Costa Rica News – As ICE begins to lose control of the telecommunications market in Costa Rica, it seems that they want to try to make as much as possible on their current customers. But what would you expect from one of the worst run government entities in Costa Rica.
Their internet and phone service in terrible, then throw in the fact that its customer service is to put things nicely, leaves something to be desired. I am being very nice with that comment. Now they want to jack up land line phone rates because they are losing money to other companies coming into Costa Rica that can offer decent alternatives to the government owned telecommunications giant.
Landline rates in Costa Rica have not changed in the last 9 years. What’s even more shocking is that the agency responsible for this regulation is now proposing an 80% hike in rates!
This proposal is following an even more ridiculous rate increase requested by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute. The revised plan would lower the rate of calls from landlines to cell phones but significantly increase landline to landline rates, which are already too high, according to many Ticos.
The Telecommunications Superintendency (SUTEL) will be studying the proposed increase beginning on Wednesday. The proposal dictates that the monthly base rate (which is for 1,650 minutes) will go from ₡1,850 to ₡3,392. That’s about $3.70 to $6.70. They also propose a 90% increase in charges for additional minutes. Right now an additional minute costs ₡4 and they will increase it to ₡7.80 if the plan is approved. Calls to cell phones would be ₡21, instead of ₡30 per minute.
The rate hike would also apply to IP telephone services countrywide. A public hearing will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in the Public Services Regulatory Authority auditorium. Users can voice their opinions to SUTEL. The hearing can be viewed by a video conference in court rooms in every province. SUTEL will have a month to set the rates.
If SUTEL award this cost hike to ICE you know that it is not going to be based on their record of providing good service.
1 comment
2 weeks ago when my house was robbed we had to go to ICE to get my phone line back. We took the corp papers in to them from our attorney(about $300 for the new papers and stamps and they had all my info on file for 10 years), But they did not like the attorney had worded the papers to get my line back so they wrote down the way they wanted the papers dune by the attorney so we went back to the attorney again($200). We went into with the papers the way they wanted but this time they said “it says phone line not the word plan” so after 10 years and 3 upgrades I got my line back but they would not let me get a good phone or a plan with internet because the attorney did not put the word “plan” in the paperwork!