Virtual mobile telco Zero Mobile had its license suspended on 12 March by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
The Australia-based company has been Singapore’s second virtual mobile telco since it launched here in 2017, but recently discontinued its services three months ago.
In IMDA’s statement yesterday, the authority said Zero Mobile failed to “address outstanding billing disputes with ex-subscribers” despite being reminded.
IMDA has so far worked with Zero Mobile to minimise the impact on about 230 former users, including porting their numbers to other telcos.
It is now assisting 12 remaining former users with their outstanding billing issues, and advises affected customers to stop any recurring auto-payment arrangements they have with Zero Mobile.
Besides an immediate suspension of its license, IMDA also blacklisted Zero Mobile and its directors.
If Zero Mobile fails to resolve all remaining billing disputes, its license will be cancelled on 18 March.
Customers Have Difficult Experiences With Zero Mobile
In December, Zero Mobile announced the cancellation of their mobile service plans, citing a need to “step back” and reassess the market landscape.
Zero Mobile CEO Glenn Mohammed said the company had been facing “sabotage” from competitors, such as fake service applications and reviews.
He also said a high number of customers were abusing their credit terms and defaulting on payments for months.
When we reported on this, some Zero Mobile users shared comments about their poor experiences with the virtual telco.
Some issues included SIM card activation, sluggish customer service, and being wrongly billed for services that were meant to be “unlimited” in their plans.
Following the cessation of their two Zero X and Zero Xs plans, Zero Mobile promised to return with “new and modular pricing plans” in coming days.
However, the firm never followed through with releasing any new services.
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Featured Image Credit: Zero Mobile