Position statements
We publish position statements about our approach to particular types of telecommunications complaints.
The position statements outline our approach to conciliating, investigating and resolving particular types of complaints. They are reviewed and approved by the Ombudsman and were created to ensure consistency in how we assess complaints about a particular issue.
The position statements are based on our experience handling the specific type of complaint, and take into account various laws and the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code.
We often refer to the position statements when dealing with complaints to give consumers and service providers an indication of the types of information we will regard as being relevant to complaints, and our general approach to resolution.
- Billing & Payments
- Backbilling of charges
- Backbilling of mobile call charges included in monthly allowance
- Backbilling for prepaid mobiles
- Billing not by preferred provider
- 'Complaint-handling' fees
- Connection fees where in-place reallocated
- Debt severance following transfer of service
- Disadvantaged and vulnerable consumers
- Disputed internet dialler charges - data calls to international & 190X numbers
- Disputed charges - consumer denies all knowledge of calls made from a landline
- Disputed charges - consumer denies all knowledge of calls made from a mobile
- Excess usage charges
- Handset rental charges
- Hardship & payment difficulties
- Itemisation fees
- Liability for charges incurred by third parties
- Long duration calls
- Missing payments
- Payment methods
- Reconnection fee charged following suspension of service
- Reconnection fee for ADSL service following disconnection of phone line
- Repeat dialling to connect to the internet
- Reverse charge calls: failure to notify call rates
- Service provider 'legacy debt'
- Short duration calls
- SMS charges billed but message never received
- Unauthorised direct debits
- Unlimited credit - financial over-commitment
- Compensation
- Compensation and the TIO
- Compensation for business loss
- Introductory note about the Customer Service Guarantee
- Claims for the Customer Service Guarantee where long distance and local call providers are different
- Customer debt and the Customer Service Guarantee
- Provision of interim and alternative services and the Customer Service Guarantee
- Intermittent faults and the Customer Service Guarantee
- Mass Service Disruptions
- Reallocated in-place services and the Customer Service Guarantee
- VoIP services and the Customer Service Guarantee
- Contracts
- Account holders, guarantors and end users
- Dealers and agents: provider denying liability for dealer's actions
- Direct debit authorities
- Disadvantaged and vulnerable consumers
- Door to door selling: failure to provide rescind notice
- Early termination fees for fixed term contracts
- Information provided during a sales transaction
- Notice requirements for contract cancellations
- Unfair contract terms
- Marketing of telecommunications services: use of headlines and terms such as unlimited, free or capped
- Variations to contracts
- Services provided to minors - young people & contracts
- Credit management
- Disadvantaged and vulnerable consumers
- Disputed default listings
- Disconnection of service due to non-payment of another service
- Failure to advise reasons for declining application for service
- Hardship and payment difficulties
- Notification of suspension or disconnection of service
- Old debts
- Recovery of debts incurred prior to declaration of bankruptcy
- Refusal by a provider to release service due to outstanding debt
- Suspension or restriction ('barring') of service as a credit control measure
- Unauthorised direct debits
- Unlimited Credit - financial over-commitment
- Customer service
- Customer Service Guarantee
- Introductory note about the Customer Service Guarantee
- Claims for the Customer Service Guarantee where long distance and local call providers are different
- Customer debt and the Customer Service Guarantee
- Provision of interim and alternative services and the Customer Service Guarantee
- Intermittent faults and the Customer Service Guarantee
- Mass Service Disruptions
- Reallocated in-place services and the Customer Service Guarantee
- VoIP services and the Customer Service Guarantee
- Directories
- Disability equipment
- Disconnections
- Disconnection of service due to nonpayment of another service
- Failure to action disconnection request (not Connect Outstanding)
- Failure to disconnect service following issue of disconnection notice
- Notification of disconnection of service
- Refusal by a provider to release service due to outstanding debt
- Faults
- Internet
- Acceptable Use Policies
- ADSL provisioning
- Credit cards: ISPs accepting payment by credit card only
- Domain name allocation
- Excess usage charges
- Faulty or slow-to-update usage meters
- Gigabyte definition
- Hacking or 'freeloading'
- Internet dialler charges
- Internet speed
- Non-local ('STD') dial-in number complaints
- Outages
- Reconnection fee for ADSL service following disconnection of phone line
- Repeat dialling to connect to the Internet
- Spamming
- Transferring ADSL services between providers under the Rapid Transfer Process
- Land access
- Miscellaneous statements
- Mobiles
- Priority connections & repairs
- Privacy
- Provisioning (connections)
- ADSL provisioning
- Cabling beyond first socket or main distribution frame
- Connection delays
- Connection fees where in-place reallocated
- Failure to advise reasons for declining application for service
- InContact services: Telstra refusal to supply product
- Installation authorised by occupier not owner of premises
- Methods of installation of new lines
- Pre-provisioning and connection of telephone services
- Transfers
- Telephone transfer delays
- Debt severance following transfer of service
- Door to door selling: failure to provide rescind notice
- Information provided during a sales transaction
- Liability for charges following unauthorised transfer
- Refusal by a provider to release service due to outstanding debt
- Reversal of unauthorised transfers
- Transferring ADSL services between providers under the Rapid Transfer Process
