06 November 2019
The number of complaints made to Australia’s telecom ombudsman fell 21.1% in the year to June to 132,387, according to the TIO’s latest annual report.
Nevertheless, unresolved complaints took longer to close. In 2019, some 47% of escalated complaints were closed within 60 days, down from 77% in 2018.
The TIO said it showed the increasing complexity of technical issues and small business problems.
Measures taken to address the problems include the creation of specialist teams to handle the escalated complaints, while working closely with the phone and internet providers to better understand why the issues remained unresolved.
Furthermore, the report also includes for the first time the top five issues in internet, mobile and landline services.
Having a problem with a bill and experiencing poor customer service remain high, and expectations for quality and reliability of internet services is increasing, the ombudsman found.
Complaints about internet services (43,164) overtook complaints about mobile services (40,103) as the most complained about service type in the past year.
Service and equipment fees, and no action or delayed action by a provider were the top complaint issues for consumers across internet, mobile and multiple service types, followed by the quality and reliability of internet services, and difficulties establishing a connection with an internet service.
The report further found an increase in complaints about changing provider or connecting to the NBN, to 8.6 per 1,000 premises in the second half of the year from 6.7 in the first half.