Mobile phone providers fail on service and client complaints

SPAIN (FACUA/Agencies) FACUA-Consumers in Action presented recently the conclusions of its 5th National Survey about the quality of mobile phone companies (see table or view full report) in which more than 10.000 users took part. Given the many abuses and frauds that occur in telecommunications, the most denounced sector in FACUA for over a decade, only 2% of users believe that the authorities protect their rights, against 63% who believe that they protected at all and 35% who think they do very little. 52% of users, six points higher than the 2010 FACUA survey, reported that their operator charged them for a service or pricing method that they had not requested verbally or in writing. The evaluation of the three major companies is very negative,>>>

Phone operators agree on code of ethics to cut back on harrassment 'spam'

SPAIN (Agencies) If it hasn't happened to you, it is surely to have bothered someone you know. Most people have suffered from aggressive sales calls from telephone companies, a practice which amounts to harassment. A year ago, the Government tried to put a stop to this through a law to regulate the so-called telephone ‘spam’, but things have barely improved. Now, after continual complaints and aware that these calls are seriously damaging their image, Telefónica, Vodafone, Orange, Yoigo and Ono have decided to regulate themselves by signing a code of ethics. It includes part of last year's law plus a few new initiatives. Teleoperators will have to speak to the customer within three seconds in most cases - one of these 'spam' practices is to dial hundreds of numbers at a time but only to speak to the first person to answer. This is why when you answer the phone, there is nobody there. If somebody says they are not interested, that company cannot ring them again for three months. The companies can also only make three attempts a month to phone a number which isn't answered.

Large truck gets stuck on Marchenilla road

JIMENA/Marchenilla (Source: www.buceite.com) A trailer truck carrying 40 tons of oranges from the Cooperative in San Pablo, got stuck on the road to Marchenilla in the early hours of Saturday. Driven by a Bulgarian, it had left San Pablo towards Tesorillo via the CA-8200 road -in theory closed to traffic because of rain damage- but on arrrival at Tesorillo found that it had to go through the village. It happens that Carnival was on, and the Local Police advised the driver to turn back and take the A-405 through Marchenilla. With a complicated manouevre, he turned around and took the advice. Of course, he did'nt know the state of that road (did the police?), which has been in a dreadful state of disrepair for years and is rarely used other than by knowledgeable local drivers with appropriate vehicles. The truck eventually got stuck and stayed there the rest of the night until a crane was brought in to remove it (photo). The trouble is that, aside from the state of the CA-8200, which is worsened daily, lorries are not allowed on it and are often fined. However, this is the only reasonable way for the oranges collected at the San Pablo Cooperativa to reach market.

Oranges, oranges everywhere

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR True, Los Barrios is not the only place in the Campo that is getting overrun with ornages, but given all the bad news about La Villa (a name they like to call themselves), we thought we'd just pick it, for a little positive news, with a nice photo from EuropaSur (as we do so often) of the main square there, where the Council is having the fruit picked so that it doesn't just fall off the tree and rot on the ground. The fact is that last winter's storms, of Biblical proportions, have brought to fruition  in equally Biblical poportions, at the groves all over the area. Pickers are out already, concentrated mainly in San Pablo, Jimena, Tesorillo and San Enrique. We hope the growers have a better season... But here's an interesting thing about these 'public square' oranges:>