#telco refund

The Court of Appeals has placed a TRO (temporary restraining order) on the demand of the NTC for a refund of almost Php7 billion to subscribers. The TRO was granted this week after telcos filed an appeal last May. Last May, the NTC has ordered all telcos to refund their subscribers for over-charging after a decision was made back in 2011 that SMS should only cost Php0.80 instead of Php1.00. However, since then, the telcos have not reduced the price of their SMS rates and continue to charge subscribers Php1.00 per regular SMS. The NTC has computed that because of this, telcos owe the consumers about Php7 billion. After asking for motion for reconsideration from the NTC, the telcos have escalated the issue to the Court of Appeals. The appeal has now been granted due to several reasons: * Telcos claim that the NTC has no power to make such orders for a refund. Sentator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada suggests internet service providers (ISPs) and telecommunication companies to process automatic refunds should they experience service interruptions. Read more in our articles including "Court of Appeals stops refund order of NTC" and "Senator Estrada wants ISP and telcos to give automatic refunds on interruptions".