We offer a number of different services for our customers with
special needs. These services are designed to not only meet the
demands of the current regulations, but to also enable us to
offer the best possible service to these customers.
Coms literature
If you would like to request any of our literature, including
this code, in large print or audio format, please contact
Customer Services with your full name, address and telephone
number so that we can send it to you or contact you in the
unlikely event of a problem.
Priority fault repair
In the event of a fault, where any client or special needs
client has a need of urgent repair, and where the product or
service is supported for it, priority is given to restoring such
a customers service. Please note that priority fault repair is
only available for some products and services and may also incur
a separate charge.
In order to take advantage of our priority fault repair service,
customers with special needs must pre-register their
requirements with us. In order to register please call our
customer service team on 020 7148 3000.
Bill payment and protected service
Disabled customers who are dependent upon the internet may
nominate somebody who can help them deal with Coms bills, and
their account in general. Specifically, this nominee can:
- be the person to whom the customers bill is sent.
- be the person to whom any enquiry will be made by Coms in the
event of a bill not being paid.
- pay the bill on behalf of the customer - but will not be held
legally liable for the bill
In order to take advantage of any or all of the elements of our
Protected Service Scheme, customers with special needs must
register their requirements with us. In order to register please
call our customer service team.
Contracts
Clients who have problems reading the terms and conditions of
their contract should ask for their Coms salesperson to explain
them or for an audio copy.
Confidentiality of customer information
We will treat any information we have about you in confidence
and will not disclose it to anyone except you, or in accordance
with any instructions you have given us. However, there are
circumstances in which we may be required by law to disclose
information. Such requests normally come from Statutory
Authorities, for example, Police Forces, Customs and Excise etc.
Any such disclosure will be strictly controlled and will be made
fully in accordance with current UK legislation, in particular
the Data Protection Act
Communication with customers
We believe in effective communications with our customers.
Customers can contact us by phone on the numbers specified above
(How to contact us ), or at any time by e-mail.
We will also promote our services, including special offers,
through a variety of media. In doing this we will abide by the
industry-accepted standards, in particular by:
- following the UK Direct Marketing Association guidelines on
when to ring customers (only between 8.00 am and 9.00pm, unless
specifically requested to call outside these hours)
- stopping specified promotional contact with individual
customers if requested to do so by the customer and according to
their wishes, in accordance with the Data Protection Act,
Telephone Preference Service (TPS), Mailing Preference Scheme
(MPS), and the Facsimile Preference Scheme (FPS)
- following the rules of relevant regulatory bodies such as the
Independent Television Commission (ITC), Independent Committee
for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information
Services (ICSTIS), Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), and
Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC)
- abiding by the Distance and Doorstep Selling, and other
relevant UK and EU regulations. The existence of this code will
be brought to customers attention in appropriate ways.
Social responsibility
Coms takes its role within society and its responsibilities to
its employees seriously. Coms is committed to developing and
maintaining good environmental standards. Coms monitors areas
such as waste management, energy and water usage, and transport.
For further information on our social responsibility statement,
see www.coms.com
Review of this Code
Coms will review this Code of Practice annually, or more
frequently should events require such a review.
Approval of this Code
Ofcom has approved this Code of Practice, in accordance with
criteria agreed with the UK telecommunications industry.
ITSPA has approved this Code of Practice, in accordance with
criteria agreed with the UK Internet Service Providers
Association.
All information is correct at the time of going to print.
E & OE Coms.Com Limited, October 2009
|
|
