Optus faces deluge of complaints from English Premier League fans over soccer app performance

FRUSTRATED soccer fans have lodged a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission red-carding Optus’ coverage of the English Premier League.

Optus has been flooded with complaints from frustrated fans, who have reported frozen screens, the app failing to load and jumpy pictures when they tune in to the exclusive Australian service.

Fans forced to stream the world’s most famous soccer league online for the first time this season have also complained about matches billed as live being shown on delay.

Others whose app has crashed as soon as it loads, or who have been left staring at a blank screen, have demanded better service, compensation or their money back.

In a bid to keep customers happy, the Singapore-owned telco has hired a 24/7 team to try to solve glitches, but admitted the system was not perfect.

Optus, Australia’s second-largest telecommunications company, last week admitted subscriber delays in coverage were “caused by limitations in the technology used’’.

Optus spokeswoman Gab­rielle Crittenden acknowledged “some initial teething problems and some complaints from customers’’ but claimed “the vast majority’’ of customers had a “great’’ experience.

“We are only a few rounds into the EPL season and we have had a good start to our EPL broadcast coverage and service to date,’’ it said.

But a 50-second streaming delay has sparked considerable angst among fans.

A complaint made to the ACCC during the week said in part: “the service offered was numerously described as being ‘live’, it is clearly not live.

“And so Optus/Optus Sport need to compensate their customers for the degraded product being offered.’’

Fans already angry they had to join Optus to see EPL matches live have also complained they’ve been charged for using data while watching on an app they were told would be free.

Viewers claim broadcast quality is not as good as it was on Fox Sports.

Optus had hoped to score a winner with fans by signing a three-year deal believed to be worth $180 million for Aussie EPL rights. Instead, it scored an own goal with fans when transmission was cut to coverage of one match in the opening round and has copped constant criticism over the quality of streaming since.

Optus will publish a new app upgrade this week that it hopes will improve service.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/optus-faces-deluge-of-complaints-from-english-premier-league-fans-over-soccer-coverage/news-story/bd6a14d97e10ad07ac0e4775cad1b259

Optus Out: EPL fans rage after football streaming service hits technical faults

When Optus shocked the Australian sporting landscape by buying the rights for the English Premier League, outbidding Foxtel three-to-one, there were murmurs of discontent within the football fraternity.

Those murmurs grew to howls of disapproval after Optus released their packages and plans, which required an Optus broadband or mobile plan to watch the EPL. Needless to say, fans were not happy about being railroaded into joining the network.

Football fans went ballistic on Twitter after streams of the games were reported intermittently cutting out, showing poor-quality images and suffering delays.

The hashtag #OptusOut began trending as the worst of the problems occurred during Sunday night's games of Manchester United v Bournemouth and Arsenal v Liverpool.

The "live" feed of the games was reportedly delayed by as much as 60 seconds.

An Optus spokeswoman said the disruption was caused by the Premier League satellite service, not the Optus network.

"Optus can confirm that there was a 30 second transmission disruption during the broadcast of last night's Premier League match between Bournemouth vs Manchester United. We have been advised by the Premier League that the disruption was caused by their satellite distribution supplier.

"The issue was not related to an Optus mobile or fixed broadband network outage, or the Optus Sport App.

"As soon as Optus became aware of the issue, we switched to an alternative feed. We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused and appreciate their patience while the broadcast was restored."

The delays in the telecast are "consistent with the viewing experience on other web-based or App content services currently operating in Australia," the spokeswoman confirmed.

Fans who had set up notifications from their clubs on their phones had key moments ruined by the delay.

Foxtel had set a high bar over the years with their EPL coverage, but in their first attempt at wresting the throne away from the pay TV giant it would seem Optus failed miserably.

The Optus coverage costs a minimum of $30 a month for a mobile sim plan, without a phone. Fans would then need to fork out an extra $5 a month for a Fetch TV box to broadcast the Premier League, or use an Apple TV device if they have one.

Optus recommend customers experiencing difficulties contact them directly via their social media channels or 24/7 technical support on 131 344 for trouble shooting advice.


http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/optus-out-epl-fans-rage-after-football-streaming-service-hits-technical-faults-20160814-gqsen8.html

Optus is most complained-about telco again

Complaints to telcos are on the rise following an all-time low just seven months ago.

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) calculates complaints from landline, mobile and internet services from residential and small businesses by measuring the amount of new complaints for every 10,000 services-in-operation for Australia's five biggest telcos.

During the quarter from April to June 2016, the TIO received an average of 6.4 new complaints for every 10,000 services. The average complaints in the previous quarter was 6.2.

The TIO noted that complaints historically drop during the second quarter.

Optus once again received the most complaints with 7.7 for every 10,000 services, followed by Telstra with 6.8, Vodafone with 3.8 and Pivotel with 1. However, Optus has shown signs of improvement since last year, fielding 8.5 complaints from April to June in 2015.

Australia's fourth-largest telco Amaysim was once again the least complained-about telco with only 0.8.

Complaints have fallen by 1.5 per 10,000 services year-on-year since the TIO began publishing its data in 2013, reaching an all-time low of 4.8 from October to December of 2015.


https://www.crn.com.au/news/optus-is-most-complained-about-telco-again-431790

Optus Is Refunding $2.4 Million To Mobile Insurance Customers

ASIC raised concerns about Optus' compliance with Australian financial services laws, and now the telco is refunding approximately $2.4 million (including interest) to around 175,000 Optus mobile customers.

ASIC's concerns arose after Optus reported a breach about its failure to provide certain customers with a Product Disclosure Statement and a Financial Services Guide. This breach affected customers who purchased mobile phone insurance in store or by phone, and occurred over a number of years. As a result, many customers may not have been aware of certain key features and limitations of the insurance that they purchased.

Following ASIC's inquiries, Optus reported four further breaches where customers did not receive one month free insurance under a promotional offer they were entitled to, were incorrectly charged a premium for insurance during a "rain-check" period, were not provided with the required information before purchasing an insurance policy over the phone (e.g. information about excesses and cooling-off rights) and were issued the wrong cover.

Some customers received "Device Insurance" cover instead of the more favourable and less expensive "Yes Cover".

ASIC was concerned that these breaches indicated that Optus had inadequate compliance systems and processes, such as training, monitoring and supervision of staff.

Optus will be writing to all customers who may be affected. Where overcharging has occurred, Optus will take steps to contact past customers and will compensate current customers by a direct credit to the customer's account, which will include interest. Optus is also proposing to pay amounts owing to former customers who cannot be located to a charity assisting with financial literacy.

In response to ASIC's concerns, Optus has appointed an independent external firm to conduct a comprehensive review of its compliance functions to ensure ongoing compliance with its Australian financial services licence obligations.

ASIC Deputy Chairman Peter Kell today welcomed the steps taken by Optus to compensate affected consumers.

"It is important that when a business is licensed by ASIC to sell financial products to retail consumers, it ensures that it does so consistently with the representations it has made to consumers, and in compliance with the financial services laws," Kell said. "Where consumers have suffered a detriment, it is important that remediation is undertaken, and that steps are taken to ensure that the business is operating in compliance with the relevant legal obligations."

Consumers who purchased mobile phone insurance from Optus and who think they may be affected by these breaches should contact Optus on 1800 854 349 (Mon to Fri 8am-6pm).

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/07/optus-is-refunding-2-4-million-to-mobile-insurance-customers/

Telstra complaints are rising but Optus is the worst, reports telecommunications ombudsman

TELSTRA is still suffering from its national phone network outages, with the telecommunications ombudsman confirming complaints are on the rise.

Despite common perceptions, Australia’s most popular phone provider attracted more complaints than its competitors Vodafone and Amaysim, and more than the industry average, in figures released this afternoon.

Optus won the wooden spoon, however, with the highest rate of complaints and the highest jump in complaints.

New complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman about Telstra now sit at 6.4 for every 10,000 services, it reported today, up from 4.9 complaints in the last three months of 2015.

By comparison, Vodafone attracted a rate of 3.7 complaints in every 10,000 services, Amaysim just one complaint, and the industry average sat at 6.2 complaints.

The TIO said reports about telecommunications providers rose 29 per cent as a proportion of services at the start of this year, though “summer weather events” frequently affect these results.

However Australia’s leading but arguably most embattled provider, Telstra, suffered two national outages to its mobile phone network in February and March this year, which may have affected its results.

Telstra compensated customers with two days of “free data” use for the outages, however its network delivered a slow experience for some users on the second occasion.

Despite Telstra’s complaint increase, Optus proved the biggest complaints magnet for phone and internet users, with 7.9 complaints per 10,000 services, up from 5.9 at the end of last year.


http://www.news.com.au/technology/telstra-complaints-are-rising-but-optus-is-the-worst-reports-telecommunications-ombudsman/news-story/efff1b726f6dbff3745b64eb178e6c1b

Optus customers on hold as Home Zone blackspot base stations abandoned

Optus is refusing to back down on plans to scrap its Home Zone indoor mobile base stations at the end of March, despite growing customer complaints regarding the telco's replacement mobile VoIP app.

Leon de Jonge runs a small marketing and design consultancy from home, living in an Optus mobile blackspot 20 kilometres west of central Brisbane. To access the mobile network he relies on an Optus-issued Home Zone "femtocell" indoor mobile base station, which mimics a mobile tower but diverts mobile calls and data via his home broadband connection.

The Australian communications watchdog has cracked down on unlicensed femtocells, which can interfere with nearby devices; but Optus, Telstra and Vodafone have all introduced licensed mobile base stations in the last few years to assist customers in mobile blackspots and help improve indoor coverage.

Alternative femtocells such as the Cel-Fi are approved for use in Australia but cost more than $1000 and receive little publicity from the mobile network providers. Unlike the Home Zone, the Cel-Fi amplifies a weak mobile signal rather than diverting mobile traffic via fixed-line broadband.

Optus unveiled the Home Zone in 2012, charging customers up to $15 per month for the box while offering unlimited local, national and mobile calls to the primary mobile phone associated with the account.

An Optus customer for 10 years, de Jonge moved to his current Brisbane home in 2012 knowing it was a coverage blackspot but reassured that the Home Zone would improve mobile reception. It has reliably provided five bars of mobile coverage throughout his home and surrounding area, but now Optus is preparing to pull the plug.

Home Zone customers received a letter from Optus mid-March, giving them several weeks' notice that it intends to cease support for the Home Zone at the end of the month in favour of its WiFi Talk app. Available for Android and Apple devices, the app lets Optus customers make and receive calls and texts via Wi-Fi networks.

The app is plagued by dropped and missed calls along with lag and poor voice quality, de Jonge says, echoing the complaints of dozens of customers on Optus' community blog. A smartphone app is also a poor substitute for a stronger mobile signal which works with all mobile devices, he says.

"To run a home-based business, it's important to have reliable and efficient mobile reception," de Jonge says.

"It's bad enough that the reception is so terrible at only 20km from the Brisbane CBD without Optus scrapping the Home Zone. Our Wi-Fi signal doesn't reach as far as the Home Zone femtocell, plus this app doesn't replace the functionality and convenience of using a standard mobile.

"My partner uses my old iPhone, which isn't supported by this app, so there'll be no reception for her until she buys a new phone."

Fellow Home Zone user Trent, who lives in an Optus mobile blackspot in the hills of northern Sydney, has been an Optus customer for 14 years and stuck with the telco because of the Home Zone.

"With the replacement Optus WiFi Talk app, phone calls drop out, it can't send MMS messages, and I need to have the app running the whole time," he says.

"To make matters worse, the mobile is permanently searching for a tower signal, which drains the battery.

"What is really sad is that Optus just seems to be ignoring all the complaints and issues raised by customers on this. Surely it is not really innovation to offer an inferior product with less functionality to replace a product that is working perfectly well."

So far, customer calls to delay the switch-over have fallen on deaf ears, with Optus confirming that the Home Zone service will cease on March 31 in favour of the WiFi Talk app.

"WiFi Talk is an easy-to-use app that allows customers to make and receive calls and send text messages over a Wi-Fi connection," an Optus spokesperson says.

"Optus is working with customers to assist them to migrate to WiFi Talk. We're currently looking into upgrades that will improve the functionality of the WiFi Talk app and address some of those concerns that customers are voicing."


http://www.smh.com.au/technology/mobiles/optus-customers-on-hold-as-home-zone-blackspot-mobile-repeaters-abandoned-20160323-gnq2nq.html

Optus is most complained-about telco

Optus has recorded more new complaints per user in the last quarter than either Telstra or Vodafone.

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman announced that it received 5.9 new complaints per 10,000 services in operation for Optus in the quarter ending 31 December. Telstra recorded 4.9 and Vodafone had 3.5 new complaints per 10,000 services.

The industry average for the quarter was 4.8 new complaints for every 10,000 services.

Amaysim - Australia’s fourth largest mobile telco and an Optus 4G reseller - left its larger rivals for dead, with just 0.7 new complaints per 10,000 services.

“We’ve beaten our own [personal best], which just so happens to also be the best rating in the industry,” said Amaysim compliance and service operations manager Chad Heininger.

Despite its top ranking, Optus has improved in the last three quarters. In June 2015, the Singtel-owned telco copped 8.5 complaints per 10,000 services, then in September it reduced the rate to 6.7.

The industry average has steadily fallen in the past year from a peak of 7.2 in March last year.

“It’s really great to see complaints across the board in the mobile category continue to drop over the last quarter too, showing that there’s more focus than ever before on the importance of customer service,” Heininger said.

Optus took on the mantle of most complained-about communications provider in March last year, taking over from Vodafone. As recently as the quarter to December 2014, the Ombudsman was fielding 10.5 complaints per 10,000 Vodafone services.

https://www.crn.com.au/news/optus-is-most-complained-about-telco-414797

Optus, iiNet, M2 skyrocket in TIO complaint numbers

Consumer complaints to the Telecommunications Ombudsman about Optus were up by over 30 percent, while iiNet's numbers were up by 26 percent, and M2's by almost 75 percent.

The Australian Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has published its Annual Report 2014-15, revealing that while Telstra, Vodafone, TPG, and Virgin have all improved their complaints statistics, competitor telecommunications providers Optus, iiNet, Dodo, Vaya, M2 Commander, and iPrimus have all increased substantially.

According to the report [PDF], Optus saw an increase in total complaints of 31.5 percent, from 14,144 during FY14 to 18,601 in FY15.

This was Optus' first increase in customer complaints in five years, and was attributed mainly to internet service issues -- internet service complaints grew by 52.4 per cent, landline complaints by 35.2 per cent, and mobile complaints by 24.1 per cent.

Optus has been facing increasing competition on both mobile and fixed-line fronts, with M2 Group announcing plans last week to merge with fibre infrastructure company Vocus Communications to form the fourth-largest telco in Australia, and Vodafone Australia following with news that it had signed a AU$1 billion deal with TPG for mobile services.

The Vodafone-TPG deal will see TPG's 320,000 mobile customers moved from Optus' mobile network across to Vodafone.

Optus has denied that the deal would affect it to a large extent, and merely said that it is in discussions with TPG on future plans, and regardless continues to be a primary mobile network provider in the space.

"Optus remains the leading wholesale service provider in the market," an Optus spokesperson said.

"We are currently working with the TPG Group on revised wholesale arrangements, but expect to be a continuing wholesale provider to the TPG Group in the future."

TPG's deal with Vodafone follows its acquisition of rival telco iiNet earlier this year in a deal worth around AU$1.5 billion, wherein TPG paid AU$9.55 per iiNet share, incorporating a AU$8.80 cash or scrip consideration and AU$0.75 cash per share.

The acquisition will see TPG overtake Optus in customer numbers as a fixed-line provider.

iiNet shareholders ultimately voted in favour of the acquisition, with the ACCC and the Federal Court also approving the deal last month.

According to the TIO's annual report, however, iiNet customer complaints were up by almost as much as Optus', increasing by 26 percent from 3,051 complaints in 2013-14 to 3,844 in 2014-15. The TIO attributed the complaints to internet and mobile repair delays, slow speeds, and disputed charges.

All three of M2 Group's telco brands also saw substantial rises in complaints. Complaints about Commander were up a massive 73.6 percent, from 864 in FY14 to 1,500 in FY15; iPrimus was up 18.5 percent, from 1,072 to 1,270; and Dodo was up 17.3 percent, from 3,187 to 3,737.

The woes of M2 were due to disputed bills, poor contract information, disputed service charges, slow speeds, landline repair delays, and internet and mobile repair delays.

Vocus' merge with M2 will form a telco worth AU$3 billion, bringing it closer to Telstra, TPG, and Optus.

Mobile provider Vaya, which resells Optus' 4G mobile services, saw its complaints increase by a whopping 288.4 percent, from 421 to 1,635, due to excess charges, disputed bills, and failed usage notifications. The company did note, however, that its customer base had increased by 174 percent over last two years, which may have contributed to the increase in complaints.

Meanwhile, telco providers Telstra, Vodafone, TPG, and Virgin all saw an improvement in their customer complaint numbers. Complaints about Telstra decreased by 4.3 percent, down to 55,529 for 2014-15, while Vodafone's dropped by 46.2 percent, from 35,876 to 19,311; TPG's by 5.4 percent, from 4,759 to 4,501; and Virgin's by 38.9 percent, from 3,460 down to 2,115.

Vodafone's 4G mobile network currently covers 96 percent of the population, while Optus only claims that its 4G network covers 90 percent, and Telstra lays claim to 94 percent. However, according to a report by OpenSignal last week, which calculates "time coverage", Vodafone covers 77 percent of the population, Telstra 76 percent, and Optus 70 percent.

In regards to speeds, Telstra is the 21st fastest mobile network provider worldwide, at speeds of 23Mbps; Vodafone is in 37th place and Optus is in 43rd place, both with average download speeds of 19Mbps.

The TIO's annual report also revealed a 68.6 percent increase in complaints by consumers about the National Broadband Network (NBN), but an overall drop in total complaints to the TIO.

Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) CEO Teresa Corbin said communication needs to improve between NBN, consumers, and retail service providers (RSPs).

"The number of subscribers on the NBN has grown substantially, but NBN and the retail service providers (RSPs) need to ensure consumers aren't worse off during the switch-over," Corbin said.

"ACCAN is calling on the telcos and RSPs to publish their complaint data so that problem areas can be better identified and consumer complaints can be avoided. This also benefits the industry, as it allows showcasing of low complaint levels by the star performers."

More than 124,000 complaints were made about mobile, landline, and internet services during FY15, a drop of 10.5 percent year on year in the fourth consecutive year of telco-related complaints to the TIO decreasing.

Mobile complaints were down 21.1 percent, to 57,983 -- the lowest number since 2007-08. The TIO attributed this to greater transparency in data usage through alerts to consumers, required under the Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) Code, as well as improvements in coverage due to continuing investment in mobile infrastructure.

"Improved coverage through telco investment in mobile towers, and usage and spending alerts that help consumers control data and phone usage, have contributed to this improvement," Acting Ombudsman Diane Carmody said.

The Communications Alliance welcomed the results of the report, having said it signalled an improvement in network infrastructure and customer service within Australia.

"This is the fourth consecutive year of significant reductions in complaints, and it is fair to say that industry is on a long-term path to greater customer satisfaction. The TIO results are backed by our quarterly national polling which also shows steady improvements in customer satisfaction since the commencement of the polling two and a half years ago," Communications Alliance director of Program Management Christiane Gillespie-Jones said.

"This improvement stems from various factors, including huge investments into improved networks, a strong Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code, and most importantly, an industry-wide commitment to deliver an outstanding customer experience to customers."


http://www.zdnet.com/article/optus-iinet-m2-skyrocket-in-tio-complaint-numbers/

Optus blames Apple iPhone 6 for rising phone, internet complaints

Complaints lodged by phone and internet customers with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman have hit an eight-year low but Singtel-Optus has defied the trend with unhappy users on the rise thanks to Apple's iPhone 6.

The TIO received 3699 customer complaints about Optus during the three months ending December 2014 – up 11.7 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier. By comparison, Telstra's complaints rose by 0.7 per cent while Vodafone Hutchison Australia's fell by 44.7 per cent during the same period.

A spokeswoman for Optus blamed problems related to its hugely popular launch of the Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus for the rise in complaints.

"This was mainly due to supply issues, operational challenges and contract disputes related to the launch of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus," she said. "We're disappointed in the results for this quarter and are working hard to ensure our customers have a positive experience with Optus."

She also said Optus had fewer new complaints thanTelstra and Vodafone Australia.

But the industry as a whole performed well.

In 2011, Australia's phone and internet services were dire enough to spawn websites dedicated to angry customers and slick YouTube comedy videos roasting poor customer service.
Complaints drop with new plans

By comparison, 2015 has become a year to celebrate as new plans that help reduce bill shock have led to a cut in complaints.

"The TIO received 29,560 new complaints in October to December 2014, the lowest since July to September 2007 when 26,632 new complaints were recorded," it said in a statement.

"The TIO also recorded the lowest number of new complaints about mobile coverage problems since April to June 2010."

The results come amid major pushes by all Australia's top telcos to improve customer service and prevent users from leaving their networks as industry-wide subscriber growth slows down. This is partly because most Australians are already connected to mobile and fixed-line phone and broadband services.

It is generally cheaper for a telco to spend more money keeping a customer happy than it is to get a new client.

The importance of boosting customer satisfaction was highlighted by TPG Telecom's recent $1.4 billion purchase of Perth-based rival iiNet, which has long enjoyed a reputation as one of Australia's best providers of customer service.

Of Australia's three biggest carriers, Vodafone Hutchison Australia saw the biggest reduction of complaints to 5355 in the last three months of 2014 – a 44.7 per cent fall compared with the year before. But it still gets more complaints per customer compared with Telstra and Optus.

The number of complaints from users of the national broadband network also rose to reach 1414.

"Connections continued to be the most common issue about NBN-related new complaints," the TIO said. "While complaints identified as NBN-related arise from services provided over the NBN, this may not mean it has been directly caused by the NBN or NBN Co."

TIO Ombudsman Simon Cohen said new products launched by mobile service providers to prevent bill shock were helping slash the number of complaints reaching his organisation, as were his organisation's campaigns.

The Optus spokeswoman later clarified that operational challenges were related to Optus' delivery of phones and logistical processes and that contract disputes related to its customers.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/optus-blames-apple-iphone-6-for-rising-phone-internet-complaints-20150317-1m1ctc.html

Optus never ceases to amaze

Optus is probably not the world's worst phone company.  Some British company would probably beat them for that title.  But they would be in the running.

Would you like to take over somebody else's phone number?  If they are with Optus it is a cinch.  You just sign up with some other company  -- say Dodo -- and tell them that you want the number.  Dodo will then simply ask for it and Optus will give it to them no questions asked.  You would imagine that Optus would ask their customer if he wanted to lose his number or not  -- but no siree!

Sound crazy?  It is.  But Optus have just done exactly that to me.  They cancelled my number and gave it to Dodo -- even though my account was paid in advance and I have had it for ten years without giving them any problems with late payments.

I of course protested and it was then that I was told that they perform no checks if another phone company asks for a particular number.  It's obviously a cost-saving measure for them.

After I wrote to Paul O'Sullivan, their CEO, about the matter, they got my number back from Dodo but tell me that they are so hard worked that it will be another week before my account will actually be restored.  Most people who ring me have my mobile number but otherwise it would be a read teeth-grinder to lose my landline for 3 weeks.  It could happen to you.  Change to another provider.

TO:
Paul O'Sullivan
CEO
Optus
1 Lyonpark Rd
Macquarie Park
NSW 2113

PLEASE FIX OPTUS BUNGLE URGENTLY

Dear Sir,
I am writing to you because my attempt to get YOUR bungle fixed has already cost me significant money.  I spent so much time taking to your helpline that my mobile phone credit ran out.

The bungle is that landline 33914*** was disconnected and transferred elsewhere by you without authorization.  I want it back.  The account is jointly operated by Judith Burgess and myself.

I enclose the cheque you sent me.  Please cancel it and credit to my restored account.

Gabba
Qld 4102
3 December, 2012

TO:
Paul O'Sullivan
CEO
OPTUS

Sully,

I have finally and totally had it with you shitheads.  Because of poor connections, I moved my mobile internet connection from you to Telstra and I am now not renewing my prepaid Optus mobile phone A/c either.

My prepaid mobile A/c is shortly due for a topup but when I logged onto your site I clicked all around it and could find NOWHERE that told me how long a given recharge lasts.  Why can't expiry information be given beside each payment option?

So I will let the A/c expire.  You are not interested in business and you have been an unremitting nuisance to me.

Gabba 4102
26 September, 2012

To:
Kahla Fowler
Customer Relations
Optus

Dear Madam,

As you know from past correspondence, I have had great difficulty getting useful service out of my Optus wireless dongle.  I use it to access the internet on a prepaid basis. A/c 93229678000112.  During the month of May, however, I got some use out of it from time to time so I was rather of the view that I had finally cracked the system. 

When I logged on this evening (26th) however, I was disabused of that notion.  I logged on around 7pm and had great difficulty getting any connection at all.  After repeated tries I did however get a connection.  The connection did not allow me to load anything, however.  Even Optuszoo would not come up!  So that looked like an overload situation.  I figured out however that maybe 7pm was a peak time and I might have better luck later.

I did.  At 9pm I got connected straight away and even managed to log onto a page on the net.  That was the sum of my success, however.  I could not get onto any other pages.  Overload was again the obvious diagnosis.

You obviously cannot provide the service you advertise so I think you should buy back my dongle.

In the absence of a constructive reply I will raise the matter with the TIO. I might let SingTel know too.  You really are a disgrace.

Gabba, Brisbane
Qld 4102
28 March, 2012

TO:
Paul O'Sullivan
CEO
Optus

Dear Sir

Re: 0422 813761 Prepaid internet access

I have an Optus wireless dongle that I use mostly for when my Telstra cable connection is down.  I live half way up a hill just across the water from the CBD so it is reasonably satisfactory in that application.

When I bought it, however,  I also had in mind that I would be able to use it on the rare occasions that I am away from home for any length of time.

I was at the Wesley hospital today for a procedure that involved a lot of waiting so I loaded up $15 worth of prepaid credit on my account and  took my netbook along to do some net surfing while I was waiting.  It was hopeless.  I did manage to access one of my usual sites but as soon as I clicked on a link, the connection dropped out.  I basically had no reception at a site only 5 minutes drive from the Brisbane CBD.

I am astounded that the reach of your service is so limited.  I paid $15 for nothing.   Would YOU like to pay $15 for nothing?

May I suggest that you extend to 6 months the time I have to use the $15?   I am much minded to bring your poor service to the attention of the TIO but I await your response first