Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When someone rings a public utility company the process is frustrating. They are asked to press button X, Y or Z but they cannot get through to anybody and they hang up. The genuine grievances of customers, therefore, are not being recorded because of the frustration in trying to speak to a member of staff of, say, ComReg or the telephone companies. Telephone companies are in the communications business. I do not know of any other sector that is as poor at communicating or being available to take a message from their customers as the mobile phone companies. If a Member rings Eircom on behalf of a constituent they have to go around the world, so to speak, before they can get somebody to take their query or representation. A message should go from the Minister on behalf of the Government that these communications companies should make it much easier for customers to get in contact with them and speak to a person, hopefully a person on the island of Ireland rather than someone overseas.

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