Figures released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) show that NBN broadband complaints declined by more than a third (36 per cent) in the December 2019 quarter, compared to the same period last year.
The figures also show that general telco complaints have declined by more than 25 per cent over the same period, and the average time taken to resolve customer complaints decreased from six days to four.
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, welcomed the decline in telecommunications complaints.
"The ACMA's report demonstrates a significant decline in telco complaints. It is particularly pleasing to see NBN broadband complaints reduce by more than one third, especially as the NBN continues to be rolled out at pace with 30,000 to 40,000 additional connections being made each week," Minister Fletcher said.
The ACMA noted that there is likely to be an increase in future complaints due to COVID-19, as customers may have more difficulty contacting their service provider and as access to properties becomes more uncertain.
"Our telecommunications providers are facing unprecedented and challenging circumstances as they work hard to keep Australians connected at this critical time. The industry is closely coordinating on managing and optimising the mobile and broadband networks in line with increased demand and use, as more and more people work and study at home. In these times, there may some unavoidable impact on customers, such as call centre wait times, and I do ask Australians to be understanding as issues such as these are addressed. Many telcos are boosting their local call centre capacity."
The report prepared by the ACMA provides further transparency to industry, consumers and Government about the cause of consumer complaints, and assist telecommunications service providers to identify areas of focus for customer service improvement efforts.
The ACMA's telco complaints dashboard is available online: www.acma.gov.au/publications/2020-03/report/telco-complaints-handling-performance-september-and-december-2019.
