Home > Networking > 5G > Phone & Internet Complaints Down 12% In Q4 2019

Complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman from residential consumers and small businesses were down 12% in Q4 compared to the previous quarter, according to the Quarter 2 Complaints report released today.

The report shows that there were 28,746 complaints made in the October 1 to December 31 quarter, with mobile overtaking the Internet as the most complained about service type for the first time in five years.

Failure to cancel a phone or Internet service was an issue encountered across Internet, landline and multiple services, which according to the report, means that residential consumers and small businesses continue to receive bills for a service they are no longer using.

As for small businesses, which accounts for 16% of complaints – the largest proportion in five quarters – issues with reliability of their phone and Internet services, along with the consequences of these issues, took the top spot.

“When looking at the half year on half year comparison, it’s pleasing to see there was no significant increase in overall complaint volumes,” Ombudsman Judi Jones said.

“Underneath this picture, the data is showing the impact on consumers of rapid changes in technology, regulation and in providers’ systems and processes.”

The report also showed that fault and connection complains about services delivered over the NBN continues its downward trend, while missed appointments also dropped out of the top 10 issues.

“These results are a positive indicator of ongoing provider, government and regulator efforts to address the disruption of the past few years,” Jones added.

“Reporting this information in a timely manner provides a valuable tool for the phone and Internet providers to address the issues we are seeing. This is creating a stronger foundation for building consumer confidence in the telecommunications industry.”

In addition to this report, the results of a systemic investigation into the drivers of phone and Internet complaints from small businesses will be released in the next quarter. Watch this space for more.



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