You call this service!

Stuart Corner
Monday, 21 May 2007 10:15

Opinion and Analysis

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.