According to the law, no additional fee may be charged for, for example, complaints or termination of the contract.
Largest Finnish telephone operators offer technical support with an additional service. According to the operators, the services are very popular, although the cost of advice is high.
The telephone operator Telia’s Helppi service has a start-up fee of EUR 2.50, and the call itself is charged EUR 2.50 per minute. The Omaguru service, which helps with Elisa’s technical problems, is priced the same.
DNA’s Fiksari service costs 2.33 euros per minute, and DNA does not charge a start-up fee for calls.
At these prices, the price of a 20-minute call will therefore be EUR 52.50 for Telia and Elisa and approximately EUR 46 for DNA.
The Fiksari service for DNA is provided by Fiksari Finland Oy. According to DNA, Fiksari is a complementary service that, according to DNA, receives an average of 250 contacts per month.
“DNA’s customer service handles more than a hundred thousand contacts every month, so Fiksar’s share of our total is really small,” says DNA.
Elisa The purpose of the Omaguru service is to help with all IT-related issues. In addition to telephone counseling, the service works at Elisa’s service points or when ordered at home.
Elisa’s Service Director Annukka Matilaisen according to the most common call to Omaguru concerns device setup, email, or home entertainment electronics. The service also helps with computer optimization, Internet problems and security issues, for example.
According to Matilainen, the service is very popular and has a regular customer base.
“We have found our place in the hearts of Finns,” Matilainen describes and says that the service has received mainly positive feedback.
According to him, the person who calls for advice is usually a customer over the age of 40 who either needs support in electronics matters or would rather buy the service than do it himself.
Matilainen says that calls to Omaguru cost the customer an average of 20 euros, which means that the call would take less than 10 minutes on average.
Service according to Matilainen, the price is the market price for commercial expert service. When calling the service, the customer pays for the expert’s IT support in calm plain language.
According to Matilainen, the service is comparable to any expert service, such as tire replacement or wall painting.
“If you want to do it yourself, then Elisa’s website has free instructions for using the equipment, for example.”
Also Telia’s Helppi service is intended for questions related to the use of technical equipment, applications and services. The customer’s most common problem is related to the commissioning of the equipment, says the person in charge of the Helppi service Sami Ahonen.
According to Ahonen, the service is significant from Telia’s point of view and is called by thousands of customers every month.
The most common customer is a person over 50 years old who is not so familiar with the technicalities of the device. However, Ahonen has noticed that nowadays younger people also need help with technology more often.
“I think it’s related to the fact that new and different devices are coming all the time.”
Ahonen thinks the price of the service is reasonable. According to him, there is a certain price for problem solving. Telia Help can be called in for any problems related to technical equipment, so the knowledge of the staff must be extensive.
According to Ahonen, the service has received very good feedback and has gathered regular customers who are calling again. The feedback emphasizes more than the price whether the problem has been fixed.
“Rarely is the price criticized if the problem is addressed.”
Ahonen reminds that not everyone has a person close to them who can be asked for help with technical problems.
Competition and Consumer Agency (KKV) expert Joonas Norr states that the law applicable to the telephone service depends on whether the matter concerns an existing contract. For example, no additional fee may be charged by law for making a mistake or terminating a contract.
On the other hand, a higher price may be charged for a clearly separate additional service. According to Norr, such an additional service can be, for example, technical assistance in installing the device.
However, companies should clearly state what is the customer service for the contract and what is the separate service number for the rest.
“They must not be confused and must not be misled,” Norr says.
The consumer may also not be instructed to call an additional service for a fee in connection with the contract. For example, a defect in the purchased device is a complaint, for which no additional price may be charged.
Over the past year, KKV’s consumer information system has received a few notifications about such telephone services. The number is relatively small overall, but according to Norr, it should be remembered that most consumers are not connected to the SME.
According to Norr, in surcharge services, the customer must always understand the difference between customer service and surcharge service.
“Sometimes it can happen that if a consumer reports a mistake, he or she will be directed there [lisämaksulliseen palveluun], and not to say that it costs much more. It’s breaking the law, ”Norr says.
Correction 18.1. at 11.41: The price of the DNA Fiksar service number corrected for the case, which is 2.33 euros per minute, not 2.50 euros. In addition, information has been added to the story that Fiksari is not DNA’s own service, but is produced by an independent company.
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