Quarterly report Quarter 1 Financial year 2020
Complaints
total complaints 32,801 referred to providers
Internet services were the most Top 5 issues complained about service type No or delayed action by provider 11.5k
Service and equipment fees 15,925 48.6% 10.5k fault and connection of total complaints complaints Delay establishing a service 4.6k
Providers No phone or internet service 4.2k of providers had a complaint in Q1 13.6% Resolution agreed but not met 3.6k of total complaints came from the top 10 providers 92.9% 0 12k
Enquiries Who complained
residential 86% consumers
13,030 enquiries 14% small business consumers
Dispute resolution Contacts
complaints came back Online Calls 5,420 unresolved from providers
unresolved complaints 47.9k 40k were escalated for 4,225 dispute resolution Contacts and complaints
Contacts
Q1 40,010 4 7,9 1 8 19-20
Q4 39,482 45,914 18-19
Q3 18-19 39,477 48,213
Q2 18-19 35,900 41,486
Q1 Calls 40,485 42,154 18-19 Online
0 20k 40k 60k 80k 100k
Complaints
Q1 32,801 19-20
Q4 33,894 18-19
Q3 37,599 18-19
Q2 18-19 30,035
Q1 30,859 18-19
0 5k 10k 15k 20k 25k 30k 35k 40k
Enquiries
Q1 13,030 19-20
Q4 11,989 18-19
Q3 18-19 12,984
Q2 18-19 11,843
Q1 12,538 18-19
0 3k 6k 9k 12k 15k
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 2. Complaints by service type
Complaints by service type
Q1 10,657 (33%) 4,398 (13%) 9,968 (30%) 7,395 (23%) 383 (1%) 19-20
Q4 18-19 11,575 (34%) 4,763 (14%) 9,533 (28%) 7, 62 1 (23%) 402 (1%)
Q3 18-19 12,969 (35%) 4,812 (13%) 10,682 (28%) 8,841 (24%) 295 (1%)
Q2 9,621 (32%) 3,862 (13%) 9,583 (32%) 6,734 (22%) 235 (1%) 18-19
Q1 8,999 (29%) 3,830 (12%) 10,305 (33%) 7,482 (24%) 243 (1%) 18-19
0 5k 10k 15k 20k 25k 30k 35k 40k
Internet Landline Mobile Multiple Property
Top 10 issues in complaints
No or delayed action by provider 11,522 (30%)
Service & equipment fees 10,553 (28%)
Delay establishing a service 4,591 (12%)
No phone or internet service 4,166 (11%)
Resolution agreed but not met 3,575 (10%)
Intermittent service/drop outs 2,983 (8%)
Slow data speed 2,417 (7%)
Misleading conduct when making a contract 1,743 (5%)
Termination fee 1,465 (4%)
Missed appointment 1,183 (4%)
0 2k 4k 6k 8k 10k 12k
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 3. Who complained
Complaints by consumer type
Q1 28,081 (86%) 4,720 (14%) 19-20
Q4 29,064 (86%) 4,830 (14%) 18-19
Q3 18-19 32,382 (86%) 5,217 (14%)
Q2 (85%) (15%) 18-19 25,403 4,632
Q1 26,046 (84%) 4,813 (16%) Residential 18-19 Small business & other
0 5k 10k 15k 20k 25k 30k 35k 40k
Top 10 issues for residential consumers
No or delayed action by provider 9,779 (35%)
Service & equipment fees 9,169 (33%)
Delay establishing a service 3,846 (14%)
No phone or internet service 3,406 (12%)
Resolution agreed but not met 3,139 (11%) 1,653 (5%) Intermittent service/drop outs 2,562 (9%)
Slow data speed 2,239 (8%)
Misleading conduct when making a contract 1,502 (5%)
Termination fees 1,246 (4%)
Missed appointment 1,040 (4%)
0 2k 4k 6k 8k 10k
Top 10 issues for small businesses
No or delayed action by provider 1,743 (37%)
Service & equipment fees 1,384 (29%)
No phone or internet service 760 (16%)
Delay establishing a service 745 (16%)
Resolution agreed but not met 436 (9%) 1,653 (5%) Intermittent service/drop outs 421 (9%)
Number problem due to connection, disconnection or transfer 255 (5%)
Disconnection in error 249 (5%)
Misleading conduct when making a contract 241 (5%)
Termination fee 219 (5%)
0 .5 1k 1.5k 2k
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 4. Complaints about mobile services
Top 10 issues for mobile services
Service & equipment fees 3,392 (34%)
No or delayed action by provider 3,274 (33%)
Resolution agreed but not met 1,190 (12%)
Misleading conduct when making a contract 941 (9%)
Mobile - complaints Poor mobile coverage 634 (6%)
Termination fee 628 (6%)
Equipment fault 555 (6%)
Excess data charges 525 (5%)
Barring/suspension/disconnection 488 (5%)
Financial hardship/repayment arrangement 478 (5%)
0 .5k 1k 1.5k 2k 2.5k 3k 3.5k
Mobile complaints
Q1 9,968 19-20 Mobile - complaints by consumer type Q4 9,533 18-19
Q3 18-19 10,682
Q2 18-19 9,583
Q1 10,305 18-19
0 2k 4k 6k 8k 10k 12k
Mobile service type by consumer
Q1 8,884 (89%) 1,084 (11%) 19-20
Q4 8,460 (89%) 1,073 (11%) 18-19
Q3 18-19 9,537 (89%) 1,145 (11%)
Q2 (89%) (11%) 18-19 8,537 1,046 Residential Q1 9,281 (90%) 1,024 (10%) 18-19 Small business & other
0 2k 4k 6k 8k 10k 12k
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 5. Complaints about internet services
Top 10 issues for internet services
No or delayed action by provider 3,720 (35%)
Service & equipment fees 3,508 (33%)
Delay establishing a service 2,036 (19%)
Slow data speed 1,901 (18%)
Internet - Faults andIntermittent connection service/drop complaints outs 1,653 (16%)
No phone or internet service 1,510 (14%)
Resolution agreed but not met 1,074 (10%)
Missed appointment 607 (6%)
Termination fee 482 (5%) Fault and connection Misleading conduct when making a contract 325 (3%) issues in top 10
0 .5k 1k 1.5k 2k 2.5k 3k 3.5k 4k
Fault and connection complaints
Q1 4,621 (68%) 2,214 (32%) 19-20 Internet - Internet service type by consumer type Q4 5,006 (64%) 2,794 (36%) 18-19
Q3 18-19 5,333 (58%) 3,881 (42%)
Q2 3,327 (50%) 3,281 (50%) 18-19 Services delivered over the NBN Q1 3,180 (54%) 2,703 (46%) Services delivered over 18-19 other networks
0 2k 4k 6k 8k 10k
Internet service type by consumer
Q1 9,832 (92%) 825 (8%) 19-20
Q4 10,677 (92%) 898 (8%) 18-19
Q3 18-19 11,914 (92%) 1,055 (8%)
Q2 (91%) (9%) 18-19 8,754 867
Q1 8,177 (91%) 822 (9%) Residential 18-19 Small business & other
0 3k 6k 9k 12k 15k
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 6. Complaints about landline services
Top 10 issues for landline services
No or delayed action by provider 1,514 (34%)
No phone or internet service 1,099 (25%)
Service & equipment fees 998 (23%)
Delay establishing a service 642 (15%)
Number problem due to connection, disconnection or transfer 467 (11%)
Resolution agreed but not met 403 (9%)
Intermittent service/drop outs 324 (7%)
Partially restricted service 311 (7%)
Disconnection in error 234 (5%) Fault and connection Missed appointment 150 (3%) issues in top 10
0 .5k 1k 1.5k 2k
Fault and connection complaints
Q1 1,820 (62%) 1,114 (38%) 19-20
Q4 1,893 (57%) 1,456 (43%) 18-19
Q3 18-19 1,634 (49%) 1,686 (51%)
Q2 1,167 (46%) 1,368 (54%) 18-19 Services delivered over the NBN Q1 1,154 (49%) 1,198 (51%) 18-19 Services delivered over other networks
0 .5k 1k 1.5k 2k 2.5k 3k 3.5k
Landline service type by consumer
Q1 3,062 (70%) 1,336 (30%) 19-20
Q4 3,403 (71%) 1,360 (29%) 18-19
Q3 18-19 3,442 (72%) 1,370 (28%)
Q2 (66%) (34%) 18-19 2,549 1,313
Q1 Residential 2,540 (66%) 1,290 (34%) 18-19 Small business & other
0 1k 2k 3k 4k 5k
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 7. Complaints about multiple services
Top 10 issues for multiple services
No or delayed action by provider 2,987 (40%)
Service & equipment fees 2,648 (36%)
Delay establishing a service 1,447 (20%)
No phone or internet service 1,395 (19%)
Resolution agreed but not met 904 (12%)
Intermittent service/drop outs 822 (11%)
Slow data speed 430 (6%)
Missed appointment 419 (6%)
Misleading conduct when making a contract 410 (6%) Fault and connection Bill unclear/not received 366 (5%) issues in top 10
0 .5k 1k 1.5k 2k 2.5k 3k
Fault and connection complaints
Q1 2,988 (72%) 1,150 (28%) 19-20
Q4 3,077 (67%) 1,494 (33%) 18-19
Q3 18-19 3,395 (62%) 2,051 (38%)
Q2 2,177 (56%) 1,732 (44%) 18-19 Services delivered over the NBN Q1 2,452 (60%) 1,621 (40%) Services delivered over 18-19 other networks
0 1k 2k 3k 4k 5k 6k
Multiple service type by consumer
Q1 5,954 (81%) 1,441 (19%) 19-20
Q4 6,151 (81%) 1,470 (19%) 18-19
Q3 18-19 7,209 (82%) 1,632 (18%)
Q2 (80%) (20%) 18-19 5,356 1,378
Q1 Residential 5,833 (78%) 1,649 (22%) 18-19 Small business & other
0 2k 4k 6k 8k 10k
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 8. Top 10 providers by complaints
Top 10 providers by complaint numbers
Optus 7,758 (24%)
Exetel 464 (1%)
Southern Phone Company 372 (1%)
Dodo 358 (1%)
M2 Commander 285 (1%) Telstra iiNet Vodafone TPG 16,703 (51%) 1,520 (5%) 1,439 (4%) 1,312 (4%) MyRepublic 265 (1%)
Top 10 providers by service type
Organisation/Group Internet Landline Mobile Multiple Property
Telstra Corporation 4,646 2,548 5,208 4,198 103
Optus Group 2,173 893 2,852 1,801 39
iiNet Ltd 957 168 43 346 6
Vodafone Australia Limited 134 3 1,241 60 1
TPG Internet Pty Ltd 873 122 81 225 11
Exetel Pty Ltd 337 51 18 57 1
Southern Phone Company Ltd 135 101 65 71 -
Dodo Services Pty Ltd 205 23 43 86 1
M2 Commander Pty Ltd 28 131 8 117 1
MyRepublic Pty Ltd 232 10 - 23 -
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 9. Unresolved and escalated complaints
Unresolved and escalated complaint proportion
18% 16.7% 16.3% 15.2% 14.3%
12% 11.0% 10.6% 10.6% 9.8% 10.0%
6% 4.4%
0% Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 18-19 18-19 18-19 18-19 19-20
Unresolved complaints Escalated complaints
The above table shows the proportion of complaints (including enquiry referrals) from each quarter that were unresolved or escalated at the end of the final reported quarter.
Complaints may become unresolved or escalated outside the quarter of the original complaint (or enquiry referral), and as a result these percentages can increase over time. We expect the most recent quarter to change most dramatically in the subsequent periods as complaints age over time. This will be reflected in subsequent reports.
Top 10 issues in unresolved complaints
Service & equipment fees 2,050 (43%)
Delay establishing a service 844 (18%)
No or delayed action by provider 782 (16%)
No phone or internet service 591 (12%)
Intermittent service/drop outs 544 (11%)
Slow data speed 464 (10%)
Resolution agreed but not met 422 (9%)
Misleading conduct when making a contract 254 (5%)
Termination fee 180 (4%)
Number problem 170 (4%)
0 .5k 1k 1.5k 2k 2.5k
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 10. How we do data
This section explains the finer points of our data.
Complaints When we talk about complaints, these: • are expressions of dissatisfaction about a provider where the consumer has contacted the provider and is not satisfied with the outcome. We send complaints to specialist teams at providers for another attempt at resolution. Most complaints are resolved in this process • may include more than one issue • do not include enquiries, enquiry referrals or withdrawn complaints.
Dispute resolution is the part of our scheme that works with providers and consumers to resolve escalated complaints.
Early resolution is the part of our scheme that takes initial contacts from our consumers and either logs them as enquiries or refers complaints to our providers.
Enquiries When we talk about enquiries, these: • include enquiries and enquiry referrals • do not include withdrawn enquiries.
Enquiry referrals are complaints that have not been raised with the provider prior to a consumer contacting us. We refer these complaints to providers, but allow providers a longer time to try and resolve these. We don’t include these in the overall complaint numbers as providers have not had the opportunity to resolve them prior to our contact.
Escalated complaints are those unresolved complaints we are working or have worked on with the parties. The proportion of unresolved complaints in the last two quarters is likely to increase as it can take time for a complaint to come back to us as unresolved and then progress to escalation. Some unresolved complaints never become escalated complaints as they are resolved or discontinued prior to escalation.
Fault and connection complaints are complaints with a fault or connection issue. These are only counted once, regardless of the number of issues raised in the complaint. These complaints may have other issues that do not relate to faults or connections. Faults and connections includes issues from the connection, no service and poor service quality issue sub categories.
Contacts Where we talk about contacts, this: • includes calls, emails and online forms that come through our public portals • excludes calls and emails to individual staff members • includes all contact up until a complaint is classified as unresolved.
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 11. Internet complaints relate to services delivered over the internet. These do not include internet services delivered via mobile devices.
Issues A single complaint can have more than one issue. Where we talk about complaint numbers, we only count complaints once. Where we talk about issues, we count all the issues.
Issues in complaints We record complaints based on six broad categories that follow the lifecycle of a consumer’s relationship with their phone or internet provider. For a complete list of issues in complaints see pages 13, 14 and 15.
Landline complaints includes complaints about voice services delivered over the National Broadband Network.
Mobile complaints are complaints relating to a mobile telephone device or service, including complaints about internet accessed through a mobile telephone service.
Multiple complaints relate to complaints about more than one service type with the one provider.
Online includes all web forms and emails.
Property complaints includes complaints about damage to a provider or land owner’s property, or a dispute about use of property by a provider or carrier.
Small business includes small businesses, not-for-profits and charities.
Top 10 providers Where we talk about the Top 10 providers, we mean those we received the most complaints about in the quarter. The data does not reflect the number of customers or services in operation. Us receiving a complaint does not necessarily mean a provider or network operator is at fault.
Timing of reports If a complaint or enquiry is withdrawn or cancelled before the end of the financial year, we remove it from reports. Where we reclassify a complaint, we remove it from reports. For this reason we adjust volumes of quarterly data before the end of the financial year.
Unresolved complaints Where we talk about unresolved complaints, we mean those we sent to providers and then came back to us as unresolved. The proportion of unresolved complaints in the last two quarters is likely to increase as it can take time for a complaint to come back unresolved. Some unresolved complaints never become escalated complaints as they are resolved or discontinued prior to escalation.
Unresolved and escalated proportions show the proportion of complaints and enquiry referrals in the quarter that are now Unresolved or Escalated.
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 12. Issues in complaints
Establishing a service
Product unsuitable
Inadequate documentation
Inadequate credit assessment
Inadequate explanation of product Making a contract Refused a service Cooling off
Unable to contract
Misleading conduct
Unconscionable conduct
Variation by provider
Request to change account holder
Not liable for contract In contract Unfair contract terms Equipment finance agreement
Mishandling of business information
Failure to cancel
Delay
Number problem Connection Changing provider
Unauthorised transfer
Service delivery
No service No service Disconnection in error Network outage
Intermittent/drop outs
Poor mobile coverage Poor service quality Noise/interference Slow data speed
Restricted service
Unsuitable Equipment Fault
Priority assistance
Disability equipment Special services Enhanced/add-on feature
Directory listing - business
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 13. Payment for a service
Bill unclear/not received
Excess data
Excess call/sms/mms
Roaming
3rd party Charges and fees Fee for a bill Connection/reconnection
Late payment/dishonour
Termination
Service and equipment
Technician
Direct debit
Missing payment Payments Unsuitable payment options
Payment extension
Financial hardship/repayment arrangement
Barring/suspension/disconnection
Credit default report Debt management Sold debt Debtor harassment
Statute barred debt/bankrupt
Not liable for debt
Customer service
Object to collection
Unauthorised disclosure Personal information Information inaccurate Access denied
Silent number/directory listing
Business loss
Customer Service Guarantee Compensation sought Other financial loss
Non-financial loss
Uncontactable
Refusal to deal with representative
Missed appointment
No or delayed action Provider response Resolution agreed but not met
Rudeness
Unwelcome/life threatening communications
Inadequate fault testing
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 14. Property
Hazardous, non-compliant or temporary infrastructure Infrastructure Location of equipment
By consumer Damage By provider By 3rd party
Quarter 1 Report 2019-20 15.