The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), providing agreement on how the two parties will share information on compliance with consumer law and systemic issues.
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Complaints made to the TIO as a proportion of telcos’ services in operation increased during January March 2015, compared to the previous quarter – but dropped by 12.2 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to the Telecommunications Complaints in Context report released today.
One of the issues high on the agenda was accessibility of telco services. Panel members highlighted examples of consumers facing accessibility issues, such as the unique problems for people who are blind or vision impaired.
The Panel heard that consumers with vision impairment often require extra assistance when troubleshooting modems, as telcos may rely on visual cues such as flashing lights to diagnose problems.
Commenting on the enforcement of ACMA’s new telco rules being enforced from today (21 September 2018) Ombudsman Judi Jones says, “Residential consumers and small businesses want migration from their old phone or internet service to a service delivered over the National Broadband Network to go well. The ACMA’s rules give clear guidance to telcos about its expectations under the new rules, and provides a strong framework to resolve problems if these arise.
“We will take the ACMA’s new rules into account when dealing with complaints.”
Committed partners share a goal that everybody has fair access to essential services they need to thrive in contemporary Australia. These services include utilities, financial services, telecommunications, and transport.
The vision of Thriving Communities Partnership aligns with the TIO’s purpose of providing a fair, independent, and accessible external dispute resolution service.
The TIO has appointed Queen Margaret University from Edinburgh, Scotland to conduct the 2022 review, including the public consultation.
Commenting on the review, Ombudsman Judi Jones said the organisation has “come a long way” since the previous review in 2017.
“This review provides an opportunity to reflect on how we are performing. It provides a valuable contribution to what we need to focus on in order to improve our service for consumers.”
Julie has been reappointed to the Board for a second three-year term as an Independent Director with Not-for-Profit Governance experience, effective 12 November 2022.
Julie is currently a member of the Board’s People Committee. She has more than 25 years’ experience as a lawyer and policy consultant in the health, disability, and not-for-profit sectors, specialising in governance and risk.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced Optus has agreed to offer remedies to customers who signed up for National Broadband Network (NBN) plans that could not achieve the advertised speeds.
The ACCC is responsible for enforcing this undertaking.
Optus has until 2 March 2018 to notify affected customers.
Residential customers who are unsure if the undertaking applies to them can contact Optus on 1800 780 219.
Some residential consumers and small businesses have contacted the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman today (01/03/2018), about companies claiming the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman has recommended their services.
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman would never recommend that consumers switch retailer. We do not call consumers with these recommendations and we do not engage agencies to do this on our behalf.