Lucas could not afford the cost of a satellite service

The complaint

Lucas could not afford the cost of a satellite service which was his only option to get connected to the internet.

The outcome

Lucas was very stressed about this and made a complaint to the TIO because he said no other telco offers services in his area and if he cannot get a working internet connection he will lose his job.

The issue

Lucas moved houses to a regional area which is only serviceable by satellite. He told his telco he needs the best internet connection and plan possible for his area because he works from home. Lucas told his telco that it is important that his internet plan has unlimited data so he can remotely. Lucas signed up to the plan his telco recommended, but after some time, realised that he had been sold a metered plan.

The investigation

When he complained to his telco, they told him to upgrade his plan. Lucas explained to his telco that he had already upgraded his plan when he signed up to a service at his new house, and if he were to upgrade to a higher cost plan, it would cost him around $900 per month, which is much higher, and more than he could afford. His telco said there is nothing they can do to help.

The outcome

Lucas was very stressed about this and made a complaint to the TIO because he said no other telco offers services in his area and if he cannot get a working internet connection he will lose his job.

Billing and payments

Problems with your service

Setting up a service

Internet

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