COMPLAINT VOLUMES HIGHLIGHT NEED FOR CONCERTED INDUSTRY ACTION

Sydney, 11 May 2017 – The six-month update on complaints about phone and internet services, released by the TIO today, is very disappointing in aggregate, but does suggest that action by telecommunication service providers is slowing the rate of growth in complaints, Communications Alliance said today.

While complaint levels in the period between 1 July and 31 December 2016 were up by 33.8 per cent against the historical lows of 2015, the rate of growth in complaints compared to the previous six months (January to June 2016) was 5.3% - an indication of greatly reduced growth.

Communications Alliance CEO, John Stanton, said that service providers across the industry that experienced a surge in complaints during 2016 have been working hard to analyse root causes, re-engineer processes, improve customer satisfaction and reduce complaints.

“Clearly, more remains to be done and Communications Alliance is working closely with its members on these challenges.”

“We have seen five years of falling complaint levels as a result of concerted industry action – dropping complaint volumes by close to 50% - so the recent setbacks reported by the TIO are a matter of serious concern and are being addressed,” Mr Stanton said.

“There is no doubt that the roll-out of the nbn and the additional implementation challenges it brings, have contributed to rising complaints, but it is pleasing to note that the growth rate in nbn-related complaints is slower than the rate of new premises being connected to the national broadband network.”

It is also important to note that the total number of Services in Operation (SIOs) in Australia continues to grow, and that the numbers released today are not measured as a ratio of overall services.

ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE
Communications Alliance is the primary communications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, platform providers, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to be the most influential association in Australian communications, co-operatively initiating programs that promote sustainable industry development, innovation and growth, while generating positive outcomes for customers and society. 

The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to create a co-operative stakeholder environment that allows the industry to take the lead on initiatives which grow the Australian communications industry, enhance the connectivity of all Australians and foster the highest standards of business behaviour.  For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:
Sefiani
Aprille Lim  alim@sefiani.com.au
0413 317 788