The Australian Communications and Media Authority has today released a proposed Statement of Expectations for Australian telcos, after an audit found the sector is ill-equipped to support consumers in vulnerable circumstances.
“Anyone can experience vulnerable circumstances at some stage of their life, as we saw at the start of last year during the bushfires and more recently during COVID lockdowns,” ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said.
“It’s important telcos take extra care when dealing with these customers.”
The AMCA’s audit found that “some telcos were not training staff at appropriate intervals (within 12 months) to recognise or deal appropriately with vulnerable consumers,” which casts “serious doubts about whether sales representatives and other staff can be regarded as appropriately trained.”
The full audit can be read here.
