Complaints with internet services increased by 8.5 per cent on the previous quarter, with a 32 per cent jump in problems being experienced with intermittent service or drop-outs.
"Increases recorded consumers struggling to get connected to an NBN service, problems with a bill as well as service quality, like drop-outs and slow data speeds... A lot of customers are having trouble getting connected in the first place, and then there are some others that are having issues with quality of the service when they do. And we looked into it a bit more and the majority of the internet connection complaints were coming from parts of Brisbane and some outer suburbs of Sydney."
The National Broadband Network is often the target of consumer ire, but the company itself points out that complaints about faults and connections are actually down 49 per cent on the same quarter last year.
In a statement in response to the Ombudsman's report, a company spokesperson says:
“Some of the customer-focused improvements we have delivered include enhancements to information relating to network outages on NBN’s website, improvements to customer appointment setting, remediation times, SMS messaging, and customer notifications. We are also delivering more fibre and enabling internet retailers to deliver faster broadband services to more areas. We remain committed to finding ways to continue to improve the customer experience and resolve issues faster and more efficiently."
But the Consumer Action Law Centre says the report contains the same concerns with the industry highlighted in previous reports.
Senior policy officer David Hofierka says telcos are not doing enough for people suffering finanicial hardship.
