., Moorooka,

                                    Qld, 4105

                                    11 February 2000

TIO                                          

Dear Ms Mandarino,

                        Something amusing to start your Monday morning off:

                        You may be aware that "Dingo Blue" is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Optus.  It is their "internet-oriented" arm.  Did you know that Dingo Blue actively discourage use of Optus local lines?  To get the best deal from them, you have to switch to using Telstra local lines.  You can get 30c per minute mobile calls from them if you have a Telstra landline but it costs you 55c per minute if you have an Optus local line.  Incredible but true!   I confirmed this (Ph. 1300 551455) with one of their senior people ("Shane") today. They use ONLY Telstra local lines. SO OPTUS'S OWN INTERNET SPECIALISTS WILL NOT USE OPTUS LOCAL LINES FOR INTERNET-INTENSIVE TRAFFIC!  Does that speak volumes or not?  Optus will no doubt huff and puff about it if you tax them with it but deeds speak louder than words, don't they?

                        In the light of this, the attempts by Optus to flim-flam me into believing that their local line system has no problems in handling internet traffic are quite disgraceful.

                        To contact me per phone please try my mobile first: 0413 836248.  Otherwise try (07) 3892 2313.  Email to: Jonjayray@hotmail.com.

                           Yours faithfully,

                           (Dr.) John RAY

                                     Moorooka,

                                    Qld, 4105                                    11 February 2000

CEO

C&W

London

Dear Mr Wallace,

                        I have just found out something weird about Optus that amused me greatly but which may amuse you a lot less:

                        You are no doubt aware that "Dingo Blue" is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Optus.  It is their "internet-oriented" arm.  Did you know, however, that these internet specialists actively discourage use of the Optus local network?  To get the best deal on cellphones from Dingo Blue, you have to give them your landline business too -- which is fair enough.  BUT you have to switch over to using TELSTRA local lines for them to take your landline business!  You can get 30c per minute mobile calls from them if you have a Telstra landline but it costs you 55c per minute if you have an Optus local line.  So Dingo Blue actively and ferociously discriminate again users of the Optus local network --charging such users nearly twice what they charge users of the Telstra wires!  They thus virtually demand that their customers rip out their Optus local lines.  Incredible but true!  I confirmed this (Ph. 1300 551455) with one of their senior people ("Shane") today.  They use ONLY Telstra local lines.  SO OPTUS'S OWN INTERNET SPECIALISTS WILL NOT USE OPTUS LOCAL LINES FOR INTERNET-INTENSIVE TRAFFIC!  Does that speak volumes or not? Optus management will no doubt huff and puff about it but deeds speak louder than words in my book.

                        In the light of this, the attempts by Optus to flim-flam me into believing that their local line system has no problems in handling internet traffic are quite disgraceful.  I am begining to think that the whole of Optus is some sort of madhouse.

                           Yours faithfully,

                           (Dr.) John RAY

Michelle,

I haven't forgotten you.  I am just waiting to see what the TIO do before I see what further action I need to take. Below is an extract from a letter I sent them yesterday.  You COULD act on it yourself and save everybody a lot more messing around.

But, knowing you, I suppose you won't even have the manners to acknowledge this letter.

John Ray

., Moorooka,

                                    Qld, 4105

                                    11 February, 2000                                        

Dear Michelle,

                        I got your latest attempt to flim-flam me yesterday and have forwarded copies to both Mr Wallace and the TIO for their further attention.

                        I enclose copies of the two emails I sent to the TIO about you.  If you think this matter is closed you will need to think again.  I suggest that you start thinking now. That's your job, isn't it?

                        Yours faithfully,

                        (Dr.) JOHN RAY

                                    Moorooka,

                                    Qld, 4105

                                    11 Feb., 2000                                        

TIO

Dear Ms Mandarino,                        Optus are still trying to wash their hands of my complaint.  And their grounds for doing so are totally spurious.  I reproduce below an email I received from them yesterday.

                        They are trying to use as a red herring the unsurprising fact that the line connected to my place is a normal one.  So what?  The techies tell me that the reason for their system being bad at coping with modern high-speed modem traffic lies not with the quality of their landlines but with the "Gate" connecting their system to the Telstra wires.  It is apparently stable only up to baud speeds of 33.6.  I am told that if I had an older 33.6k modem, I would have no problems.  In other words, Optus do not have the capacity to handle modern modems properly. Modems running at 56k are a recent development and Optus have not kept pace. They are obviously trying to cover that up.

                        All that is by the by, however.  The bottom line for me is that I had no ISP connection problems while I was using a Telstra local line but I have frequent problems now that I am using an Optus local line.  Optus are not addressing that at all. They seem to hope that I will just go away.

                        In a feeble attempt at buckpassing, Optus try in their latest letter to blame my ISP for the problems but I have rung my ISP at times when I have been having problems only to be told that their system was running well below capacity at such times and that they were not having any problem with it.

                        I do not expect Optus to fix their Gate problem overnight but I do expect them to come clean about it and compensate me for the losses it has caused me.  If you cannot get them to do that I will have to see if the media can.  So please get back to them on this.  As I have said before, what I seek is that they credit me for all broken-off calls.  I would be prepared to negotiate details of such a credit if they would climb down off their high horse long enough to talk to me about it.

                        Their letter follows:              Yours faithfully,

                        (Dr.) John RAY

Dear Mr Wallace,

                        Thank you for your reply to my Email of 20th January regarding the slackers at Optus.  I advise that since then I have still not got a single peep out of them.  They still seem to hope that I will just go away.  As it would be a very easy matter for me to send out a heap of emails about them to our major news and current affairs organizations, that is pretty childish thinking on their part.

                        I reproduce below the last email I sent to our Telecommunications Ombudsman about them.

                        (Dr.) JOHN RAY

                                    24 Forest St., Moorooka,

                                    Qld, 4105

                                    10 Feb 2000                                        

Optus

Dear Michelle,

                        Why are you so ignorant?  Do you think that ignoring letters addressed to you is good manners?  How can you expect other people to be polite to you when you are so rude to them? The way Optus ignores its customers would make anyone rude.

                        But despite your many attempts to ignore me I was proved right in the STD barring matter and I will also eventuallty be proved right about the congestion at your Telstra Gate.  So please get on with fixing my complaint before I take matters to the media.  I can assure you that sending a heap of emails to the media about you will be no problem for me at all.

                        I reproduce below my last email to you which you have so far seen fit to ignore plus some letters that I have written to the TIO about you.

                        Yours faithfully,

       (Dr.) John RAY

                                    24 Forest St., Moorooka,

                                    Qld, Australia, 4105

                                    10 Feb., 2000                                        

CEO

C & W

Dear Mr Wallace,

                        As the email attached below reveals, the ostriches at Optus are still trying to pretend that the only possible problem with their system could be with their local lines, whereas the techies tell me that the problem lies with congestion at the "Gate" connecting their system to the Telstra wires.  They sedulously avoid even mentioning that problem.  They do hint at the real nature of the problem by identifying the high speeds used by modern modems as being at the core of the problem but take refuge in outdated government standards to excuse their inadequate capacity.

                        The bottom line is that I had no problems connecting to the internet whilst I was using the Telstra wires but now that my local service is with Optus, I have constant problems.  If they are such dinosaurs that they don't want their wires to be used for internet traffic, they are going the right way about achieving that.

                        I have also checked with my ISP at times when I have been having problems connecting to them and have been told that they were running at that time at only 50% of capacity and were having no problems with their system.

                        I do not expect Optus to fix their Gate problem overnight but I do expect them to come clean about it and compensate me for the losses it has caused me.  If you cannot get them to do that I will have to see if the media can.

                        Yours faithfully,

                        (Dr.) John RAY

Dear Dr Ray  

I refer to our conversation and testing of the Cable & Wireless Optus (CWO) line on the 18 January 2000. 

The problems you are experiencing are not related to our line. All tests have shown that your line is clear of any fault. You confirmed during that conversation that you do not experience call drop outs with voice calls. If there was a fault on your line you would be experiencing call drop outs on both types of calls, as the CWO exchange can not identify any difference between voice and data transmissions.

Therefore you are liable for all calls made from your line. 

Our tests have indicated that your data line is above standard requirements for connection speeds. The minimal Austel requirement for connection is 24000 kbps and our reports show that your connection speed varies between 45333kbps and 46666kbps.

We refer you again to your ISP. 

For further information on the Internet you may want to have a look at the Internet Industry Association Web Site on www.iia.net.au.

Cable & Wireless Optus now considers this matter closed. 

Yours sincerely 

Michelle Ford 

National Customer Relations Manager 

Cable & Wireless Optus