Displaying items by tag: Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code

Seven telcos have been issued with formal directions after ACMA investigations found they failed to submit compulsory compliance statements in 2022 under the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code (TCP Code).

The telecommunications industry continues to ignore customers facing financial hardship, according to a new report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

The Australia Communications and Media Authority has recently deregistered the 2006 Call Charging and Billing Accuracy industry code in favour of the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code, which, the regulatory body said, “are much better suited to safeguarding telco customers in the contemporary environment.”

Telecommunications provider Telstra has breached consumer protection rules after it failed to inform more than 5,400 subscribers about restricting or suspending their services, the Australian Communications and Media Authority has found.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has ordered Telstra to comply with rules governing financial hardship after the telco was found to have taken credit management action against 70 customers.

A new report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found that more than 28,000 residential and over 2,000 small business customers entered into a financial hardship arrangement with their telco in the 2020–21 financial year.

Australia’s telcos have urged the Federal Government to to do further work on the Sylvan Review’s recommendations for improving funding of financial counselling.

The three months between October and December 2020 showed a drop in complaints rates for Australia’s telecommunications service providers to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), according to the telecoms industry peak body Communications Alliance.

Consumer complaints to Australia’s telcos increased by 7.8 complaints per 10,000 Services- in Operation (SIOs) for three months of the July-September 2020 quarter, an increase over the previous quarter’s ratio of 7.4.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has directed Telstra to comply with its billing accuracy obligations after an investigation found it had overcharged more than 10,000 customers a total of almost $2.5 million over a 12-year period.

Australia’s telecommunications regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) says a study it commissioned shows telco in-store sales staff may not be adequately checking that customers have the capacity to pay for the services they are purchasing.

The telecommunications regulator ACMA says it is reviewing and adjusting its work programs so the communications and media sectors can prioritise their business-critical functions and continue communicating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has issued Telstra a formal warning for the telco's failure to email more than 150,000 mobile broadband customers about excess data usage, resulting in these people having to fork out for the data.

Telecommunications lobby group Communications Alliance has called for a redoubling of efforts by service providers and the Telecoms Industry Ombudsman on addressing unresolved telecoms customer issues.

Telcommunications service providers have just until the start of September to provide information on their compliance with the revised Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code (TCP Code) to the telecommunications regulator regulator, ACMA.

The Communications Alliance, Australia’s peak body for the telecommunications industry, has condemned the behaviour of a small number of service providers found to be engaged in “misleading sales practices”.

Consumer complaints to Australia’s telcos have fallen by 12% in the three months between April and June this year – the lowest rate for the quarter since 2016.

Telco V4 Telecom has been warned by the Australian Communications and Media Authority over its “inadequate” complaints handling processes, as the regulator continues its industry-wide clampdown on non-compliance with complaints handling standards.

A number of consumer groups have criticised the revised Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code, which was announced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority on Monday, saying it does not provide adequate protection for consumers.

The telecommunications regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, says telco customers will now be better protected under new consumer protection rules it has just introduced.