Telecommunications companies are being called on to lift their collective game following the release of two separate reports last week. 

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s (TIO) Quarter Three Complaints Report was released and shows phone and internet complaints increased for the first time in five quarters.  

The report revealed residential consumers and small businesses made 22,203 complaints between January and March 2022, more than 20 per cent higher than the previous quarter. 

“The number of complaints about telecommunications services jumped by 21 per cent over the previous quarter making the start to 2022 exceedingly busy for the TIO," said Associate Professor Mark Gregory form RMIT's School of Engineering. 

“The largest number of complaints for a service type was just over 8,500 for mobiles. This is unacceptably high."

 “The increase in complaints about telecommunications services highlight the need for a triannual telecommunications review. Industry should acknowledge the need for improved performance to reduce the number of complaints,” Assoc Prof Gregory said. 

Also last week  the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) released their Statement of Expectations setting out clarity for telcos on assisting customers experiencing vulnerability—part of the industry’s obligations in the Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code. 

The ACMA Statement of Expectations calls for telcos to proactively identify customers in vulnerable circumstances and to proactively offer flexible and appropriate support. It also prompts telcos to investigate whether their own sales tactics contributed to a person’s financial hardship. 

Consumer groups are calling for telcos to deal more carefully with complaints.

The Statement was welcomed by the Consumer Action Law Centre who said that in the absence of directly enforceable regulation of the telco industry, clarity around the industry’s current obligations is necessary to improve the practices of this essential service industry. 

“We still hear from people who call our legal advice lines or the National Debt Helpline who are being given the run around or being cut off rather than receiving appropriate hardship support,” said Brigette Rose, Senior Policy Officer at Consumer Action. 

The legal centre says that Telcos provide an essential service and should "step up" to help customers in need. 

“In the aftermath of COVID and in these uncertain economic times, telcos must do what the community expects to support their customers in need and to be transparent about how they are doing this. As an essential service it is the least they can do,” said Ms Rose. 

"Telecommunications are vital for all we do for work, health, education, and banking Without access to a phone, families and people are isolated and suffer." 

“We are calling on the industry to develop and publicly report on its performance against the outcomes-based vulnerability measures in the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code, as proposed by the ACMA,” she added. 

The Consumer Action group is calling on the Government to modernise telecommunications industry rules so they are directly enforceable, similar to that of other essential services.