Residents are being warned to be wary over hidden telecommunication charges.

 

The telecommunications industry is under great scrutiny as the country plans to tackle dubious activities in the trade.

 

After a series of previous crackdowns on hidden prices in various commercial promotions since the beginning of this year, the National Development and Reform Commission will launch a major new two-month campaign next month.

 

Residents across the country have hit out at hidden charges.

 

Lang Xiuqiang, a Web editor in Beijing, was shocked to see a 45 yuan (US$5.5) local call charge on his phone bill last month, when he clearly remembered he had not made any local calls.

 

He said he felt deceived when he learned the truth. He had bought an IP card, which can be bound to landlines, to make a long distance call to his parents living in East China's Shandong Province.

 

Instructions on the card state that using it to make a long distance call costs only 0.3 yuan (US$ 4 cents) per minute, but it hides another important fact callers also pay for the cost of a local call as well.

 

"They should mention that clearly on the card," Lang said.

 

"I had intended to save money by getting the card, but it turned out that it did not save me much at all."

 

Lang is just one of the many victims of a typical trap in the telecommunications industry.

 

The commission revealed typical fraud cases, which frequently occur, as warnings to customers.

 

These include labelling only part of the fees the customers should pay, exaggerating price discounts to mislead customers, hiding additional conditions while promoting certain services, and not fulfilling promised prices.

 

Telecommunication enterprises, information service operators and companies selling telecommunication products will be keenly inspected by the commission during the new campaign.

 

Li Lei, an official from the price supervision office under the commission, told China Daily that the inspection on the industry was just a small part of its work, as the commission would continue to regulate other industries in the future.

 

Li said that it was due to the frequent complaints from customers over the telecommunications field that prompted the commission to target it for inspection.

 

"Out of the complaints we received last year, most were related to the telecommunications field," he said.

 

Unreasonable charges for text message services will also be a key area for inspection, Li said.

 

More than 300 billion text messages were sent last year in China and it is estimated that the country has more than 400 million mobile phone subscribers.

 

"Consumers have the right to learn the truth before they pay for certain services," Li said.

 

"The inspection aims to not only enhance consumers' awareness of protecting their rights but also prod the telecommunication companies to tighten their self-discipline," he said.

 

(China Daily March 21, 2006)