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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, April 24, 2013 - Page 71
Telstra Testimonials Send your contribution to editor@MelbourneObserver.com.au
Melbourne
Observer
● ‘Telstra testimonials’ is a weekly section of the Melbourne Observer, where we hold the national communications company to account. Australians are sick and tired of service breakdowns, and a poor customer service attitude. Telstra needs to lift its game. Delays of hours to speak to one of Telstra’s representatives - often located in faraway countries - are commonplace. Every week we will forward a copy of the Melbourne Observer to David Thodey, CEO of Telstra, Locked Bag 5639, Melbourne, Vic 3001. Mr Thodey and his staff are always welcome to comment on, and fix, the complaints listed by Telstra customers on this page.
Bigpond out
Why the costs? ■ Janet Wilson asks Telstra: “ Why have I been charged a port fee on a phone that I got on a plan over two years ago that I was told was not locked to Telstra? “And then when it was the woman I spoke to also stated that there was no fee to unlock.”
7-day delay ■ Telstra have so many complaints, there is now a delay of at least seven business days to deal with new complaints. See ‘Still Waiting’ (below).
Unresolved ■ Greg Fullard writes: “You call this customer service 10 min shy of two hours on hold. Your service is shit.” ■ Jonathan Barwick writes: “I'm paying twice as much as I did with Vodafone for even worse service, worst decision I've ever made.”
Still waiting
■ Telstra’s week included a general failure of its Bigpond network. “Fortunately no emails have been,” said Telstra employee ‘Greg II’. “The backlog in our servers should be processed and appear in your inbox overnight.” Earlier, Telstra had posted this message: “We are experiencing a technical issue which is impacting a number of our online services. This is being worked on as a priority to restore as quickly as we can. “Apologies for any inconvenience.” Cold comfort if you could not access the internet, to read the online message. Kathe Lindsay-Newey said: “Yes, still missing four hours of e=mails. I know that because I sent myself emails. They went out but haven't come back
Going to Optus
■ Chloe Jones writes: “You are still yet to solve a problem bought to your attention over two weeks ago now. “I emailed someone from Telstra last Thursday, still haven't heard back. “I also received an email survey on money which asked me if my problem had been resolved. “I answered no and explained what and what was still an issue, I received a message telling me that I will be receiving a call back very shortly yeah, that was Monday. “Funny, you can send me reminder texts/emails about bills due to be paid, but don't have enough time to solve an issue with the service you're providing? “My bills aren't getting paid until something is done about this, and if it takes too long, Optus it is I say.”
● Telstra CEO David Thodey told to “pull your finger out” by customer Karen Luck (below)
More promises ■ Laura Darvill wrote: “Hey, I've had no internet since Saturday and have been promised it would be back a number of different times the latest being last night. I'm still without and am wanting to know what the go is.”
No return call
Week’s delay ■ Stella Hartley writes: “App hasn't worked in a week. Have deleted and reinstalled, still nothing. “Customer services were calling me back ... when I called them at 3pm. Needless to say, I am still waiting.”
Not working
■ Pradeep Oommen Kurien writes: ”More than two months and counting ... still issue not resolved. Even your complaints department has not responded for a mail sent on April 7 with proof that the speed of internet I am getting is 0.24mb or less.”
■ Clayton Burns writes: “Hi, I'm having a problem with finding out my data usage. “For the past three days every time I try to find out how much data I have left it tells me it's not available, and to try again in a few minutes.”
Language please
Took 5 months
■ Michael Hoogland had a postscript to a message he sent to Telstra: “by the way, I speak English with Australian slang, not freakin' ‘Engrish’, Hindi, Urdu, Mandarin or whatever all your operators speak ... hard enough to get my message across when I am frustrated, yet alone deal with someone whom I cant flaming understand!”
■ Michelle D'Croix writes: “Since the Nov. 26 last year, i have been trying to get ADSL connected via Telstra (Optus wasn’t an option). “I have spent maybe 20+ hours on the phone to people in Adelaide, India and beyond, telling and retelling my story countless times. “I have had to identify myself for an account I didn't have. I have even been asked to go out and check if there's cabling on the road. WTF I was looking for, I have no freakin idea. “I have spelt my street address maybe 30 times. I have waited for three technicians who haven't turned up. “Finally, finally we have internet. I live in the middle of the goddamn city. “Telstra 24x7, I'm sorry but your service is beyond ridiculous. Your tech bloke Keith Maling on the other hand should be promoted to the goddamn CEO. “He came here at 430pm today, and came back twice - the last time at 645pm to sort us out. if you don't promote him to CEO, then at least give him a freakin payrise. “We now have internet!”
L-o-n-g wait
● Pranay Desai took a photo of his phone at the 48-minute mark of waiting to be answered by Telstra ■ Pranay Desai said: “Waiting for Telstra Call Centre to pick my call ... 48 minutes and counting.” ■ Pranay was later told online by ‘Steph’ of Telstra to lodge his complaint, but he would have to wait more than a week: “Regrettably they have a seven business day wait to be able to provide assistance on new complaints by our Case Managers either via phone or online. “However if you lodge it online, you get a reference number, and a Case Manager will contact you directly.”
● Telstra customer Greg Lomas said he received this message at the company’s ‘Live Chat 24x7’ service: “After two hours waiting I get this screen, thanks for wasting my time.” “Unfortunately the Live Chat service is currently unavailable. We’re sorry for the inconvenience and hope to have things running smoothly again soon. Please try again later.”
■ Karen Luck writes: “ Well I have been on the phone for 2 hours and 32 mins and of that I have been on hold for just under 2 hours! “This is the fifth time I have contacted Telstra to provide some information on a previous bill and no one seems to be able to understand or help me. Full of contradictions. “Maybe Telstra should train their staff a little better with the same information. Don't understand why I can speak to a managment in Australia!” ■ Later, Karen wrote: “It's now been 3 hours and 15 mins, I am speaking to a supervisor '’off shore'’ and I have now requested to have the matter escalated to a 'manager' (which was done last week and I was told I would have the information within 24 hours and here we are a week later!). “Of course a manager is not available at this time and will have someone call me tomorrow. What an absolute joke. “You can not tell me Telstra that you can not express post or courier my information. “I find it unbelievable that someone can not press the print button, walk to the printer and organise 'special delivery'. “This matter has been going on for over two months! Pull your finger out David Thodey!”
■ Shannon Davies writes: “This is getting beyond ridiculous now! Ten working days to get an unlocking code for a phone that I was told would take 3-5 business days! I have called everyday since lodging the request on April 6. “I have spent at least 3-4 hours trying to speak to someone who can fix this. I ask to speak to a supervisor and they put me on hold "to go find one" and never return. “No one is willing to do anything. All I get is ‘I’ll send the request urgently. That has been sent five bloody times! I'm now beyond angry!”
These are all real stories. Customer ‘feedback’ sourced from Telstra’s 24/7 page on Facebook
‘Insulting’ ■ Terri O’Neil writes to Telstra: “Today I received a letter from you trying to 'tempt me back' by offering me a special deal for 'seniors' (yes I am one) which includes a "... wi-fi modem - making it easy to look up recipes in the kitchen or read the news in the lounge" and offering me 5GB of broadband. “I find this patronising attitude towards more mature adults and their internet use, extremely insulting.”
‘We will leave’ ■ Nicole Addamo writes: “We cannot even open a page since March 24. You say we used all our 5gig but we hardly use the net and not even You Tube or download. “It's ever since we received a letter from you, about two months ago saying to update our details as you would like to get in contact with us. “Also when it rains the net goes away to nothing. I'm going to move to another company soon. You even threatened us on the phone yesterday saying if we go else were, it will cost more and there is a release fee. You also said it will take months to change over. “Telstra this is beyond a joke! I don't like being told “oh you can upgrade to $105 deal for 200gig!” What the hell will we do with 200gig when we don't even use up 5gig, yet you tell us we have. “How? Please explain? We don't download or watch movies. We only use it to check e-mails a couple of times and Facebook. We don't even use apps! Fix our net or we will leave.”
Messages lost ■ Maya Venturini asks: “Hi, I am randomly having trouble with SMS messages I send not being received (even though it says they have been delivered) and SMS messages other people send me not being received. “Any ideas what's going on or how I can fix?” Got a complaint about Telstra? E-mail to editor@ melbourneobserver.com.au or mail to PO Box 1278, Research, Vic 3095