Australian telcos will be forced to remove deceptive terms like “cap” and “unlimited” from their plan names, and customers will be able to set a maximum monthly spend in a move to prevent bill shock and improve on customer service.
In response to a report released last month by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released a list of recommendations which mobile carriers will need to adhere to. The draft report, titled “Reconnecting the Customer,” summarises the issues customers have been experiencing with telco companies, and outlines their solutions to improve outcomes for customers.
ACMA identified the following problems in response to the TIO report:
• Customers find it difficult to compare different products and choose one that is best for them.
• Customers don’t have good information about products and often don’t understand some important features about their product before they sign up.
• Customers find it difficult to have their questions answered or problems resolved in the time they expect.
• Customers often find it hard to contact their telco provider and to get accurate information.
• Customers often receive higher than expected bills.
• Customers don’t know which telcos offer good customer care.
In true web 2.0 style, ACMA is calling on Australians to make comments on their blog-style website to have their say on each of the proposed solutions. Customers will have until Friday 15 July to have their say before mobile carriers will be forced to implement the new policies. Have your say here.
ACMA’s list of recommendations is:
Clearer pricing information in advertisements—telcos need to disclose pricing information in their advertisements in a way which makes it easy for customers to understand and compare against similar plans.
Better information about plans—inclusions and exclusions need to be clearly listed in the plan details, as well as how bills are calculated along with any other important plan information.
Better complaints management—a standard complaints handling process should be adhered to which offers good customer service standards to customers while meeting timelines for complaint handling.
Tools to monitor usage and expenditure—providers need to offer an easy to use tool to calculate how many calls they make and how much data they download during a billing period. Customers should be able to monitor this in real time.
Comparisons between providers— providers will be asked to supply information on how good their customer care is and how quickly they resolve their customers’ enquiries.
Changes to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Scheme—telcos will be forced to sign up with the TIO and meet industry best practise standards.
The TIO document which sparked the move by ACMA reported a 31 percent rise in customer complaints compared with the previous quarter.