When the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) breaks down, many businesses suffer profit losses as deadlines are missed and workers are unable to complete their tasks. But while local internet providers commiserate with their plight, they say that the AAG ruptures are out of their control and won’t provide compensation.
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It is this mindset that has angered many Vietnamese netizens who complain that internet companies are quick to suspend services over payments made even one day, but don’t hold themselves to the same standards when it comes to quality of service, according to Tuoi Tre.
“The Internet cable incidents were caused by force majeure, which is unpredictable and unavoidable,” a representative of an ISP told the newspaper, adding, “Customers had their work and communications affected, whereas the ISPs had to spend money on the repair jobs, and had their reputation affected too.”
Many office workers openly voiced their frustrations with their poor internet connections.
“We were unable to access the email service to read messages sent by our partners, while deadlines were drawing near,” said Khong Minh Tri, who works in District 7. “I’m not sure if the ISP will recompense us or not, but the company still has to pay employees for the working days when they almost did nothing.”
“We never pay the bill late but the ISPs just kept silent over the poor service they provide,” lamented Hoang Huynh, director of a tech firm in Phu Nhuan District.
Lawyer Nguyen Van Hau, deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Lawyers Association, however, told the newspaper that based on the country’s civil code, ISPs should compensate customers.
“In this case, the speed and quality of the Internet [during the incidents] are worse than what the two parties agree to in the contract, which can be interpreted as violating the interest of consumers and the lack of responsibility of the ISPs,” adding that “The ISPs should have exempted or reduced the service fares during the troubled Internet times, and apologized to customers.”
[Photo via Getty Images]
