It’s not just Telstra with a unique approach to ”customer focus”. Optus is also out there winning friends. Adam Schwab’s recent account of trouble at the Optus mill hit a chord with Crikey readers. 

Brian Harvey writes: Could ramble on for hours but in their new billing regime it seems a lot is ballsed up…like getting a broadband account for the past 6 months and being charged twice! Five calls and innumerable button pushes, ( including a voice that’s aid at 3-30 pm one weekday, “sorry we are too busy to take your call now, please call back tomorrow” I finally managed to get one division to start a conference call with another division so we had the two sides of Telstra talking to each other with me as moderator.

Damian O’Brien writes: Last week I contacted Optus customer service to confirm the dates two of my three contracts with Optus would terminate (Mobile and Broadband, both 2 year contracts taken out in late 2005). During the exchange I discovered that my Optus landline contract (which had completed in late 2006 and to my knowledge was on continuance), had without my knowledge or permission been converted into a new contract which I was told I was obliged to fund until its completion in 2008. After many transferrs and much greensleeves I was able to finally have the contract terminated. The operator bless his heart had the verve to point out that he was doing me a favor by waiving the early termination of contract fee. I had called them simply to find out when my contracts would need to be renewed, by the end I was determined to find a new provider.

Andrew Johnson writes: My wife and I were so poorly treated by Optus when they refused to replace a 2 week old phone that we have vowed not to go back to them. That was about 10 years ago. Were still married, we remain divorced from Optus.

Hege Nolan writes: I’ve been a long time customer of Optus, and generally haven’t had too many complaints (mostly as a function of not having to contact them that often), but when my last contract was nearing it’s end, I received a call from a sales person offering to “upgrade” my phone and contract. I agreed and went through the recorded phone contract with a lot of “yes I understand’s”. The phone was due to be delivered on the Friday. it didn’t. By Tuesday I was getting a little worried, so I called them. 15 minutes on hold later, I finally got through to someone, but the department I needed was Delivery, and she kindly put me through, another 20 minutes on hold before I gave up (did you know that customer service only operates between 9am and 5pm?) and called back the next day (you guessed it, I had to call via the first number, because I stupidly hadn’t asked for the delivery number). Finally I got hold of a person, and they had no record of my order, in fact they had no record of the phone call or the contract I had signed, and they had very little in terms of what they could do to help me. Not happy.

Reuben Barnes writes: I can easily top Adam Schwab’s story. It sounds like he at least managed to get what he was after in the end. A couple of years back I had an Optus mobile. I was going overseas indefinitely and decided to cancel the service. I rang Optus and said I wanted a disconnection. I then went through the miriad of questions, I now had to answer. The last question was “do you want to port your number?”. I replied” what does that mean?”. Apparently it meant that when I wanted to get a new phone I would be able to get the same number. Which I agreed to, as it sounded very convenient. So, I went overseas and came back 4 months later to find that my credit card was still being charged for my Optus mobile, which was apparently disconnected. I rang Optus, only to discover that apparently by agreeing to “port” my number, I had not actually disconnected the phone line. I needed to connect to another service within two months or the service would continue (or the dis-service in this case). I asked how I could be mislead in this way, since my only intention had been to disconnect my phone. Apparently there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. No supervisors to talk to, nothing. That little adventure cost me $300. I will never use Optus ever again.

Brian Maher writes: Last week I attempted to take up the new Optus $69 Fusion offer. After going through the interminable IVR system, I got through to a real live human who told me she was in sales and couldn’t help me. She said she would take my details and get customer service to call me back within 24 hours. I said no, please don’t do that, I had reason to call CS a few weeks back and the promised callback never came, please just transfer me to the correct department. No, I can’t do that she says. Then I asked her if I called back what the correct answers would be to the IVR system so I could get through to the department I wanted. She says “Don’t know, just give me your details and I will get CS to call you within 24 hours” I say, no, I want to resolve this now while I have the time to deal with it, not whenever someone calls me back (we all know that will be either during dinner, while I’m driving or at some equally inconvenient time). And by the way, your customer service is crap. Her reply: “at least it’s better than Telstra’s”. What a joke. End outcome… I rang back, gave nonsense answers to the IVR which therefore forced it to send me to customer service where a very helpful lady named Kerrie was able to resolve everything for me (although to complete the transaction we had to confirm all our details over and over to an IVR system which took around six attempts to recognise our feeble attempts to clearly enunciate our phone number).

Sally Doe writes: I was on the phone once to Optus in India when our broadband connection was gone for the third time in a week. I was given all kinds of ludicrous instructions to follow, which I did just to make a point, and then when the broadband was not back on I was told by the (male) technician from India, “Get your husband to call us when he gets home. He will be able to do it right”. In defense of my technical skills, it was nothing I was or was not doing. I later found out the whole neighbourhood was out for the week. Suffice to say I hung up and immediately called Telstra to have our service switched. Our broadband has been continual ever since.

Toni Leemen writes: I’ve had cause to query my last 2 Optus mobile bills. I’m on a $79 cap. The first time, the bill came to over $79 and, on close examination of the bill, I couldn’t see why. I rang the bill enquiry number and waited diligently to get a real person (that the voice recognition asks you for all the information that the real person then asks you all over again is completely annoying). With my account info up, the person at the other end couldn’t see a reason for the charges either and credited me the amount. The second time, having changed my plan from a $79 cap to a $79 cap with a new phone (2 yr contract instead of month by month) the bill arrived for $132. I rang and got the new voice recognition system which understands less than the old one. I stuck it out for a few rounds until I figured out the trigger to get put through to someone real. Who then asked me to repeat all the information I’d given the voice system twice already. I sought explanation for my bill being almost double what I expected. I explained that I had not been advised of the additional charge for changing plans (an additional month in advance). The operator agreed there was no note on the system that I had been advised of this, and credited me with the $79. Moral to the story. Treat your bill like bank fees.

Alex Furman writes: Couldn’t agree more with your story on Optus on Friday 3/8. I have been trying, without success, to get Optus to recognise a marked decrease in mobile coverage in the immediate vicinity of my home. In spite of one reception bar, and Optus’s own investigation into the problem revealing that that I have indeed experienced call drop-outs (which they say is noted on my bill and I am not charged for, but of course I cannot find this anywhere), I was eventually called from a Customer Service Manager (In Adelaide) and told that according to their coverage maps, I am in a prime reception area. I have had everything (phone, mobile, broadband) bundled with Optus for years. When I told them I would re-consider providers, they simply said there were not sufficient grounds to terminate my mobile contract prematurely (I had not even considered this but they obviously did). I have now threatened them with the Telecommunications Ombudsman in an attempt to make them take notice. But they really don’t and won’t care until there is real competition in the market. And yes, I hate the voice prompts – you get nowhere.