Bakom appoints new arbitration board for telecommunications

 Dissatisfied customers of telephone and value-added services can now turn to the Ombudscom Foundation. The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) appointed the foundation as the official arbitration body on Thursday. It is intended to help find amicable solutions to civil law disputes, as detailed in a press release issued on Thursday. The aim is to avoid consumers having to go to court. The arbitration board is usually called upon to help with disputes over invoices, the conclusion or termination of contracts, surcharges for calls to 0900 numbers or the use of subscribed SMS services.
According to the SDA, the management of an arbitration board for the telecommunications industry is prescribed in the Telecommunications Act. Ombudscom is chaired by Christian Schwarzenegger, professor of criminal law at the University of Zurich.