FTC to launch online complaint tracking system

FTC Chief Executive Officer Brian Reece and staff huddle outside the commission’s open day on Friday. (Photo Credit: Lourianne Graham) The Fair Trading Commission is set to introduce a new digital case management system to improve how it handles consumer complaints and queries, aiming to make communication more efficient and transparent, chief executive Brian Reece said on Friday. Reece revealed the plans during the commission’s Open Day at its Green Hill headquarters, marking its 25th anniversary. He said customers would be able to submit complaints electronically and track their progress: “One of the things that we are going to be implementing within the coming months is a case management system, which will be accessible to persons through our website, which we are also working to update right now.” The commission is also updating its website to support the new digital services. “Persons will be able to lodge complaints, engage with consumer advocates at the FTC and the FTC staff generally through our case management system and through our website,” said Reece. You Might Be Interested In The FTC head said the system will also allow complainants to track the status of their complaints: “Our intention is really to also ensure that consumers are able to identify the status of the complaint as it is being worked on so that they know what exactly is happening, how much more has to be done, and we can actually be held to account for timeliness, effectiveness, and efficiency as we move forward as well.” The FTC currently regulates fixed-line telecommunications services but sees an opportunity to broaden its scope: “Because of the legislative mandate we have, we only regulate fixed-line services, and we see an opportunity for us to broaden our scope to look also at mobile quality of service and also broadband quality of service as well, and that’s what we are actively pursuing by looking for legislative changes to allow for that.” Reece believes Barbadians generally have a good understanding of the FTC’s role, but said the commission must continue educating the public about its services: “Generally, Barbadians are actually quite educated in what we do, but it doesn’t mean that we can stop. It means actually that we have to use more opportunities like this to continue to educate the Barbadian public in what our services are, how best they can benefit from the Fair Trading Commission, and more importantly, to learn from them as to what we need to do going forward.” Representatives from Barbados Light & Power, the Barbados Water Authority, Flow (Cable & Wireless), the Financial Literacy Bureau, Mission Barbados, the Barbados National Standards Institute and several other agencies were also on hand to speak about their services. Reece said the open day was designed to allow members of the public to learn more about the FTC’s work, ask questions, and engage with the commission and the agencies it partners with: “Many consumers come with complaints related to the utility service that they’re offered, but we also get a number of complaints from consumers in relation to business practices such as warranties and the contractual arrangements that the consumer may have with certain businesses, and very often we try to balance the needs of the consumer with the needs of the business as well.” (LG)