Telco complaints drop to five-year low in FY13

Consumer complaints to Australia’s Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) fell to a five-year low in FY13, according to a new TIO annual report.

Total complaints declined for the second year running, the TIO’s annual report shows. The number of complaints received declined 18.1% to 158,652.

Complaints about mobile services fell 25.6% to 31,000, with mobile issues accounting for 57% of new cases. The main reasons for mobile complaints were concerns related to coverage, such as poor reception, voice quality or dropped calls.

Landline complaints declined 9.3%, while internet complaints decreased by a more modest 1.9%. 

Ombudsman Simon Cohen said the decrease is a promising sign. “A clear commitment from telcos to do better by their customers, an improved industry code and a focus on compliance are paying dividends,” he said.

The telecommunications industry last year made changes to the Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code aimed at giving customers better protections over bill shock, complaints handling and confusing mobile plans.

But the TIO report shows there is still work to be done, with the ombudsman noting that more than half of the complaints filed during the financial year included customer service issues. And the vast majority of these were resolved by the TIO referring the case to operators’ senior complaints handlers.

“The high number of simple complaints resolved by TIO referral demonstrates ongoing opportunities for telcos to improve how they deal with customer complaints,” Cohen said.