Cornered!
Cornered! is a blog devoted, most of the time anyway, to telecommunications: local and global issues, technology, people and trends from the perspective of someone who's been reporting, analysing and commenting on the industry since the dark ages (BC - before competition). Sometimes serious, sometimes flippant, sometimes frivolous. Controversial, analytical, informative, amusing, but never boring; a vehicle for examinations of important issues and observations on my encounters and experiences in an industry where polarised views and hyperbole are the norm.

Blog

Technology news and Jobs arrow Cornered! arrow You call this service!
You call this service! E-mail
by Stuart Corner   
Monday, 21 May 2007
On 21 May my fixed phone line, with AAPT, had been out of action for almost three weeks, and the experience revealed much about customer service and the problems faced by companies that resell Telstra services.

Since reporting the fault on Tuesday 1 May I have received only one piece of unsolicited information about when it would be fixed. That information came from the Telstra technician who rolled up at about 4.00 pm on Friday 4 May, discovered that the cable in the street was faulty and told me that contractors would rock up the following week and replace it.

The week came and went with no sign of contractors and no phone line. Whenever I tried to find out what was happening I had to resort, as when I reported the fault, to calling AAPT's customer service number: something of a misnomer as sales and potential customers seem to take a much high priority than real customers who want service.

You might think that some priority would be given to customers wanting to report a problem, but no, that option is right at the bottom of a seven level IVR-cum-speech-recognition hierarchy of menu options.

It goes like this: 'billing', press one; 'other' press two; then 'Internet technical support' (1) (why isn't phone support up here as well?); 'Mobiles' (2); ;Sales; (3); 'changing address' (4)' 'other' (5). At level three speech recognition cuts in instead of dial tone input (why?) and we get: 'sales' (again!; billing/payments'; 'support' (ah getting close!). Saying 'support' elicits a fourth level of options: 'telephone'; 'internet; 'Foxtel'; 'general'. Saying 'telephone' gets to choice level six ('mobile' or fixed. Finally, at level seven!, it's: 'report a fault', 'moving', 'more lines' or 'general'.

Having reported the fault, AAPT was able to access Telstra's line testing technology and able to ascertain that the problem lay somewhere between my handset and the exchange, and submit to Telstra a request for a technician to attend.

 
< Next story in category   Previous story in the category >
iTWire user statistics Visitors last 30 days
Suscribers
904,266
13,751
#1 independent technology news advertise here
  •   *  
  • Search
  • AdvSeach
  • Login
  • Events
  • FreeStuff
Subscribe to our free e-newsletter