TIO: We're doing the telcos' job for them
- 25 August, 2009 09:16
- Comments 10
The telecommunications sector has copped flak once again after it was revealed that telcos have been slacking off on minor complaints, leaving the work to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).
The news comes just days after the government-funded Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) released a report that exposed major flaws in the sector’s customer consent practices, resulting in widespread consumer dissatisfaction. The TIO Connect.Resolve campaign began in November 2008 to raise awareness of the alarming rise in customer service and handling complaints and to prompt the nation’s 10 largest telcos into action. At the recent campaign report launch, Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, said the latest statistics showed the lacklustre performance of telcos had lead to loss of consumer confidence in their service providers.
While key findings in the Connect.Resolve report indicated a stabilisation in complaint statistics for the last two to three months, ‘Level 0’ complaints, which involve small and easily resolved issues, have been unnecessarily escalated for TIO investigation. Customer service and complaints handling issues made up 35.4 per cent of all cases taken on by the TIO since June.
The saving grace is that this is only a 1.8 per cent increase during the campaign as opposed to the 46 per cent hike in 2007-08. But that has yet to impress Senator Conroy.
“The volume of complaints is simply too high and the challenge remains for the industry to respond,” he said. “I believe relatively minimal effort from the industry could greatly influence complaint numbers.”
Ombudsman, Deidre O’Donnell, was also cautiously optimistic, heartened by the success of a collaborative approach with service providers but echoed Senator Conroy’s sentiments that telcos still have a lot of work to do.
As part of the campaign, service companies received a monthly digest of their complaints to the TIO as well as customer feedback. This has been provided as a tool for telcos to clean up their act in terms of customer service.
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Comments
Michael Saunders
What a lie
If you run a national campaign advertising come complain here with no cost to the consumer and a good chance at getting freebies. What would the TIO expect to happen?
Would they seriously expect statistics to go down.
Imagine I ran a national campaign saying "Do you have any complaints about your power company. Please complain to me? I will see if I can get you free things". Would you expect complaints to go down.
I really hope politicians don't use complaint levels as a gauge. It is like offer kids lollies and wondering why lolly consumption has gone up.
Anonymous
@ What a lie
You must be a telco executive, most likely telstra, with that kind of insight. I know I spend all my time complaining to people, kicking up a shizzstorm and trying to get free stuff while generally making people's lives miserable.
Believe it or not, there are many people out there with an abominable story to tell about a telco (in case you haven't guessed, mine's with telstra). The TIO serve a very good purpose and the fact that many easy complaints aren't being resolved by the telco isn't the TIO's fault; it's the fault of the telco. Mine was a very easy problem to solve (although it was extremely frustrating until it was) and telstra wouldn't give me the time of day.
Anonymous
Fantastic story - pity about the truth behind it.
Yep - come complain. No evidence required. We need the fines and we need the stats or we will have to actually do something useful.
Pity the poor companies that have to spend their lives defending themselves against baseless allegations that the TIO accept "in good faith". Defending them successfully still leaves the TIO with their statistic and the money they "fined" the company.
Of course the company can appeal against the outcome... but only to those who came up the the outcome in the first place. Can you imagine the general public putting up with that?
If Conroy accepts the TIO's word "in good faith" then he is being played for a fool.
The TIO does not have to live up to the same standards it sets for it "members".
Anonymous
Extend the stats
Yes Michael Saunders, I have nothing better to do with my time than create an imaginary complaint and then try to get a freebie.
The reporting stats should be extended to included; How many times the complainent had to contact the telco and, How long it took have the complaint resolved.
That would add depth to the understanding of the grief that consumers have to go through. (8 months and almost 40 calls in my case.)
Shape up telcos, it's not good enough!
Anonymous
The whole scheme is a sham. Most people that have even the slightest hurdle in getting something done by their telco runs straight to the TIO, as they know the TIO have it in their interest to lodge a complaint (revenue).
Telecommunications Industry Parking Inspectors would be a better name for them.
Jason
TIO is born of ISP incompetence
"Most people that have even the slightest hurdle in getting something done by their telco runs straight to the TIO"
Speaking from many years experience in multiple ISP Helpdesks as a Tech & Team Leader, I ask the question - if the ISPs in question trained their staff, provided a real living wage & focused on service delivery rather than quick fixes, would the TIO be needed as often?
Anonymous
OMG, there are so many telstra / bigpond execs that seem to lurk around. You can scream all you like, but the fact is,
Telstra arent doing a good job, havent been doing a good job, and now have been seen not doing a good job. Face it
they are the worst of the bunch. (I worked there in tech support for a time, so I know of what I speak) its shonky shady and borders on just horrid.
You can always tell a telstra BP exec (team leader or higher)
as when some one defends them, thats nearly always who they are. lol its so funny.
(if it wasnt so sad at the same time)
Not Anonymous-In the ADSL trade...
Fix your trade of *iss off
About time these "Telcos" cleaned their houses and fixed their trade-craft or they will disappear and very quickly.
Show respect and get respect.
Show decency and get trust.
Show consideration and understanding and you'll be the beneficiary of GROWTH, not shrinkage....into oblivion.
How stupid can some directors and their management staff be....
Let the TIO have more power and FINE THEM MORE....or else change and become what you really should be, an integral member of a decent community.
Anonymous
neutral
There are always complaints some sound and some not.
I think thoe there is a real issue with how the TIO take notes on a complaint. some times the complaint is really not founded, but logged anyway.. then I think it is revenue rising.
Sometimes customer complain to get out of paying something but there is not real foundation to complaint.
Then sometimes like in my case, there is a really complaint and the TIO are useful. When some one has been human forgot to disconnect a service. New people moved into the rental and use the service.
Either way I think it is an important roll that the TIO play, they just need to be neutral, and make decisions on the facts.
max1984
Been there done that
have responded to thousands of TIO complaints at various telcos i can say that vast vast majority are not vexatious.
i've done internal and external fraud (at multiple telcos) and i reckon i pick someone who's trying it on.
In fact the last time it happened was about 9 years ago. I remember that customer well since he pretty much dictated the resolution.
he quoted ACIF code and the Telco Act like he was singing a beatles song.
that isn't to say that customers ain't wrong. by jove they are however for the most part ignorant customers interacting with ignorant CSRs is a recipe for disaster. The vast majority of call centres are not run for the provision of a service but to answer calls as fast as possible, can't let the MD see a flashing red board (oh no, not that).
expediency rules the day.
then again the TIO knows diddly about anything technical. Easiest way to beat em is go technical on their asses. couple of frequency buckets later and you've gotten them.
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