ACMA

ACMA logo ACMA logo

Telstra has paid a $3,010,320 penalty and refunded over $17.7 million to thousands of customers after charging them for inactive internet services over an 11-year period. A further $3.4 million is to be refunded by the end of the year.

An Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found that 6,532 customers, the majority of whom were small businesses, were wrongly billed by Telstra an average of around $2,600 between April 2012 and August 2023.

ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the ACMA has lost patience with Telstra after this series of significant billing errors.

Read More Telstra to Pay $24 million in Penalties and Refunds for Inaccurate Billing

ACMA logo ACMA logo

The proposed standard will apply to all carriage service providers who deal with residential, small business and not-for-profit customers. It will enhance protections for telco customers who are (or may be) experiencing financial hardship through the provision of information and appropriate financial support to help them meet their payment obligations and remain connected to essential telco services.

The standard must be made by 15 February 2024 and commence by 29 March 2024.

We invite submissions on the draft Telecommunications (Financial Hardship) Industry Standard 2024 by 5 pm (AEDT) on Friday 24 November 2023.

Read More ACMA consults on new protections for telco consumers in financial hardship

Image

man on phone

“Cost of living issues aren’t going away for the foreseeable future, so it’s particularly concerning that over 40% of the Australian adult population are unaware that they can contact their telco provider for help managing their bills. This research shows that it is imperative that financial hardship policies are promoted by telcos and made easily accessible on their websites,”

Read More Consumers Want (and need) More from Telcos

Post thumbnail

Financial counsellors applaud the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for imposing the largest penalty ever given a fine of $2.5 million on Sportsbet. This is a media release from Financial Counselling Australia. It was originally published on 10th February, 2022. The betting company will also refund customers $1.2 million after an extensive ACMA investigation found it had…

Read More FCA welcomes tough stance by ACMA on unlawful spamming by Sportsbet

Post thumbnail

New figures released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) show telcos received just over one million complaints in the 2020-21 financial year. The report also found that the average time taken for telcos to resolve customer complaints was 12.2 days. This is a media release from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). It was…

Read More Telco complaints down but customers wait longer for help

Post thumbnail

Australia’s telecommunications sector has published a strengthened Industry Code to better protect customers from attempted fraudulent transactions. This is a media release from Communications Alliance. It was originally published on 13th October, 2021. The Communications Alliance code – C666:2021 Existing Customer Authentication – provides an improved framework to authenticate the identity of customers making transactions involving their telecommunications…

Read More New Telco Industry Code Fights Customer Transaction Fraud

Post thumbnail

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has welcomed today’s announcement by the Digital Industry Group Inc. (DIGI) of additional accountability measures for digital platforms in Australia. ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said DIGI has taken an important step by launching the public complaints portal, which will support digital platforms’ compliance with the Australian Code of Practice…

Read More Digital platforms complaints process a positive step

Post thumbnail

Telecommunications and credit and personal finance providers were found to be joint wooden spoon winners in a 2020 Sector Scorecard developed by Consumer Policy Research Centre and Roy Morgan. By delivering the joint worst customer experience overall these sectors have let down their customers when they most needed support. This highlights the need for increased…

Read More Telcos and credit providers fail consumers during COVID-19, says new scorecard

Post thumbnail

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has welcomed an overall fall in complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), however, raised concerns that small businesses may be suffering as complaint levels from the sector reach a three year high. This is a media release from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN). It was originally published…

Read More Telecommunications complaints fall, but serious concerns remain

Post thumbnail

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is looking to improve the way the telco sector supports consumers in vulnerable circumstances, with a proposed Statement of Expectations for the industry released for consultation today. This is an Australian Communications and Media Authority media release, originally published on 14th July, 2021. ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said…

Read More Expectations for telcos in supporting vulnerable consumers