The TIO received 89,391 complaint issues in the September 2008 quarter, a 19.4 per cent increase on the 74,895 complaint issues logged in the previous quarter. In addition, the TIO received 9,850 complaint issues under the Mobile Premium Services Industry Scheme, up from 8,694 in the June 2008 quarter.

A total of 34,734 issues were about mobile services, 32,226 concerned landline and 22,431 were about internet services. See Investigations update table.

Billing and Payments

Billing and Payments accounted for the largest source of complaint issues in the September 2008 quarter (22.7 per cent of all TIO complaint issues). Of these, 41.1 per cent related to mobile services, 34.5 per cent to landline and 24.4 per cent to Internet.

As with previous quarters, complaint issues relating to disputed usage charges accounted for the largest number of Billing and Payment complaint issues (37.9 per cent), with 7,690 complaint issues.

Customer Service

Customer Service complaint issues accounted for 20.4 per cent of all TIO complaint issues for the September 2008 quarter. Mobiles accounted for 39.1 per cent of all Customer Service complaint issues, followed by landline (35.2 per cent) and internet (25.7 per cent).

Complaint issues relating to claims that suppliers gave customers inaccurate and/or inadequate advice were the largest source of Customer Service complaint issues, at 39.7 per cent. The next highest related to claims that suppliers had not actioned the customer’s request (30.8 per cent).

Complaint Handling

Complaint Handling accounted for 12.4 per cent of all complaint issues, against 10.6 per cent in the June 2008 quarter - an increase of 3,169 complaint issues. Of the 11,079 Complaint Handling complaints, 39.2 per cent related to landline services, 35.7 per cent to mobile services and 25.1 per cent to internet services.

Complaint issues about an alleged failure of suppliers to act on undertakings made to customers accounted for 38.2 per cent of all Complaint Handling complaints. The second highest Complaint Handling category (18.1 per cent) related to the alleged failure of suppliers to advise dissatisfied customers of the TIO’s existence.

Complaint statistics against members

The below tables show the number of complaints against members according to the issue about which the customer lodged a complaint.  As one complaint can raise more than one issue, there may be more complaint issues than complaints by level. TIO members are charged according to the number of complaints logged against them, not the number of issues raised. This is the same for the MPSI tables.                     

TIO complaints by issue
MPSI complaints by issue

The below tables show complaints against members by level - that is according to the level at which the complaint was resolved.

TIO complaints by level
MPSI complaints by level