Telecom providers waive fees for Zen residents

Dubai - Several residents were told by their service provider that they would be charged normal temporary disconnection, reconnection fees in spite of the fire.

In light of the recent fire tragedy, which has left residents of the Zen Tower in Dubai Marina temporarily homeless, UAE telecom companies du and Etisalat have announced that they will waive all fees for those affected by the fire.
Following Sunday's blaze, several residents reached out to Khaleej Times in frustration, stating they had been informed by their telecommunications providers that "irrespective of the fire" it would be charging normal temporary disconnection and reconnection fees for home services.
"If my service provider is going to be charging Dh250 for temporary disconnection for 60 days and Dh157 for reconnection, irrespective of a fire incident, it's just ridiculous. It's getting frustrating now and it's truly a test of our patience," one resident said. "The fact we have this headache now on top of everything else that has happened is really not something we need at this time," another added.
In an official statement, du noted: "We, at du, have decided to waive all charges associated with suspension, relocation, and foreclosure for the tower residents... our heart goes to the residents and families of Zen Tower and we hope this move can alleviate some of their worries."
That means Zen Tower residents who decide to retain their du home services and suspend it until they are able to move back to their apartments will not have to pay suspension fees; similarly, residents who decide to move to another location and migrate their du home services will be exempted from paying relocation fees.
"Those who decide to disconnect their du home services will have the foreclosure fees waived off," it read.
Etisalat, in an official statement, said it would "stop" charges for all tower residents who didn't have access to its services due to the fire.

"We have taken concrete steps to stop charges for all tower residents who do not have access to services due to the fire in addition to waiving relocation and exit fees. Customers can reach out to our service teams for all support related to their accounts, we want to make sure that this can help ease all worries for all residents and their families. We, at Etisalat remain committed to continuously serving and offering support to all segments of the society, in every situation," the statement said.
kelly@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai