Telstra opens hotline for "genuine" complaints

By Marcus Browne, ZDNet Australia

22 January 2008 04:43 PM

Tags: telstra, telco, stephen conroy, network, mobile, handset, government, dbcde

Telstra has opened a dedicated hotline for customers experiencing technical difficulties with the move from CDMA to Next G, following a decree by the Communications Minister.

The hotline was established after the office of the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy found that although Telstra had fulfilled its basic commitments to customers in providing equal or better network coverage on Next G as it had with CDMA, there are still extra measures it can implement to help customers with the transition.

Senator Stephen Conroy

According to the department's findings, some customers have purchased Next G handsets that do not provide adequate service for the network, despite the fact that its overall coverage has been deemed acceptable.

"The hotline would give the small number of customers experiencing genuine problems a direct line to a specialist call centre where trained consultants would take them through diagnostic steps to help locate the cause of their issue, and where necessary arrange a physical test of coverage at their location," Telstra Country Wide group managing director Geoff Booth said in statement.

He added that if these steps prove there is a genuine problem with the handset, Telstra will be willing to issue customers with a new device for free.

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NextG coverage Graham Page -- 23/01/08

I purchased a new pre-paid 3G unit two weeks ago and had the Telstra shop specialist confirm my coverage.

The result - I have coverage one day but not the next. And because of the poor coverage when it is available the battery life is almost halved between recharges!

How about publishing this new special phone number?

Graham
Bungundarra, Qld

Fictitious,...hummmm! Keith Styles -- 23/01/08 (in reply to #320094112)

I presume you were referring to Sydney and all the other Tel$tra employees?

No Keith Keith lack of Styles -- 23/01/08 (in reply to #320094118)

Probably talking about people like you who scour the internet looking for new ways to bag Telstra

RE: No Keith Anonymous -- 03/03/09 (in reply to #320094123)

You don't need to "scour the internet" to find unsatisfied customers of telstra, just walk up to the 1st person you see in ANY country town accross Australia where Telstra has made its big promises of better service & you'll see for yourself. Better still, seeing as you're such a fan boy of Telstra & its "service", you could try & make a call with your next g phone from one of these towns. I live in the centre of a country town supposedly covered by nextg & half of any phone call made is spent saying "can you hear me? how about now...?" Telstra's nextg service is disgraceful & you obviously live in the city where such a problem doesn't affect you... or maybe you're one of telstras beloved shareholders? Perhaps if its too hard for you to go somewhere rural to test this, just google telstra... no scouring required, top 10 hits will varify this isn't just opinion, but a fact.

Hi Ho it's to lying we will go. Sydney Lawrence -- 27/01/08 (in reply to #320094118)

Keith, Hi, Hello and G'Day but your reference to me demonstrates a Tel$tra Hater's ability to post a fictitious story. LOL.

NextG Coverage Graham Page -- 23/01/08 (in reply to #320094112)

Thanks.

Graham

P.S. Their online coverage map does not work from my PC so one cannot use their online problem reporting service!

Telstra big bond service Kavita nehra -- 30/08/08 (in reply to #320094112)

Hi , I am customer of telstra bigpond service from last two years. i had $59.95 plan. but in june 19th i did call and i want to get any cheapest plan in unlimited. but serivce officer told me. they have 39.95 plan it is suit me because our useage is under this plan you can change this.but on 6th Aug i got bill from telstra that was $1980 and that day from telstra my friend got call also for me. but i can got that person that time i did reply. but on 6 th aug i had again chage my old plan.and i did apply for credit transfer. i did call yesterday .they told me my credit transfer is decline.and my this month bill also $1699. it means that total is $3800. please can you help me for this. because i had only cheapest plan. t they charge more and more and i am always pay my bill on time.you can check my all detail.please i thing some is miss understanding.please do something for me. they didn't inform me about my high expend.

Tel$tra & help! An oxymoron! Keith Styles -- 23/01/08

It's a pity Tel$tra's senior management suffer from tunnel vision.

They could have scored brownie points if they had provided advice and the phone number to report problems without the Minister and media goading them to do it.
The real problem is of course the fact that GSM is not as good as CDMA. Tel$tra can waffle all it wants to plump up it's mediocre GSM system, but the fact remains it's never going to be as robust or provide the coverage of CDMA.
It was a short sighted exercise to grab customers from the other carriers who hadn't implemented GSM and who didn't have their own transmission facilities and depended on Tel$tra wholesale CDMA.

SHAME!

Once again Keith Keith lack of Styles -- 23/01/08 (in reply to #320094121)

Are yo utalking about companies who don't have their won transmission or companies who will not invest beyont the profitable 600,000 square km's and ignore the 2-3% of the population who live in the 94% of the land mass.

Come on Keith you know as well as anyone that those other so called carriers could invest and bild the infrastructure, we are not talking about copper here, we are talking about radio spectrum that carriers already have licences for.

So why don't you tell everyone who you work for Keith ... and who you use to work for ... and why you no longer work for them ...

Forgive me ANONYMOUS Keith Styles -- 24/01/08 (in reply to #320094125)

Could you please use a spell checker and grammar checker next time you post.

There are so many companies spending money arguing in court battles and waiting for Tel$tra to provide a competitive, cost effective wholesale service, it beggars description.
I can't quote numbers, but I'll make a good guess that the number of Australian employees working for all the ISP's VSP's and Telco's trying to compete on a not too level playing field, may outnumber Tel$tra's employees, if not now, in the not too distant future, as Tel$tra continues to reduce it's head count and make major purchases and place contracts overseas. All of which adds to our overseas debt!

I had the misfortune to have to call BigPond Support and could barely understand the foreign voice on the end of the phone & I'll wager he wasn't even living in Australia??? Off shore support maybe???

It doesn't say much for all your bogus claims that Tel$tra is an Australian company!

Keith Styles, your talking crap... Anonymous -- 23/01/08 (in reply to #320094121)

Whats This GSM dribble ur talking about... NextG is available on every tower GSM and CDMA. There has always been a website and team behind NextG blackspots... man and you wrote that crap for everyone to see???

Don't you just love ANONYMOUS Keith Styles -- 24/01/08 (in reply to #320094127)

I don't hide behind it, like you faceless lot who are unable to tell the truth.

If Tel$tra published the information for ALL to see AND responded to the problems so many have reported, you wouldn't have the mess everyone has to put up with in the suburban areas of Capitol cities and in the urban & country areas which depend on good communications. GSM isn't providing it...yet!
It would also help if we didn't have to pay the bloated cost of their woeful service every time we use it.

I don't own a bank! like Tel$tra which is able to waste so much of it's share holders money on legal nonsense, time & effort bashing the government, instead of providing cost effective mobile and broadband services.

If there is a team behind NextG blackspots, why is it taking so long to provide a CDMA comparable coverage?

Why were Tel$tra shops still selling CDMA handsets when they knew it was going to be shut down?

If the Government hadn't stepped in & prevented Tel$tra from prematurely closing the CDMA network, do you think Tel$tra would have ever provided any relief for all the users affected by it's arrogant behaviour. Not on your nelly!

You guys are a joke.

Speaking of Jokes Stephen Pappas -- 26/01/08 (in reply to #320094159)

Keith,

You are a professional poster and even if you didn't show your name many people would know it was you because of your writing style, obvious bigotry and alignment with an organisation that competes with Telstra.

You will place a comment that has nothing to do with the story at hand as long as it is negative towards Telstra.

Let's look at this story:

Wholesale services - Next G has nothing to do with wholesale services, in fact the ACCC explicitly excluded the network from being declared when Vodaphone tried to gain access because they didn't want to build their own network originally.

Staff numbers - an efficient company will hire less employees then a company that is not efficient, Telstra is being smart and getting rid of the excess unproductive staff (bit like you when you left Telecom).

Overseas call centres - Telstra has publicly stated they will never send customer facing roles overseas, blame the government for allowing people into the country that happen to have an accent. Once again showing your racism and bigotry.

High cost of GSM - You have a choice of other companies to use and do not have to pay for using a Telstra service but then again is their service so bad or lacks coverage that you would prefer to use a company you hate then one of the freely available alternatives.

Telstra wasting shareholder money - this is a private company and they are free to spend the money in any way the board allows, if we don't like it vote the board out. As a shareholder I like what they are doing. We are in a competitive world, when there is competition and market forces determine the price. Although there is some competition for GSM (as Optus and Vodaphone would want you to believe) but there is no real competition to the Next G coverage, if one day the others catch up then the price may drop accordingly.

Selling CDMA handsets - as soon as Telstra believed the Next G was more then ready to replace CDMA they stopped selling devices and stopped allowing new connections, this was at the start of last year. The way you worded this comment would make an uninformed reader believe they are still selling CDMA handsets.

Keeping money in Australia - would you rather support a company woned by the Singapore government (Optus/Singtel) or UK based (Vodaphone) or from NZ (AAPT/Telecom NZ). this is the single biggest comment that proves you are a hypocrite.

And finally spell check - I can't any idiot would actually put Tel$tra as a real word in their spell checker.

Many thanks Stephen. Sydney Lawrence -- 27/01/08 (in reply to #320094349)

Stephen Pappas. Thank God for people like you who can so eloquently and honestly express, via the written word, the true facts of a situation.

Keith, you have been exposed, humiliated and shown to be lacking in all aspects of your argument by Stephen, and I would expect that, should you be a sensible person, you will learn from the knowledge presented by Stephen and act accordingly.

Re Speaking of Jokes Grump -- 02/02/08 (in reply to #320094349)

"Overseas call centres - Telstra has publicly stated they will never send customer facing roles overseas, blame the government for allowing people into the country that happen to have an accent. Once again showing your racism and bigotry."

Interesting! I get at least one unsolicited call per week from a barely intelligible Telstra seller attempting to coax me back into the fold.
i take it then that Telstra policy is to not employ other than those with with heavy Indian/Pakistani accents to attract customers?

Hi Grump, long time no complain Anonymous -- 02/02/08 (in reply to #320094837)

Before you try and pick on one out of eight very valid points you may wish to check your facts. The call centers you talk about are not owned or run by Telstra.

As with many companies (including many other telcos you failed to comment on) some services are outsourced including these call centers. Telstra pays a third party for each client who accepts an offer from these cold calls. This is done in the same way that Optus does it in Australia, that BT does it in the UK, that Verison and AT&T do it in the US etc etc.

For someone who obviously hates these cold calls and is as well versed in the telecommunications industry as you I am surprised you are unaware you can have your number placed on the do not call register.

Upgrade your battery Anonymous -- 24/01/08

A 3GPP WDMA mobile phone will create more radio emission energy in a geographic area that has low or marginal coverage. This is necessary so that it can participate in the signal coding algorithms (Orthogonal Codes also known as device data streams, and PN Codes also known as device/base station channel streams). If a 3GPP WCDMA phone in a geographic area that has low or marginal coverage cannot present itself to the base station receiver with the correct frequency strength then it will interfere with signal coding algorithms and the phone by its 3GPP design will not participate in the WCDMA network resulting in a no network coverage message for the user.

The ability for 3GPP WCDMA phones (and associated base stations) to present themselves with steady fixed signal strength levels at the receiver end is crucial for a WCDMA network to function without degrading the network.

Therefore country users in geographic areas that have low or marginal WCDMA coverage will find that their phones will consume more battery power and that their phones will display a no network coverage message much earlier before the battery actually goes flat. This problem can be alleviated by upgrading to the latest battery technology (a fancy way of saying upgrade your phone) which is what Telstra is encouraging people in these areas to do.

My view is that Telstra should be giving these phones away for free and that users in these marginal areas should always keep their phone batteries fully charged as practicable and at least have another means of operating at full power e.g. car kit.

Yes, it is currently a worse situation for these users than the old CDMA, but technological advances in phone technology will make NextG desirable for them in the future. Perhaps Telstra can help them out here if they cannot be bothered installing base stations in these areas to alleviate this problem.

(Note: I have never been a Telstra employee and I don't own Telstra shares, so Sol how about a job offer for explaining this?).

Not just NextG Anonymous -- 27/01/08

Yesterday on Australia Day, I purchased a prepaid GSM card for my daughter use on public transport.
I thought using the "Australian" phone provider Telstra there would now be a problem, however the "Australian" provider is unable to finalise the registration until at least Tuesday due to system upgrades/maintenance.
Imagine how much more of a mess if Telstra was shutting down CDMA at the same time!!
What a Joke ...

Provide more facts Anonymous -- 27/01/08 (in reply to #320094391)

you make a claim that you bought a prepaid card on Australia Day, who would be open on this day? I doubt it would be a Telstra run store, most likely a small retailer. You mention a GSM prepaid, what has this got to do with the CDMA migration? and finally if you were to plan an outage the best time would be on a public holiday when most of the country has closed down and are celebrating the day.

Its funny.. Anonymous -- 27/01/08 (in reply to #320094394)

In my local Westfield all the shops were open, including Telstra...

So they would be open..

Eat from the Telstra hand. ACCC -- 29/01/08

NextG monies would definitely have been better spent on servicing the needs of all its users rather than wasted by Ericsson on artificially propping up a company called IBAP to whom the biggest benefactor is themselves and not the users of NextG.

IBAP is composed of ex Ericsson cast-offs who's anti-competitive contractual engagements with Ericsson have seen them all eat lavishly out of the same NextG plate.

Wouldn't the money have been better spent on propping up the NextG service rather making these bums rich.

Ask you the same question Aaron -- 29/01/08 (in reply to #320094455)

Wouldn't the $968,000,000 in taxpayer money have been better spent on providing non-duplicated network services to rural Australia rather then giving it to a company that never existed a week earlier, is half owned by the majority shareholer (Singapore government) and half owned by a tiny company who wouldn't know what do do with $1,000,000 let alone 968 times that.

In case you don't know who I mean it's called OPtus / ELders = Opel.

The only winners in that deal are the fat cats in those two companies.

Place that much money in a bank account at 6% and you earn $160,000 per day, over 6 months $29,000,000 which should be enough to have created their own web site or at least had one media release since August.

What the? Simon -- 29/01/08 (in reply to #320094465)

This does not answer ACCCs (anon would have been better!) question and is not even related? I am always interested to see gouging exposed (corruption) and the interests of consumers protected (as opposed shareholders).
I dont care that Optus is owned by Singtel either. Optus, Telstra, Voda, TNZ - theyre all just multi-nationals who answer only to their shareholders. If they think of customers at all, it is only about how much they can increase charges and how much support can be cut.
I support ACCC, ZDNet and the like because they are the thin line protecting consumers from shareholder interests.
The battle between pro/anti Telstra is futile. The battle should be about customer service levels and do we get value from our suppliers?
I tend to be critical of Telstra because they have treated me badly on several occaisions in the past, lied to me, obstructed my access to adsl for years, stuffed up my billing repeatedly and had me on hold for hours on end. I have not been treated like this by other suppliers (as yet) but if they do, I will vent my frustration at them too!

The consumer should be the winner Anonymous -- 29/01/08 (in reply to #320094475)

Sometimes I cannot quite understand people's unwavering honour towards some big corporation that would readily squash him like an ant if it were beneficial for them to do so. In the big-end of town loyalty is often associated with money not people, and big money is often associated with scams.

Perhaps these people are patriotic soles and are doing it for Australia. If this were the case they should be congratulated, but they should be patriotic in the Australian way which is to cut some of these fat tall poppies down. A lot of these high flyers own foreign cars, holiday overseas, dress in foreign labels and generally think Australians are as dumb as their marsupials. Would Syd be as patriotic if he saw first hand some of the dodgy empire building practices that occur in the telecommunications industry?

There are some people in Telstra who cannot think beyond themselves unless they cop a cricket bat to the back of the head, and sometimes it takes a second swing, and even then this newly found consciousness is only temporary.

A working phone network is a handy thing to have. Things like excuses, explanations, conditions, limitations, upgrades, cover-ups, etc are a sign of bad workmanship. In an era where telecommunication systems are relatively cheap, proven and easy to set up then this is no way to treat your customer. The days of only Telstra being able to build it have dissolved, and along with it are the need for expensive practices and expensive people.

There is no honour in paying considerably more and getting little extra for it.

I am very weary of any corporation that produces lots of hot air (marketing and legal) and lately Telstra has been billowing masses of this stuff into our faces. This was the ace card up Telstra sleeve unfortunately it stunk when they pulled it out.

Telstra does need to be congratulated for evolving into something new with NextG but its implementation has exposed some of the internal machinations of Telstra to be dubious and of wrongful intent. For this reason alone Telstra needs to be watched, prodded, and hit with a cricket bat every now and then so that its actions do correlate with its public intentions.

For most of us our noble cause is doing it for Australia, not for Telstra or any other telecommunications company that wants to rip us off. And that's the way it should be.

valid and not so valid Anonymous -- 29/01/08 (in reply to #320094479)

Yes you are right the consumer should be the winner but that has never been in dispute. The disputed issue here is the fact that although the mobile network is about is deregulated as can be Telstra is still singled out to do everything that other companies don't want to do.

I don't think it is unwavering support for an organisation, it is more like disbelief in the one sided negative treatment this particular company gets from the media, the general public, the ACCC. the ACMA, the ACA, the Liberals and anyone else you needs to have a go at something.

People seem to think that the Next G network is some sort of monopoly and as such is ok to expect everything from it. IT IS NOT A MONOPOLY! There are three other carriers who own, built and maintain their own network. Just because the focus on the highly profitable areas they can sell a service much cheaper. Telstra's 3G coverage in NSW is bigger then all 3 other companies national 3G coverage combined. If we had 4 networks covering the scale of the Next G network then sure you will have a choice but to be profitable the prices will not be discounted as you would expect.

To extend the coverage from 95% to 99% of the population requires a 400% increase in land mass coverage. Yo say getting very little for the extra cost, it is not cheap to have the required number of base stations to deliver this, the technicians within driving range of most, helicopters and light planes to get to the rest, building towers that are 70 meters high (or more) instead of mounting the transmitters on roofs of 2 or 3 story buildings.

If I was the Telstra CEO I would simply say screw the bush, screw the USO, screw the hard to service part of the population. Hand the USO responsibility back to the government and focus on easy to deliver metropolitan location which will produce a higher ROI and allow the company to compete on price with the other 3 companies.

That would stop a lot of complaints, there would be no enhancements to the CDMA network, gradually manufacturers will stop making handsets for such a small market (they are also commercial entities) and when the manufacturers stop making parts for the network Telstra will have no choice but to switch it off.

Where's my cricket bat! Anonymous -- 31/01/08 (in reply to #320094502)

What hogwash! Telstra pulled it off with Australia wide coverage with CDMA many years ago so why has it become so difficult all of a sudden with new cheaper and more versatile technologies?

We want working solutions not excuses, delays and finger pointing - that goes for the whole telecommunications industry not just Telstra.

I personally hate attacking Telstra because I know that 50% of its staff are trying to do its best for us all in a climate where their work is often compromised not by the ACCC or the ACA etc but by those good for nothing Telstra corporate flunkies who know squat and wont shut their traps up.

I have seen corruption in the telecommunications industry and have seen some unfortunate outcomes because of people trying to hold onto their nests. The telecommunications world has changed and there is no reason why these networks should not be cheaper and easier to build.

Seeing and knowing Anonymous -- 31/01/08 (in reply to #320094695)

Seeing corruption is one thing, knowing the industry and technology is another. 5% of the county's land mass has GSM competition with 3 different carriers, under 0.05% of the land mass has HDPA competition with 4 different carriers, there is 15% of the land mass that only Telstra has invested in and then there is 80% of the land mass that has next to no population (around 1% of Australians). If it is really getting cheaper and easier then why will no one other then Telstra invest.

Experience beats both Anonymous -- 01/02/08 (in reply to #320094698)

Crying for more money wont solve these rural NextG issues, only skilled personell will. $900 million is plenty to build an Austrialia wide mobile phone network so why this sooking out aloud.

Audit concern Anonymous -- 01/02/08 (in reply to #320094778)

I'm aware that Satyam and Accenture both carried out separate audits on the suppliers of the NextG network and services.

I'm also aware that some information was deliberately falsified and not investigated further by these audit companies.

I'm also aware that access to certain key staff was denied from the investigating auditors.

In conclusion two separate audits were produced that didn't really show anything - which is exactly what the companies involved in NextG wanted.

valid and no so valid definatly not so valid michael mcdonald -- 19/02/08 (in reply to #320094502)

screw the bush without the farmers and the bush you wouldnt have food mate so nice to know what some think of the bush and its people no wonder we get a second rate service with people like you around

mmm interesting Anonymous -- 27/02/08 (in reply to #320095776)

i think you missed the whole point michael, people weren't suggesting that nobody should service the bush, just that if telstra only cared about $ that's what would happen.

and while we're on the subject, us townies have no sympathy for bushies who cry about drought. you get money thrown at you for drought relief. well if i own a small business in the city that goes bust it's my own tough luck and i don't get a cent. so why should you?

lets face it, you provide food to townies, we provide services to you. we're just as special as you. we get cheaper petrol, but you get cheaper houses. everyone's equal and if you don't like the lack of technology, why live out in the peace and quiet of the bush? you can't have it both ways, you either choose an unspoilt landscape or you choose a high tech metropolis. You can't have both.

Poor attitude Anonymous -- 27/02/08 (in reply to #320096315)

We should consider many of the bush folks as special as our nurses, police, soldiers, teachers and firefighters.

Yes I agree that there are many people who may go to the bush for a sea change (if that makes sense) and expect everyone to look after them because they are "from the bush".

There are many others who could quite easily sell up and come to the cities to earn more money and get better services but they don't because the land was owned by their great grandparents and they work the land suffering hardships we could never imagine just to make sure we have bacon with our eggs in the morning.

We should respect the true bushies like these, I for one have no problem in supporting them during hard times.

I will vacate my seat for a bushie, a nurse or a soldier on a bus before I stand of a stuck up townie like you.

p.s. I am a white collar worker having lived my entire life within 10km of the center of Sydney and Melbourne before you think I am just another bushie.

Complaints Anonymous -- 29/01/08

I have no problem with CDMA so I dont have a complaint BUT if I transfered too 3G just to find out if I had one it will cost $200 bucks and then lodge my complaint, laughing.
The question is so farcical how is a CDMA user supposed to know whether 3G is OK unless u convert then its too late!!!! what **** load of ****

WAYNE BUNBURY
JUST FOR U SID THE NAME THAT IS

Try smoke signals when CDMA goes. Sydney Lawrence -- 29/01/08 (in reply to #320094484)

Wayne the way open to you, is as clearly described by Senator Conroy. Obtain your Next G phone and if you are unhappy with the operation of it contact Telstra and have the problem rectified.

Should you reject the advice of Senaror Conroy the sad fact is that after the advertised CDMA closure date you will need to speak VERY loudly into your CDMA handset to be heard by the people you are calling.

Rude and Incompetent complaint staff handling Debra -- 21/02/08

I've just reached the category 2 stage of CDMA follow up because of poor/drop out coverage and requested someone to take ownership of my ongoing issue. To be advised that they now consider my mobile phone is not the correct handset (initially advised by Telstra on purchasing LG mobile phone that it was) and been hung up on when I requested to speak to a manager. It would seem that us customers have nothing better to do than to continually declare our mobile phone coverage is dropping out and because the technicians are looking at a computer which says 'excellent coverage' than our complaints are fictitious. Lets bring back stronger regulation and enforce better standards of customer service. So far I have dealt with the most incompetent staff who speak to the aggrieved customer in a rude and disregarding way, that it only makes you more upset and question how we allowed ourselves to be hoodwinked into thinking Telstra would honour their Code of Practice and really attempt to rectify a problem. What a joke!
Back to the Ministers office once again.

Debra
FERNY CREEK, VIC.

Start of the call Bobby -- 21/02/08 (in reply to #320095971)

When you get someone on the line the first thing you do ask for their staff ID, at that point you have an avenue to complain against an individual. Also calls are recorded so if you lodge a complaint specifying the time then there is also proof of the call.

Instead of writing half hearted complaints on a site that will do nothing other the gloat about the number of people posting complaints why not get your facts together and go to the TIO or consumer affairs.

Re: Start of the call - Bobby 21/02/08 Anonymous -- 24/02/08 (in reply to #320095984)

Thanks Bobby for your feedback and just to let you into the full history of this complaint so you realise why I have placed this complaint entry on this sight and wanted to warn other consumers, this is what I have already attempted to do:

1. Lodged a complaint with the TIO. The TIO allowed the escalated complaints area within Telstra to respond within 10 days.
Result: Telstra didn't bother to follow this issue up and it has now being placed in the escalated area with the TIO. TIO quote: "We are inundated with complaints at the moment and it will take up to 4-6 weeks to get a result.
Comment: As Telstra is trying to switch off CDMA in April this will not allow my complaint to be resolved in time.
2. Discussed complaint with all areas of Telstra , including new '1800 888 888' number. To be advised that before I can be issued a new mobile phone with an inbuilt antenna that I must trial an outside antenna. (A procedure in place by Telstra when dealing with coverage problems)
Comment: An arrangement was made with Telstra to have a courier drop off the outside antenna. This was over 4 weeks ago. On following up the reason why I still had not received the antenna I was advised the courier could not locate my property. At no time was I contacted by Telstra to check my address details and on requesting why Telstra didn't see fit to contact me, I then had someone ramble off the fact that due to the Privacy Act I could not be contacted. When trying to arrange the next day courier delivery due to the fact that I would be home and the urgency of having decent mobile reception in my area I then was advised that the outside antenna would have been returned back to base. Therefore, I would be contacted to arrange another time. Another 2 weeks went by, without any form of communication from Telstra (remember this is meant to be the area set up to handle escalated complaints and the staff who are trained to deal with customers complaints due to poor customer service in the first instance). Well, when phoning this escalated complaints area within Telstra I was told that there was a warning about my location "Ferny Creek" and that due to the fact they had failed to provide the outside antenna within the required time, then I would be automatically moved up to category 2 complaint handling. Which meant that I would be entitled to have a new mobile phone with an inbuilt antenna. Expecting then that Telstra would follow up this issue due to the ongoing complaint history, I heard no more. Again, I called Telstra and spoke to a consultant who read all the history from my file and then stated he would transfer me to someone from the category 2 section. He asked me to be patient while he spoke to a technician in the category 2 section and I waited patiently for over 15 minutes for him to return to the phone. Then in disbelief I heard him state that the technician had checked my location and according to the computer it had perfect coverage, so therefore there was no complaint. He then said something like this: If you buy a faulty car then you need to return it back to the car dealer, because you purchased the phone from a Telstra shop, you will need to go back and argue the phone you purchased is not working. Aagh! This was the first thing I did when moving to the area (that was in April last year). This problem has been an ongoing issue where nobody within Telstra is prepared to accept ownership and rectify the problem.

I have now been advised that the only way I can have Telstra management address this issue, is to write directly to the Communications Minister. The Minister has the authority to place these concerns in front of Telstra management. All other avenues have failed.

I hope this explains why I have taken the time to warn consumers about the ongoing issues I have encountered and to be more informed and educated in dealing with TELSTRA, this incompetent organisation.

Thank you once again,

Next G coverage Anonymous -- 23/02/08

I have complained before about Next G when I had a Samsung A 701 (No "tick") phone. To my surprise I was eventually contacted by a Telstra TCW person and provided with the so-called country phone ZTE 165 as a relapcement. At the time I had complained that there was NO coverage whatsoever between Wubin and Mount Magnet (WA) on what is one of WA's busiest roads - Great Northern Hwy. The TCW man said - there never will be. Similarly I noted that in one area of the Perth Hills (Parkerville) there was poor or no coverage. OK. I'll accept that one, it's odd terrain, trees and steep valleys. CDMA never worked there and GSM ain't brilliant. But the Gt Northern Highway? Surely for public safety there should be something. Well, there might be. Not Telstra though. Switch off the phone and on again. It roams and may well find a cell owned by a mining co. That's hardly public knowledge but it can work.

As for the go anywhere TICKED ZTE 165? About as bad as the Samsung and clunky to boot. Remeber the nifty extenal pull out aerials? the 165 has one - pointless. I had got used to the convenience of the fold up style. This one is awful and missed calls are quite normal and frequent trying wrestle the darned thing from its anti-intuitive cradle.
I am going chance it and see if they will change for a fold up style. And all I want to do is MAKE and RECEIVE calls. No internet, Foxtel, email or any other irrelevant stuff. I am not optimistic and I do need service in remote locations.

Next G Coverage Anonymous -- 03/03/08 (in reply to #320096115)

I would like to add to my earlier comment as follows.

As a member of a Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade. A mobile phone is sometimes very important. I recently attended a major fire in the Perth Hills (Parkerville and Stoneville to be exact). As I said, the Next G reception is poor in these areas. What I didn't know was to what extent. The Telstra covergae maps reveal a lot. Sizeable chunks of these two districts have poor coverage. How poor depends on topography and trees. Its bad .

NO RECEPTION Anonymous -- 30/05/08

My new phone has little receiption. I would like my CDMA back. I live out of town and rely on my phone for emergencies. Im extremely dissapointed.