Unresolved telco complaint cases spike

More than a thousand complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman are bouncing back from the telcos unresolved each month.

Data released by the ombudsman on Wednesday shows 30 per cent of complaints – 3389 in total – returned unresolved in July, August and September this year.

“Customers are contacting my office because of patchy service and dropouts, telcos dragging their heels when it comes to fixing something, and poor customer service experiences. It’s very frustrating for customers,” Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert said.

Queensland has four of the top-five highest complaint areas.

From July to September this year, Australians lodged 13,541 complaints about their phone and internet services, up 4 per cent on this time last year.

About 60 per cent of complaints are for “no or delayed action”. About one-third of complaints are for service and equipment fees, and “no service” complaints are the third most common issue.

“I encourage anyone who is experiencing an issue with their phone or internet service to first raise the issue with their telco, and if the matter can’t be resolved, to make a complaint with my office,” Ms Gebert said.

“We are free, fair, and independent.”

The Ombudsman’s office has only just begun presenting the quarterly data in terms of complaints returned unresolved.

At the start of July, the Ombudsman started a new follow-up process with consumers to get a better picture of resolutions, as recommended by an independent review of the office.

The high number of unresolved complaints pointed to telcos efficiently resolving simple matters but failing to address complex or multifaceted problems for their customers, Ms Gebert said.

“This is the first quarter we have reported on this data in this way, and it is concerning that such a large volume of problems referred to telcos remain in dispute.”

However, the Ombudsman said her office would watch the numbers to “determine if it is a trend or an aberration”.

“In the meantime, our focus will be on restoring trust and confidence between the telco and their customer, and getting problems fixed.”

Almost 90 per cent of complaints to the Ombudsman are from residential consumers, versus 10 per cent from small businesses. Six-in-ten complaints from small businesses are related to “no or delayed action”.

The top-five local government areas with the most complaints are Brisbane (426), Gold Coast (279), Moreton Bay (251), Sunshine Coast (199) and Wyndham in Victoria (198). These areas make up 10 per cent of complaints last quarter.