If you are having certain issues when it comes to your internet connection at home, as well as your personal mobile or landline services, then you are not the only homeowner experiencing such challenges. Read on to find out what are the most common residential complaints according to the latest Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) report.

Complaints by consumer type

In the TIO report, two common consumer types are cited, namely the residential consumers, as well as small business consumers. Out of the total number of complaints included in the report, 85% is from residential consumer types. This figure is consistent with the percentage of residential complaints recorded in the previous year. In line with this, below are the top 10 issues in residential complaints for the year 2019-2020.

Top 10 issues in residential complaints 

1. Service and equipment fees

Topping the list when it comes to the issues in residential complaints is the service and termination fees. Overall, it made up 33.7% of the total complaints lodged. This figure increased by 4.8% compared to the figure recorded in the previous year.

2. Lack of action or delayed action by the provider

The lack of action or delayed action by the provider ranked second place in terms of the most common issues raised by residential consumers. With 32.5%, the complaints recorded under this category only fall short by a little over a thousand compared to the top issue in the list. Like the service and equipment fees, this figure also increased compared to the previous year, but only by 1.3%.

3. Delay in establishing service

There is a significant difference between the second and the third category of complaints ranked under the residential consumer issues because the delay in establishing service only made up a total of 13.4% of the overall complaints logged. This figure is a slight increase compared to the figure recorded in the previous year.

4. No phone or internet service

Complaints about no phone or internet service saw a significant decrease compared to the previous year. Though it ranked fourth this year in terms of the most common issues raised by residential consumers, the volume of complaints escalated under this category was reduced by 10.3% from the previous year.

5. A resolution agreed upon but not met

Among all the common issues recorded for this year, a resolution being agreed upon but not being met saw a significant jump from its previous figure. Even if it only makes up 10.6% of the total number of complaints lodged, it saw an 8.4% increase compared to the number of complaints lodged under this category in the previous year.

6. Intermittent service or dropouts

While intermittent service or dropouts make up 9.4% of the total complaints escalated by residential consumers, this was lower compared to the figure recorded in the previous year. The drop of about 14.9% indicates that more and more people encountered reliable and consistent service connections.

7. Slow data speed

Slow data speed made up only 7.3% of the total residential customer complaints recorded. The great thing about this is that this figure is even lower compared to the figure recorded in the previous year by 19.5%. This indicates that numerous residential customers now experience the maximum speed that they subscribed to.

8. Failure to cancel a service

This category is a new classification included only last September of 2019. According to the report, the complaints made under this category made up 5.4% of the total complaints recorded.

9. Misleading conduct when making a contract

Making up 4.5% of the total complaints escalated by residential customers is the misleading conduct of the sales provider when making a contract. The figure recorded for this year saw a significant 20.2% decrease compared to the number of complaints recorded in the previous year.

10. <h3id="residentialcomplaints10">Termination fees charged

Wrapping up the top ten issues escalated by residential consumers is the termination fee, which makes up 4.1% of the total complaints recorded. However, this type of issue saw the biggest decline compared to the number of complaints lodged under this category in the previous year. 

Residential complaints by service type

In terms of the service type, residential consumers raise internet issues more than any other service type. Overall, this makes up 36.3% of the overall complaints recorded, which is consistent with the figure recorded in the previous year.

Conclusion 

Both service providers and consumers need to work together to resolve any issues that may arise. This entails the need for the consumers to escalate the problems they encounter promptly and make sure that they cooperate with the process that needs to be implemented by the provider as part of the resolution. On the other hand, service providers need to make sure that they address any issues escalated to them by their subscribers promptly, making themselves available whenever necessary.

Are you one of those complainants? If you’re still experiencing poor internet service despite subscribing to a fast internet plan, then it could be your address or the type of connection limited in your area. 

Contact Compare Broadband at 1300 106 571 so you can share with our team your issues. We can assess your problems and recommend to you the best NBN plans and internet options that will suit your needs and budget.

We promise not to waste your time. Give us a call today.