Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman 2008 Annual report 2008 Annual Report 2%3/,54)/. 2%,%6!.4 2%!#().'/54 2%-!2+!",% Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Limited ACN 057 634 787 Telephone 03 8600 8700 Facsimile 03 8600 8797 Freecall™ 1800 062 058 Freefax™ 1800 630 614 TTY 1800 675 692 Translator & Interpreter Service 131 450 Website www.tio.com.au Postal Address PO Box 276 COllins STreeT West Victoria 8007 Australia Street Address level 3, 595 Collins Street Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s Annual Report is provided as a resource for consumers, members of the public, members of the TIO scheme and government agencies that regulate telecommunications. The report is available as a hard copy and at www.tio.com.au. We also produce a six-page summary version of the report. Alternative formats are available on request. If you have any questions about this or any other TIO publication, please telephone the TIO Public Affairs Unit on (03) 8600 8701 CONTeNTS OUr YeAr: THe PeOPLE OUr How to make a complaint Our year snapshot 2 A SNAPSHOT We SERVe STrATeGIC GOAlS Before lodging a complaint with the TIO you should: The people we serve 4 pages 2 and 3 pages 4 to 10 page 11 • try to solve the problem with your telephone company Consumers 4 or Internet service provider Members 8 • try to get the name of the person you spoke regulators and to at the company government 10 • We received 149742 ConsumerS • gather any papers relevant to the complaint, How we operate 11 complaints, an almost such as contracts, bills or copies of correspondence • 91 per cent of the people 50 per cent increase (please do not send original documents to the TIO). Our strategic goals 11 who complained were on the year before. Statements from consumers. eight per cent The TIO recommends that complainants: the two Chairs 12 • Each complaint raised one were small businesses. • pay any undisputed portions of bills The Council 14 or more issues. This year Outreach 2%3/,54)/. 2%,%6!.4 2%!#().'/54 2%-!2+!",% • keep copies of any payment transactions relating The Board 16 we dealt with 268645 issues to the complaint A life less ordinary – a 61.0 per cent increase • In February 2008, we • In early 2008, the TIO – vale Christopher Newell 18 on the year before. reached more than 10000 • be prepared to write to the TIO with details articulated four strategic Funding 19 students during O-week at of the complaint. • Landline service issues goals. They are: The Ombudsman’s overview 20 universities throughout the Achieving a resolution to a complaint may require compromise increased by 77.7 per cent. Our people 21 country. - to remain relevant on one or both sides of the argument. However, a resolution • Mobile service issues - to assist our stakeholders found this way is almost always less expensive and speedier How we handle complaints 25 TIO MemberS increased by 58.3 per cent. - to provide an efficient and than one found in the courts. Complainants may take their Alternative • We visited more than dispute to court if they are not satisfied with the outcome • Internet service issues effective complaint- dispute resolution 25 40 member organisations reached by the TIO. increased by 32.3 per cent. handling service Complaint classification 26 throughout Australia. Performance 28 - to be a successful Government agencieS organisation. Issues analysis 29 • In March 2008, the Complaints and complaint issues 29 TIO and the Australian Communications and Media TIO scheme 32 Authority formalised an Mobile Premium Services already close working Industry scheme 45 relationship with the signing Systemic investigations 47 of a memorandum Systemic investigations of understanding. closed during 2007/08 47 Industry codes 51 Case studies 54 Bankers Member complaint Commonwealth Bank of Australia statistics 59 Glossary 67 Solicitors Member list 70 Corrs Chambers Westgarth Financial statements F:1 Auditors rSM Bird Cameron The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme is a complaint handling service for consumers and small businesses who have been unable to resolve a complaint with their service provider. We provide free, independent, just, informal and speedy resolution of complaints. HOW WE HOW WE HANDLE ISSUEs CAsE OPERATE COmPlAInTs AnAlYsIs sTUDIEs pages 11 to 24 pages 25 to 28 pages 29 to 46 pages 54 to 58 The OmbudsmAn’s Overview InbOund calls COmPlainT areas Our case studies include: • Our top priorities are to be • We recorded the highest • Complaints about customer • Brian cancelled his two accessible and responsive number of inbound calls service overtook billing to phone contracts within the to consumers; to provide ever - with 9 213 people be the leading complaint cooling-off period but was the best dispute resolution ringing us during the second issue. The top 10 complaint still billed for services service we can, while at week of January 2008. Call issues were: • Peter’s voIP service dropped the same time assisting rates stabilised during 2008. Customer service out frequently and he was our scheme members to An average of 5 270 people Billing and payments unable to hear calls due to resolve complaints fairly and called each week in 2007/08. Faults garbled and broken sound efficiently. Escalation rates Contracts quality See page 20. • This year, 92.5 per cent of Complaint handling TIO COuncil And Board TIO complaints were resolved Mobile premium services mEmbers when referred back to the Credit management telecommunications or Provisioning • Biographies of the members internet service provider. of the TIO’s Council and Transfers board are on pages 14 to 17. • A total of 96.6 per cent of Privacy. complaints handled under FundIng The only area where the mobile Premium services complaint issues fell was • See page 19 for a complete Industry scheme were payphones, dropping from description of how the TIO is resolved with a referral back 34 to 27 complaint issues. funded. to the provider. TIO 2008 Annual Report page 1 Our year: a snapshot People contact the TIO in three main ways. Phone This year, 82.3 per cent of people contacted the TIO through our 1800 062 058 number. This is down slightly on the 86.6 per cent of people who contacted the TIO by phone e-mail last year. About 14.6 per cent of people contacted the TIO via e-mail, or through our website. 173005 Up 10.5 per cent from last year. contacts letter 2.4 per cent of people contacted the TIO by letter, about the same number as last year. (The balance contacted the TIO through methods including fax, in person, or the interpreter service.) Figures in this report are to one decimal place. In some instances this may produce totals slightly more or less than 100 per cent. page 2 TIO 2008 Annual Report 173 005 contacts 149 742 complaints. 23 263 enquiries This year the TIO (TIO scheme 135 843, mobile Premium services received 173 005 Industry scheme 13 899) A complaint is an (TIO scheme 22 106, mPsI scheme 1 157) contacts, an increase of expression of grievance or dissatisfaction that (no further action by the TIO) 41.0 per cent on the falls within the jurisdiction of the TIO and An enquiry is a contact where: 2006/07 year. A contact which the telecommunications service provider • the consumer had not contacted their is any communication concerned has had an opportunity to resolve. provider first with the TIO. This was a 46.1 per cent increase on the • the matter was outside the TIO’s previous year. jurisdiction • the company complained about is not a member of the TIO. CTS This is a small increase on last year. NTA CO However, the number of enquiries as a 05 149 0 IES 742 73 IR C proportion of total contacts has dropped 1 QU OM EN P from 18.6 per cent to 16.5 per cent 3 LA 26 IN 3 T 2 T ISSUE S LAIN S MP CO 5 64 8 6 2 M O B I L E 268 645 T E complaint issues N R Each complaint may be E T about several issues. For N I example, a person who complains about a landline L A N I bill may also complain D PS LI M about a landline fault or NE credit management issue. 63741 internet service issues An increase of 32.3 per cent 85949 mobile service issues on last year. An increase of 58.3 per cent on last year 22391 mobile premium service issues* 96564 landline service issues An increase of 122.1 per cent An increase of 77.7 per cent on last year. on last year. * The TIO began taking complaints under the mobile Premium services Industry scheme in december 2006. Therefore a direct comparison with the 2006/07 statistics is not possible. (see mobile Premium services Industry scheme, page 45) TIO 2008 Annual Report page 3 The people we serve Consumers below is a selection of the outreach activities that the TIO undertook during the 2007/08 year. Western Australia Queensland New South Wales Presentation to Financial business Educators Association Presentation to External Counsellors Association of QLD conference, August 2007 dispute Resolution conference, Western Australia, October Orientation week, tertiary sydney, August 2007 2007 institutions, February 2008 Presentation to Australian Interview with 6PR, Presented at Customer service Financial Counselling and October 2007 benchmarking Australia’s Credit Reform Association Interview with ABC South West Complaint management Conference, sydney, Western Australia, may 2008 Workshop, march 2008 August 2007 visits to seven TIO members visits to seven TIO members university of Western sydney Aboriginal Careers and Tertiary Expo, Penrith, september 2007 O-week events at two NSW tertiary institutions, February 2008 Presented at Customer service benchmarking Australia’s Complaint management Workshop, February 2008 Presented to indigenous consumers at the good service Forum, Redfern, lismore, Wilcannia and broken Hill visits to ten TIO members Presented at the Customer service benchmarking Australia’s Complaint management Workshop, Interview with 5AA Adelaide, October 2007.