ACMA puts telcos' customer service under scrutiny

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 20 April 2010 17:36

IT Policy - Regulation

The ACMA is to conduct a formal inquiry into customer service and complaints handling in the telecommunications industry in response to what it says is a growing volume of complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman, said, "The trend-line growth and sheer quantum of complaints about complaint handling and customer service - up to 900 every working day - reflects poorly on the entire industry. Whether this is evidence of a failing regulatory system or just a perception of that failure, I now believe this issue has to be confronted directly and urgently otherwise we will be talking about these same issues for years to come."

The announcement came the same day that communications minister, Stephen Conroy, announced that he would amend the Telecommunications Act to beef up consumer protection. http://www.itwire.com/it-policy-news/regulation/38425

Chapman added: "As part of the inquiry, I will personally brief CEOs of the larger service providers (representing 90 percent of the TIO complaints) and ask for their support. As the learnings emerge from the inquiry, I will seek their collective agreement on enforceable strategies for lowering the number of complaints to the industry ombudsman about complaint handing."

He also foreshadowed other regulators with roles in the telecommunications sector joining the ACMA in a regulatory forum with the possibility of their respective roles being somehow combined into some overarching regulatory regime.

CONTINUED