HOT Cable Systems Media Ltd. (TASE: HOT) was recently handed a court order to pay NIS 2,750 to a customer for the financial damage caused him when their technician failed to turn up. The plaintiff, who was renovating his home on Moshav Tzerufa, arranged with HOT to send a technician, while emphasizing to the company's call center that it was vital for the technician to come to his home at the same time as his electrician, so that installation of the cable and electricity infrastructures could be coordinated.
The plaintiff claimed that despite the prior coordination with the call center, the HOT technician did not keep his appointment, and despite several conversations with HOT's customer service, he claimed he was unable to get a response.
As the electrician was forced to make a repeat visit in order to link up with the HOT technician, he charged HOT's customer double the amount: NIS 2,500 instead of NIS 1,250. After paying the higher amount, the customer demanded financial compensation from HOT but was offered only NIS 700.
The "Technicians Law" was recently enacted under which customers who wait longer than two hours for a technician are entitled to receive NIS 300 compensation from the company without any need to prove damage and NIS 600 for waiting more than three hours after the appointed time.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 11, 2008
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