A TIMOLEAGUE company, which provides broadband services has been convicted and fined a total of €15,000 for failing to prepare, publish, keep updated and implement a Code of Practice for complaints handling.

Voip and Internet Services with an address at Cartue, Timoleague, Bandon pleaded guilty at Macroom District Court to two summons, which relate to two companies, Tipp Broadband and Rural Broadband.

The prosecution was taken out by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) in relation to Tipp Broadband for failing to respond to a 13D request pertaining to customer contacts as well as one charge for failing to prepare, publish, keep update and implement a Code of Practice for complaints handling. Rural Broadband also faced the same two charges.

Giving evidence, ComReg compliance operations manager Miriam Kilraine told the court that the company, which was formed in 2009, came to notice of them last year after they received a case regarding Rural Broadband.

She said they examined the information on its website and were very concerned that they weren’t complying with any of the regulations.

‘There were no contracts, no info on internet speeds, no provision of cooling off rights no bills were being received in some cases. Both Tipp Broadband and Rural Broadband are required to provide customer reference numbers also,’ said  Ms Kilraine.

‘They didn’t implement a code of practice for complaints handling.'

Judge John King said he was ‘shocked’ at the behaviour of the defendants who he said didn’t do anything to ‘mend the hand.’

He convicted and fined the company €3,750 on each of the four charges and awarded costs of €5,000 plus VAT against them, giving them six months to pay the fine.