Yahoo Finance Australia’s most complained about phone and internet provider
Complaints about Optus went up by almost 30 per cent overall, following last year’s data breach.
More Aussies are complaining about their telco’s financial-hardship arrangements, as the cost-of-living crisis puts pressure on households.
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman received 66,388 overall complaints last financial year, a drop of 16.5 per cent.
But complaints about financial hardship bucked the trend, climbing 1.2 per cent to 1,634, as households struggled to pay their mobile phone bills.
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Overall, complaints about Optus went up by almost 30 per cent, in the wake of last year’s massive data breach.
Telstra was still the most complained about company at 26,837, despite complaints being down year on year, followed by Optus at 20,323 and Vodafone at 5,069.
Increases in complaints were recorded against poor customer service, failure to cancel a service, inadequate fault testing, and non-financial loss such as time, inconvenience and stress.
Victorians hardest hit
Victorians made the most financial hardship complaints, followed by Western Australians. The majority of the complaints related to their mobile service.
One man, for example, complained to the Ombudsman after not being offered a reasonable payment arrangement when he became ill and unable to work. His telco gave him a payment extension, but then refused to set up a payment arrangement unless he paid $350 within the fortnight.
“Telcos need to make sure they are offering flexible payment methods and specialised help and support for people who are struggling to pay,” Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert said.
“Most of our complaints about financial hardship relate to mobile services, which now make up nearly half of our overall complaints.
“Phone and internet services are essential for banking, shopping, accessing health and government services, as well as staying in touch with family and friends. It’s critical that people have access to these services, and consumers can easily get help when things go wrong.”
Top complaints
No or delayed action by a telco provider was the most complained about issue, receiving 37,735 complaints over the year.
This was followed by complaints over service and equipment fees at 21,062, which was a 9.1 per cent drop from the previous financial year.
Other common complaints included resolutions being agreed but not met, having no phone or internet service, intermittent service or drop-outs, and failures to cancel a service.
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