Stiff new penalties for telcos that fail to meet customer service standards

A year after he launched the ACMA's 'Reconnecting the Customer' enquiry into customer service in the telecommunications industry, ACMA chairman, Chris Chapman, has signalled strongly that the outcome will be tougher regulation, as he continues to pan the industry's customer service standards.

The telco industry has got its first taste of tighter regulation, threatened by the ACMA as the result of its 'Reconnecting the Customer' enquiry into telecommunications customer service, with the introduction of a regime that will impose fines for failure to meet customer service timeframes.

Wednesday 1 June will be judgement day for Australian telcos: the ACMA is expected to announce plans for tougher regulation when it releases the draft report on its year-long enquiry into customer service and complaints handling in the industry.

The ACMA has kicked of a major enquiry into customer service in the telecoms industry with release of the enquiry's terms of reference, a consultation paper and call for "the broadest possible input on the problems telecommunications customers are experiencing with customer service and complaints-handling."

When Apple introduced the Retina MacBook Pro and new MacBook Airs in June, it also quietly noted it would be withdrawing its computers from voluntary EPEAT environmental standards qualification. That provoked a minor customer furor, with some government agencies in particular saying they might not be able to continue sourcing notebooks from Apple, and the company promptly rejoined the program.

Written by: Peter Dinham | Published in: MarketThe customer service battle lines have been drawn for some time now as Australia’s major telcos fight for the hearts and minds of their customers and potential new customers, and it seems Optus’ has earned some early customer service bragging rights over its major competitors, Telstra and Vodafone, and the rest of the increasingly competitive telecomm

The ACCC has announced successful prosecution of two related mobile premium service providers, which have been hit with a total of $375,000 penalties by the Federal Court in Sydney, plus costs.

Communications minister, senator Stephen Conroy, has released a draft ministerial determination that sets limits to where a standard telephone service must be provided under the universal service obligation.

The ACMA is to conduct a formal inquiry into customer service and complaints handling in the telecommunications industry in response to what it says is a growing volume of complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.