SURE has apologised to its customers following complaints which have led to “active oversight” by the Jersey Competition and Regulatory Authority.
For months, Sure’s customers have taken to social media to voice frustrations with the company’s service quality. Users claim that data services have been poor and those migrating from the Airtel network to Sure’s – following Sure’s acquisition of its competitor – have experienced worse connectivity as a result.
Alistair Beak, Sure Group chief executive officer, said: “We fully recognise the concerns customers have raised and understand how frustrating these service issues have been, and we apologise to those customers who have been affected. We want to be clear that this is not the level of service we expect, nor the experience we want to deliver.”
The issues have arisen amid Sure’s ongoing network upgrade as it prepares to launch 5G connectivity late this year, he added.
The telecoms company is investing £48m to deliver its 5G network, which Mr Beak said will “deliver a stronger, more resilient and secure network, with significantly improved coverage, capacity and performance, while bringing advanced 5G services to Islanders ahead of many larger jurisdictions”.
The Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority said it recognised the “significant and complex undertaking” the company had started to “deliver long-term benefits for customers”. However, it said “customers are entitled to expect reliable communications services”.
It continued: “We therefore expect Sure to identify and address any outstanding issues as quickly as possible, communicate clearly with affected customers, and ensure that all complaints are handled appropriately, fairly and in a timely manner. We also expect the company to take necessary steps to minimise further disruption and address the underlying causes of the issues being experienced by customers.
“The JCRA will continue to engage closely with Sure and monitor the situation throughout the implementation programme and until the issues have been satisfactorily resolved. We want to assure Islanders that we are maintaining active oversight of the situation. Where appropriate, we remain prepared to consider the use of our formal regulatory powers to ensure that customers’ interests are appropriately protected.”
Mr Beak is encouraging anyone facing issues to contact Sure, adding: “We want to understand the issues they are facing and provide support wherever we can.”
He said Sure’s “number one operational priority” is to resolve these issues as fast as it can.
However, Mr Beak argued “it is important to recognise the scale of the programme being delivered.” He said it is one of the largest network transformations in Sure’s history that will “deliver a stronger, more resilient and secure network, with significantly improved coverage, capacity and performance, while bringing advanced 5G services to Islanders ahead of much larger jurisdictions”.
He added: “Ultimately, customers will judge us on the experience they receive today, and rightly so. Our engineers, customer care teams and retail colleagues remain focused on resolving issues and supporting anyone affected. We are grateful for the patience and understanding shown so far as we continue this work.”
