Deco handled 460,000 complaints last year, with telecoms customers again heading the list of disgruntled customers.
Most of the 45,515 complaints against high street telecoms companies were over long-term loyalty strategies that seemed to have been designed to disadvantage existing customers.
Despite last year’s new law for telecoms, operators continue to attack the public with devious strategies and "unfair business practices," and their customers "will always lead the list of complaints," said Deco’s Paulo Fonseca.
The Electronic Communications Law was amended last year to bolster consumer proitection for telecoms contracts with loyalty periods.
However, in 2016 the requests for information and clarification from elderly customers increased compared to previous years. This is the most ‘at risk’ consumer sector and it remains the most affected by poor or non-existing information.
Next comes the domestic water sector with 27,708 ‘requests for clarification’ from the consumer protection association, mainly over the deliberate double billing scam, leading to higher water charges.
Deco predicts an increase in customer dissatisfaction due to the increase in online sales of goods and services, during 2017.
The number of complaints last year was 27,430 and Deco already is trying to preempt an increase by issuing guidelines and solutions for consumers who may run into problems.
Paulo Fonseca says there also are risks to consumers when buying through social networks or sites that promote brands, but which do not take responsibility for sales.
The association also is entering the arena of digital rights that it intends to work on this year, asking, "Is personal data a fundamental right or a bargaining chip?"
There is a growing concern over personal data, which increasingly is used by unknown companies to create a consumer profiles, without the consumer being aware such data is being used in this way.
