Telephone transfer delays

Table of contents

Introduction

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) receives complaints from consumers about delays in the processing of their applications to transfer services from one telephone or internet provider to another.

We receive complaints about transferring the following types of services:

• landline services, on the same or a different carrier network
• the long distance part of landline services, e.g. national calls, international calls and calls to mobile telephones.
• mobile services/numbers

Time-frames for processing transfers

The telecommunications industry has developed a number of processes for the transfer of services. A list of these processes is at the end of this document. Under these processes, different types of services must be transferred within different time–frames.

When a consumer first contacts us about a transfer delay we may not know which time-frame applies, because it may not be clear exactly which industry process is involved. However, we use the following time-frames as a guide to help us decide whether we can investigate a complaint.

When a consumer first contacts the TIO about a transfer delay

When the TIO receives a complaint about a transfer delay, we seek answers to the following questions:

• What service does the consumer want to transfer?
• Which service providers are involved?
• When did the consumer ask to transfer the service?
• How did the consumer ask to transfer the service, e.g. did they authorise it during a telephone call or by completing a form?
• How many days have passed since the consumer first asked to transfer the service?
• Has the time-frame for transferring this type of service passed?
• What explanation has the gaining service provider given for the delay in processing the transfer?

We will generally refer the consumer to the gaining service provider’s senior level of complaint and ask them to contact us again if the provider has not:

• transferred the service within the relevant time frame (in the table above), or
• addressed the delay issues within 48 hours of referral, if the relevant time-frame has already passed.
  
  
  

  Important: addressing a transfer delay does not mean that the transfer must be completed within 48 hours. Addressing a transfer delay means: completing any action required to fix any problem causing a delay, so that the transfer process can proceed to completion, or advising a consumer that the transfer cannot proceed, and explaining why. On this point, we accept that sometimes transfers cannot proceed, for example if the legal lessee has not authorised the transfer, the gaining service provider has decided not to accept the customer on the basis of their credit history, or the service has been disconnected.

If a complaint about a transfer is not resolved after referral to the gaining service provider’s senior level of complaint

If a consumer claims that the gaining service provider’s senior level of complaint did not take steps to address the transfer delay within 48 hours of the TIO referral, we would generally escalate the complaint to Level 2 status.

As part of our investigation, we will ask the provider to advise:

• whether there is a transfer delay
• which industry code of practice or process applies to the transfer delay
• which stage has been reached in the relevant transfer process
• what has caused the transfer delay
• what can be done to address the transfer delay, and
• what, if any, action may be appropriate to redress any financial disadvantage resulting from any delay.

We ask the gaining service provider to address any delay and respond to us within 48 hours, so that delays do not extend well beyond the time-frames set by the industry. We will also facilitate communication between the gaining and losing service providers, if this is required to identify the source of the delay.

Where a transfer delay is not addressed within 48 hours of the complaint being escalated, we would not escalate the complaint to Level 3 status until our standard 21–day time-frame for responding to Level 2 complaints has passed.

References

• TIO Policies & Procedures, Part B, Referrals / “Urgent delay” complaints
• TIO Policies & Procedures, Part B, Complaint escalation / “Urgent delay” complaints
• Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code - Chapter 8, Customer Transfer
• ACIF C515:2005 Pre-selection Code
• ACIF C570:2005 Mobile Number Portability Code
• ACIF G574:2001 Mobile Number Portability - Customer Information
• ACIF C540:2007 Local Number Portability Code
• ACIF G567:2001 Switchless Multibasket Billing Redirection

Last updated: 27 November 2007

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