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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, April 17, 2013 - Page 00
Telstra Testimonials Send your contribution to editor@MelbourneObserver.com.au
Holding the line ■ Melbourne Observer Editor Ash Long says: “Any readers trying to phone the Observer office on Friday afternoon would have found it difficult. “We paid our Telstra bill on Wednesday. We let Telstra know about the payment. But Telstra cut off our phones on Friday. “I had to spend 2 hours 23 minutes on the line to Telstra’s people in Manila, the Philippines, to get the lines back on. “I had to spend another 1 hour 37 minutes, trying to resolve the matter. It struck me that Telstra are a law unto themselves. Any application for compensation must be done on copious forms; Telstra acts as judge and jury on its inefficiencies. “Team Leader Sam tried to pacify us by saying a $59 re-connection fee would be waived.Are-connection fee for a disconnection that should never have happened! “There needs to be a transparent process where Telstra becomes accountable.”
Buck stops here
● David Thodey, CEO of Telstra ■ David Thodey is the CEO of Telstra. His annual salary rose to $2.65 million last October, but with incentives he received more than $5 million in the previous year. Thodey has been in the job for four years ... long enough to get things right. We will mail a copy of this newspaper every week to the David Thodey’s office, 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.
Bark at moon ■ Malcolm Sumner says: “NBN Bundle NA 87150581 taken online by Telstra: January 30, 2013. “Lead in and Gateway etc installed Mar 14, 2013. “Telstra phoned and made activation appointment for March 26 2013. “I was phoned and advised that they could not keep that appointment. “Sometime later I was contacted again and a new appointment was made for April 2, 2013 between 1 and 5pm. “Well guess what, that's right, no show, no courtesy call and 132200 goes to busy tone. “Just how much longer can you continue with this of this appalling lack of customer service and how much do you think I can tolerate? ■ “I might as well go and bark at the moon.” - Facebook
What a mistake
Held to account ■ Ash Long says: “From today, we are going to change the rules. For too long Telstra has been treating us the customers - so poorly. “When we try to make a claim, or obtain a credit, or get a fault fixed, they seem not to care. The little guy has little hope in fighting the giant corporation. “There is one successful way to deal with bullies like Telstra. To shame THEM, to expose THEM, to hold THEM to account. “Every week in the Melbourne Observer, we will have a new section called Telstra Testimonials. “We will publish case study, after case study ... about ordinary people, regular Australian businesses. “We will have members of the public tell their story. We publicise the shortcomings of Telstra, their atrocious values, their sub-standard attitudes. “We are going to hold Telstra to account in the public arena.”
Slow at Geelong
Promises ■ Chelsea Reinmuth says: “We want six hours of our life back ... (oh, and the cable, Foxtel and phone line we were promised on 30 occasions by 20 of your employees over the past 10 days wouldn't go astray either!)” - Facebook
‘Hopeless’
■ Telstra customer Sarah Parmenter said on Facebook: “When will you guys fix the Telstra NRL app. “I'm paying each week and not getting any feedback when I have a issue. “We are been ripped off by you as there are always issues every game. “I want something done as I went to watch a game tonight and couldn’t as I was getting a error video cannot load (message). “My phone is an iPhone 5 and the software is running the latest version. I have also updated the NRL ap as well. “I would like someone at Telstra to tell me why I'm having so many issues and either refund or credit my account as you are providing a service and I'm not getting the full use of it.” - Facebook
● Chris Herrod ■ “I made the fatal mistake of changing everything communicational to the T word about 3 -4 years ago. “Took two years to finally get it all sorted. Ended up with about $800 in credits to keep us sweet after the Ombudsman and then our own personal complaint officer. “Even then I still couldn't get my bill back to zero no matter how much I paid as the credit would not take effect until well after due dates and had the monthly bunfight of getting the late fee etc. removed which related in yet another late applied credit ... and so it went on ... and on ...” - By E-Mail
Incompetent
At wits’ end
■ Shirley Whybrow says: “My experience of anything Telstra-related is absolutely terrible. They couldn't organise a party in a brewery. “Three weeks to fix up a pre-ordered phone line? Your incompetence is breathless!” - Facebook
Incredibly slow ■ Glenn Davies says: “Our ADSL service used to download at around 1 MB/s. “The last couple of days, every website is slower than sluggish to load, and download speeds are averaging 19 to 20 KB/s. “That's only a drop to 1/50th previous speeds. “What's going on?” - Facebook
● Martin Luther King ■ “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really co-operating with it.”
■ Relli Winduss says: “So I take it the ADSL problems in Geelong are still not rectified? “This is utter crap, I'm over this slow speed and now the Internet cutting in and out ... I'm not paying $150+ a month for dial up speed!” - Facebook
‘Ripped off’
● Ash Long, Observer Editor
Some inspiration
■ Kelly-ann Hackett said: “(Can) someone who will understand my need for help call me to discuss some issues. “Several weeks I have been trying now and I keep getting pointless apologies (and) to be honest I am at my wits’ end. My next option is the Ombudsman.” - Facebook
Not a good start ■ Brendan James Dower said: “Very disappointed with Telstra. “I was supposed to be connected to Cable 3.0 on Monday. “And was just told this afternoon won't be now connected till Friday. “Not a good start to a plan that costs $115/month.” - Facebook
■ An Le said: “Telstra issued a Samsung SIII handset which works only intermittently, (been back to the repair centre three times but still has the same issue). Should I pay your bills intermittently? “Then when I called to log a service case, one of your service personnel had the nerve to advise that I cancel that current 24-month contract which I'm only eight months into, pay an early exit fee of $540, then take out a new 24-month contract with a new handset. Hopeless!”
‘Useless’ ■ Jarrad Hill said: “Useless Telstra, on chat for over an hour and no solution to my problem, I'm not sure you even fully understood it and then told I would be called shortly after it had been reviewed. “Why am I not surprised that I have yet to receive a phone call? “I guess I'm expected to explain my issue for another hour or more only to be jerked around further. Probably easier to explain my problem to the Ombudsman, least that way something will happen!"
Telstra is a joke ■ Nick Marshall says: “Hi, I would be happy to hear from someone in (Telstra ) that is interested in retaining customers but unfortunatly I don't think there is anyone there that fits that profile. “Your company is a joke you have lost all of my buisness-home phone,home internet, two buisness mobiles and two mobile broad band conections, well done. “Your company simply does not care. I will be prepared to resolve our situation without going to the Ombudsman, however I think they’re only there to manage your customers.” - Facebook
Rude staff ■ Adam Chanter writes to Telstra: “I tried to use your 24/7 chat feature on Wednesday to rectify having noADSL connection, only to have your rude customer service staff terminate the session before completing my enquiry INT 1-124058862704. “After believing this is unsatisfactory and having the compounding of regular issues with my connection and service I attempted to disconnect my service and take the matter to the Ombudsman, but was told to lodge a complaint and someone will contact me on Thursday to either fix the issue or disconnect the service INT 1-124065028179. “It's now nearly Saturday and I haven't received any contact from Telstra to remedy this. “Your equipment, service and support are on par with that of Vodafone, an utter disgrace. “Having such a monopoly on an industry does not reserve you the right to act like spoilt children when dealing with issues raised. “You should take a leaf out of Optus' book and model your ineffective business on how they operate. “Can you terminate my contract early and waive excess charges because of your in adequate system is making if impossible for me to work from home or enjoy something for the $114 you steal from me monthly. “You are happy to charge me $15 late fee per month on bills but can't easily fix the errors with your service. “I look forward to your generic response to my issue.” - Facebook
Watch like a hawk ■ Bridge Connell says: “Aargh ... I am annoyed that I rang up Telstra to change my home phone from complete package to budget homeline and spent 40 minutes changing that contract. “Only to get another bill for the expensive package yet again. You have to watch them like a hawk. “I rang up to sort it out and the lady took 20 minutes on the phone and couldnt tell me why it happened or apologise. “Customer service sucks. I should not have been having to pay for the complete package for over two years anyway when I don’t use the line as its only for internet access.” - Facebook
Stone age ■ Dave Hutchison says: “Cable outage in Hawthorn. No Internet or Foxtel until Monday. Might as well be in the Stone Age !” - Facebook
Service crashes ■ Sarah Fryirs said: “Sick and tired of this slow cable internet. “It is ridiculously frustrating Streaming is garbage. I cannot watch my shows online. My husband could barely do his online training last night. “I cannot upload or even email a video because it keeps crashing. I cannot wait until my contract is up.” - Facebook Got a complaint about Telstra? E-mail to editor@ melbourneobserver.com.au or mail to PO Box 1278, Research, Vic 3095