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SCMP Reporter

The column for anyone fed up with bureaucracy, frustrated with delays or furious with poor service. Tell us your complaint and we'll try to fix it ...

Reader Hon Sung-chi recently moved to an area of Yuen Long where there is no internet coverage by Hutchison Global Communications'  broadband service. However, he was on contract and the company was reluctant to cancel it. Even after cancellation, the company made him pay $1,200 for apparently handing in the modem late.

'In September, I moved to a new flat in an area Hutchison's networks do not cover. First, they were reluctant to terminate the service. I  had to contact them many times to get someone to return calls,' he said.

'Finally, they still charged me for one month of broadband service and then  deducted the modem charge of $1,200 from my credit card.'

He said he was told the money would be reimbursed if he returned the device before November 12. He returned it on November 6.

'Up to now, they have not credited the $1,200. I have complained many times, but still no one returned my calls,' Mr Hon said.

Hutchison said it would refund the customer in full, and the repayment would be made around the middle of this month.

'Mr Hon's broadband service was terminated in late September and we then sent him a letter about the return of the broadband modem,' a spokeswoman said.

'As we didn't receive the modem on the date stated, an administrative charge of $1,200 was applied. According to our records, as Mr Hon has finally returned the modem to us, we have agreed to specially arrange a refund for him for the customer's goodwill. We have explained the above findings  to Mr Hon.'

Editor's note: readers may be interested to know that under terms negotiated by the Consumer Council with major internet service providers, customers who have signed contracts but subsequently move to areas without network coverage may terminate their contracts before expiry.

Anson Yang of To Kwa Wan   said traffic in  his neighbourhood has been constantly disrupted because of almost continuous roadworks.

'I live on the intersection of Pau Chung Street and Ma Hang Chung Road in To Kwa Wan. In the past eight months, I enjoyed only  two weeks of two-lane traffic  in both directions,'  he wrote.

'There is always  construction going on.  Once the road was paved by one utility company, then it was  dug open again within a week by another.

'The six-month project in front of a parking garage on the intersection was finally finished in early December 2005. The right lane (heading to Hunghom) was dug open in mid-December and paved back in two days; now the left lane is under construction. It is the tax season and I wonder how much of my taxes go into sponsoring the digging and paving of which I  pay for again with  inconvenience to myself.'

The Highways Department said there have been three roadworks projects at or near the road junction in the past eight months and the inconvenience could not be avoided, but every attempt has been made to minimise it.

'There are three pieces of excavation work  near the road junction that involve partial occupation of traffic lanes,' a  spokeswoman said. 'Two pieces are water-main works conducted by the Water Supplies Department (WSD), and the other one is cable duct works  for Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited (HBN). Both WSD and HBN have had to devise temporary traffic management measures for the respective road excavation works.'

The spokeswoman said traffic measures had received prior approval from the Transport Department and traffic police. 'During construction, WSD and HBN have provided supervision  for the respective worksites  to ensure their proper  functioning,' she said.

'Our department also conducts independent audit inspections  of the active excavation sites to check for their compliance with excavation permit conditions. Overall, these works have been pre-planned and implemented in a co-ordinated manner by WSD and HBN, so as to minimise disruption to the road traffic.'

The spokeswoman said To Kwa Wan is densely populated with commercial and residential developments, with strong demand on  utilities services such as gas, electricity, telecommunications, water, drainage services and street lighting.

'There is a need for the concerned utility companies to maintain, repair, renew and upgrade their respective service installations, mostly placed underground. These underground works involve road excavation and occupation of footpaths and traffic lanes,' she said.

'We   ask for his patience and tolerance towards utility works on public roads. We can assure him that an effective mechanism  is in place to control these works,  thus minimising the inconvenience  to the public.'



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