Quick exit

International mobile roaming

The complaint
Bill for $7,133.74 after using phone while travelling.
The outcome
Offer to reduce the bill to $5,000 was made.

The issue

Young man sitting on suitcase at airport

Alex Baxter* received a bill for $7,133.74 from his provider, Gold Phones*, after using his phone while travelling in Argentina. 

Alex complained to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman that this was not fair, especially since he was travelling with friends who also used their phone, but were only charged $100 by their provider. Alex wanted to pay only his normal charges of $150 per month 

The investigation

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Enquiry Officer assigned to Alex’s case emailed the details of the complaint to Gold Phones and asked them to work with Alex to come up with a solution to his complaint. Gold Phones told Alex the roaming charges were valid but offered to reduce them to  $5,000. Alex did not accept the offer and returned to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. Alex’s case was assigned to a Dispute Resolution Officer. 

Under the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code, providers must warn their customers about roaming charges when the customer arrives in a different country and turns on their mobile phone. Warnings are sent by text message and must include the rates for making calls, sending texts, and using  the internet in that country. 

Gold Phones provided the Dispute Resolution Officer information to show it had sent Alex the warnings required under the Code. Gold Phones’ warnings also advised Alex that roaming inclusions in his plan did not include Argentina, and gave him a free phone number and a web link in case he wanted  to deactivate roaming. 

The outcome

The Dispute Resolution Officer decided that as Gold Phones had complied with the Code, Alex should accept Gold Phones’ offer of $5,000. The Dispute Resolution Officer suggested Alex and Gold Phones work out a suitable payment arrangement.

Alex disagreed with the Dispute Resolution Officer’s decision and asked for a review. Our Review Officer upheld the Dispute Resolution Officer’s decision and the case was closed.

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.

Billing and payments
Mobile phone

How we've helped other customers

Carlo was placed into further hardship after falling victim to a scam

Complaint
Carlo, a full-time student with limited income, was scammed into buying three mobile phones, leaving him with a $3,200 debt. He contacted BranchTel for help as he couldn’t afford to pay off the debt, causing him significant distress and hardship.
Outcome
During conciliation, BranchTel initially offered Carlo a payment plan of $180 per month, which he couldn’t afford. After raising concerns about this, BranchTel agreed to waive all of Carlo’s debt due to his severe financial hardship.
Mobile phone

Tamin Tutoring was charged an unfairly high early cancellation fee

Complaint
Tamin Tutoring signed up for an NBN service and equipment bundle with BlockTel but experienced frequent faults with slow and dropped video calls and inconsistent phone calls. When they tried to cancel due to these issues, BlockTel demanded over $7,000 for early termination.
Outcome
Tamin Tutoring didn’t want to pay this cancellation fee because the service never worked properly. After complaining to our office, the parties agreed that Tamin Tutoring could exit its contract and only pay 40 per cent of the cost of the cancellation fees.
Home phone
Internet
Mobile phone

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The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, culture and community.
We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples from all nations of this land.