In 2023, the number of disputes filed against telecom operators reached its highest point in seven years, with Telenet leading the way. The Ombudsman Service reported that Telenet received 6,620 complaints, a 188.62% increase from the previous year. Proximus followed closely behind with 5,749 complaints, up 30.07%.
The surge in complaints was largely attributed to technical issues with new IT systems implemented by these operators. In particular, Telenet’s adoption of a new platform caused initial problems that affected customer service and resulted in a significant increase in complaints. However, Telenet expressed confidence that these issues have been addressed and that their customer service has improved.
The Belgian government took notice of the growing number of complaints and announced plans to meet with telecom operators to address the issue. The telecom watchdog BIPT also conducted more checks in 2024 to ensure operators met service standards. Despite this effort, each of the five operators saw an increase of at least 20% in the number of complaints compared to the previous year.
Overall, it seems that there are still significant challenges for telecom companies when it comes to providing high-quality customer service and addressing concerns raised by customers.
