Comments on: Does Telstra give you The Pips?

By: Antz

Antz — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:12:26 +0000

Sorry to go against the flow but I actually like the ‘pips’ as you call it - I think of it as a kind of courtesy on the part of Telstra that tells you that the person on the other end of the line are paying for a long-distance call, and are hence paying extra money. I am therefore a bit peeved to hear they are phasing is out.

By: Emma Charles

Emma Charles — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:55:14 +0000

Telstra has yet to learn the ABCs of basic business and customer service practices in Australia. It is quite simply the worst company I have ever dealt with. I can honestly say I have never had one single positive dealing with it. I stopped using Telstra about 5 years ago and will never go back. I am now with Optus, which for the past 5 years, has provided me with good service and together with a good attitude, about 90% of the time. I keep getting phone calls from Telstra asking me to go back - too late mate! Once the QE2 stops - she’s very hard to get going again!

By: Teresa

Teresa — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:48:23 +0000

We just moved from overseas. Trying to get a Telstra phone connection has been one of the most frustrating experiences I have had; I could not believe it could be so difficult and expensive, specially considering the ease in which we did it, in Hong Kong. Over the phone they say it costs $299 becuase there has been no connection in our rented premises in the previous year; but in the Telstra shop they say it can be connected for $125. Whom do we believe — I guess we have to wait for the bill. Then after being promised to be notified when the connection will be made, we wait for almost 1 week but we hear nothing. So we make a trip to the shop, only to be told the technician will be arriving that afternoon and our presence in required. So hey we don’t go to work or nothing — just stay at home until they arrive!!! Now thanks to the information you have afforded above, Telstra will NOT get my account. I will rather stay without a mobile or land phone.

By: sally

sally — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 01:13:47 +0000

I think that it is relevant that a contract is binding according to the terms which we agreed upon. IN telstras case this is done over the phone. When you have a dispute ask to be provided with the terms of contract which you agreed to when they asked you for permission to record the agreement.

They record this verbal contract when we sign up. Ask for this and refuse to pay any more until you have recieved a copy of this, detailing the date of commencement and the full terms and condtions of the contract which you agreed to. this could be the difference of a default or a major company flexing their power and overriding consumer protection laws.

By: Isabel

Isabel — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:40:49 +0000

After reading Bruce’s comment above, I used the ‘My Account’ billing enquiry facility to ask for written confirmation that my credit rating will not be affected while the particular amount is in dispute (as per Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman’s advice). Nearly two weeks later, and about 6 emails through their ‘Customer Service’ section I’ve just been told they can’t and I need to call ‘Billing’. That’s who I contacted in the first place!!
The last thing I want to do is have another fight about credit rating.

From the TIO “While your complaint is being investigated, you do not have to pay the charges that you are disputing. Telstra should not ask you to pay these disputed charges until your complaint is resolved. Please contact us if the company continues credit management action on these charges during this time.
However, please remember to pay all the charges that you are NOT disputing, e.g. for services that you have used. Telstra can take action to recover such charges.”

I don’t know whether the TIOs reference number is anything to go by but mine’s above 50000 for 2009.

By: Jessica Watters

Jessica Watters — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:50:50 +0000

I just checked their email servise for feedback, no complaint email, but they do have a compliment address! HA!

By: Jessica Watters

Jessica Watters — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:49:58 +0000

I have all the same kind of complaints as every one here, problems that were never solved, even after a week long marathon of calls, each lastly up to a few hours. What frustrates me the absolute most is: THEY HAVE NO COMPLAINT SYSTEM! not that is’t a surprise, they know what they are doing is wrong- how dare we tell them so!

By: Bruce

Bruce — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:59:12 +0000

I used to work for Telstra back in the days before they were privatised (ie when they were still Telecom), at which time they tended to do an adequate job of providing services, for the most part. Being a loyal ex-employee, I got a mobile phone service with them a couple of years after I left — this is in the middle to late 90’s. At the time I lived alone and no-one else ever had access to my phone. After two years of complaints about bills that were inflated by calls I KNOW were never made, to numbers I had never heard of, I finally called one day and asked them how long I had left on my contract. “It’s already run out, two months ago”, I was told, so I asked them to disconnect the number immediately and send me a final bill, which they did. Three months later, I received another bill for almost $300 for allegedly breaching my contract by terminating it early! They denied that I had ever called or that I had been told my contract had run its course. I naturally refused to pay the bill, so surprise surprise, my credit rating ended up screwed. You can probably guess that I’ll never deal with them again, and take every available opportunity to warn people of my experiences with them. I’m very sorry to see that they’re still doing such a “wonderful” job — Sol Trujillo really earned that $20 million bonus didn’t he?

By: Isabel

Isabel — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:39:17 +0000

Oh, and if they do play nice, I will come back and say so. But I don’t have great expectations for them.

By: Isabel

Isabel — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:26:42 +0000

OMG, I’ve been trying to reason with them (I know, smack upside the head) for a month now, about call charges that are rediculous ($1000 bill for 1 month, instead of the usual $50). Now I’m hearing of others who are having similar grief with Telstra’s billing/faults/credit/backofhouse/wherever you get transferred to next. I used to swear by them but now I’ll swear off them. Any other business person would have a little empathy and try to work with the customer rather than lose them (mostly), but Telstra well, have they got tickets on themselves. It’s not ‘Customer Service’; it’s ‘Shareholder Service’.
Mine’s in the hands of the Ombudsman.