New data released by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) reveals a drastic increase in the number of complaints for the October to December 2024 quarter.
The remaining 3G networks shutdown on October 28 which resulted in the TIO receiving 190 complaints related to it in October and 566 in November before they dropped off in December.
The TIO said the "majority of 3G shutdown complaints were about problems with the reliability of mobile services".
Ombudsman Cynthia Gerbert “It is encouraging to see the drop-off in 3G shutdown complaints in December, yet we are continuing to hear from people in rural and regional Victoria who are facing ongoing challenges. I implore the telcos to keep working on solutions that ensure equal access to reliable and phone and internet service for all people in Australia.”
Residential and small business consumers made a combined 15,297 complaints during this period, up by 13% compared with the previous quarter and an increase of 5.6% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
Gerbert said “We have seen an increase in consumers reaching out who are frustrated with their telcos. Everyone should have access to the service they’re promised, yet we are seeing an increase in persistent challenges with patchy service and dropouts, and no phone or internet service."
Here's a look at the top five complaints:
| Complaint type | # of complaints | # same time last year | # last quarter | Change quarter on quarter | Change year on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No or delayed action by provider | 9,025 |
8,814 | 8,069 | 11.8% | 2.4% |
| Service and equipment fees | 5,286 | 4,740 | 4,720 | 12% | 11.5% |
| No phone or internet service | 2,085 | 1,652 | 1,447 | 44.1% | 26.2% |
| Intermittent service or dropouts | 1,627 | 1,289 | 1,344 | 21.1% | 26.2% |
| Inadequate fault testing | 1,471 | 1,279 | 1,371 | 7.3% | 15% |
Each of the top five most reported complaints saw increases year on year. The complaint with the largest increase between this quarter and the last was no phone or internet service at 44.1%, the next highest was intermittent service or dropouts which rose by 21.1%.
Since July 2024 the TIO has instituted a new follow-up process with consumers where it checks within 10 business days after complaints were referred to gain a better understanding of dispute resolution.
The number of complaints that came back unresolved by providers also increased, up by 14.7% from the previous quarter. The main issues that were reported and resulted in unresolved complaints were no or delayed action by the provider, service and equipment fees and intermittent service or dropouts.
Across all states and territories there was an increase in complaints compared with the previous quarter. The Northern Territory recorded the largest increase in complaints at 49%, while the ACT had the second largest increase at 35.5%.
Looking more closely at mobile and internet providers, seven out of the top ten saw an increase in the number of complaints received about them compared to the last quarter.
Superloop fell out of the top ten while Circles Australia came in at tenth. In the time since this data was collected Circles.Life's customer base has been acquired by amaysim.
Circles had the highest percentage increase this quarter up by 81.1%. Medion Australia (which owns ALDIMobile) also had a large increase in the number of complaints at 65.7%.
Telstra, Optus and Vodafone continued to have the highest proportion of complaints.
| Provider | # of complaints | # last quarter | Change quarter on quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telstra Group | 5,591 |
5,131 |
9% |
| Optus Group | 3,846 |
3,124 | 23.1% |
| Vodafone Australia Limited | 1,270 | 1,297 | -2.1% |
| TPG Group | 642 | 502 | 27.9% |
| iiNet Ltd | 545 | 441 | 23.6% |
| Southern Phone Company Ltd | 356 | 360 | -1.1% |
| Medion Australia Limited | 275 | 166 | 65.7% |
| Aussie Broadband Limited | 248 | 231 | 7.4% |
| Dodo Services Pty Ltd | 217 | 258 | -15.9% |
| Circles Australia Pty Ltd | 172 | 95 | 81.1% |
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