The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released a first-of-its-kind telco customer complaints handling report, outlining the performance of the 34 largest telcos operating in Australia against three key complaint handling metrics.
For the number of complaints received per 10,000 services in operation, Vonex received the least complaints, while Westnet received the most. Of the largest telcos, Telstra ranked 19th while Optus ranked 25th out of the 34 telcos.
In terms of average time to resolve complaints, Circles.Life, Moose Mobile, Starlink and Woolworths Mobile all finished on top with an average of just one day to resolve complaints. Telstra was the lowest ranked of the 34 telcos, averaging 10 days to resolve complaints.
Lebara had the lowest percentage of complaints escalated to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), with 1.6 per cent referred to the TIO, while Tangerine Telecom had the highest with 81.5 per cent of complaints escalated for resolution.
ACMA authority member Samantha Yorke said that, for the very first time, consumers can see how their telco is performing in handling complaints compared to their competitors.
“We know that telco customers want their complaints handled quickly and effectively. This new report shows which telcos are doing well in helping their customers and those who need to improve,” Ms Yorke said.
“The report provides an important data set for consumers, alongside performance data and pricing, to inform their choice of a telco provider.”
The report provides data for July to September 2024. Data will be updated quarterly to track performance over time.
“The ongoing publication of this data should be an incentive for industry-wide improvement of complaint handling practices, which is a big win for consumers.” Ms Yorke said.
Consumers who want to make a complaint should contact their service provider in the first instance. If the complaint is not resolved by the provider, the consumer can contact the TIO to seek help settling their dispute.
The interactive aggregated industry-wide complaint handling report, with data dating back to 2018, is also available.
MR 34/2024