The TIO's Quarter 2 Complaints Report shows more people are having trouble relying on their phone and internet with services not working altogether or taking too long to fix.
Encouragingly, there were fewer financial hardship issues this quarter. In the digital platform space, increasing account access problems show people still aren't getting the help they need.
View TIO Quarter 2 report 2025-26 (PDF, 396KB)
View the interactive complaints data dashboard
Mobile and internet failures increase, compensation requests climb
Complaints from people without a working mobile or internet service increased 41.6% to 1,961 complaints nationally, confirming service reliability as the biggest pain point in the reporting period.
The spike was partly driven by telcos disconnecting mobiles that couldn't reliably connect to emergency services, an action required by emergency service rules. The Optus Triple Zero outage and some extended local internet outages across Australia also played a role in driving these complaints.
For the second consecutive quarter, complaints from people seeking compensation for non-financial loss* increased 13.9% to 1,138 total complaints.
*Non-financial loss involving privacy issues are not included in these figures.
Falling financial hardship complaints signal shift in the right direction
Financial hardship complaints fell 19.2% to a total of 399 complaints compared to the previous quarter. Compared to the same period last year, financial hardship complaints are down 35.7%.
Digital platforms spotlight: Account access problems still growing
People raised 719 complaints with the TIO about digital platforms in 2025, up 20% compared to 2024. Account access problems were a key theme, with people reporting community guideline decisions they can't appeal and problems regaining access to hacked accounts.
As stated by Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert
"Consumers don't see phone and internet connectivity as optional anymore. We need settings that match modern life. Rules need to set the standard for phone and internet reliability, balancing community expectations and what is realistic for the industry."
"It's not surprising more people are asking for compensation. We expect telcos to offer fair remedies early when their customer's situation calls for it. When repeated failures cause someone ongoing inconvenience and stress, it impacts people's wellbeing and they expect their telco to make it right."
"Declining financial hardship complaints suggest the new financial hardship rules are lifting standards which is really encouraging. But every hardship complaint still represents someone under real pressure who's not getting the help they need, so there's still work to be done."
"This quarter we heard from more people frustrated with digital platforms and the lack of support. People feel trapped in automated systems with no way to reach a real person. These problems aren't going away, but there is a path forward. The Government is proposing a digital duty of care and there's an opportunity here to simultaneously fill the gap with a Digital Platforms Ombudsman."
