MELBOURNE, Australia-Consumers contacted Australia’s Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman 62,275 times to complain about telephone and Internet services last financial year, a drop of 13 percent on the previous year, the organization’s annual report released on Wednesday stated.
In particular, the report revealed much customer disquiet with ongoing mobile-phone contracts and service-29.1 percent of all complaints related to mobile services. Most people were unhappy with the retail advice they received about mobile contracts and misleading advertising. Consumers also were dissatisfied with having to pay early exit fees from contracts.
While complaints overall fell, those complaints against the TIO’s largest members, such as Telstra and SingTel Optus, formerly Optus Cable & Wireless and now owned by Singapore Telecommunications, rose by 12 percent and 30 percent respectively.
But John Pinnock, ombudsman, said: “Last year, almost 20 percent of TIO complaints related to (failed cellular carrier) One.Tel. The removal of these complaints may explain, at least in part, the decline in complaint numbers for 2001/02.”
The largest complaint was over billing disputes, making up more than one-third of overall complaints to the TIO.
