On Oct 1, an officer from StarHub called me on my home phone to say that my cable TV contract would expire soon.

He then asked if I wanted to renew my contract for a further two years, and rattled off a series of terms and conditions.

As I am hard of hearing, I had difficulty understanding what he was trying to say on the phone and so requested that he send the exact terms and conditions for the renewal to me via snail mail or e-mail.

However, he said it was not StarHub's policy to send the terms and conditions via mail. He then talked about the penalty if I did not fulfil the two-year contract.

Can telcos introduce terms and conditions which are not in the favour of subscribers? Clearly, there is inequality of bargaining power, and the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) should step in to ensure that the contract is fair to both parties.

Is a contract made over the phone valid and enforceable? Why can't StarHub send me the terms and conditions for renewal via e-mail and allow me time to consider them before I commit myself for another two years?

I hope IMDA will do something to protect consumers.

Heng Cho Choon