Simplify your too complex website

[Warren100000000]

Your website is too complex.  You click and option and go back to where you started,  There are too many options.  You never get what your want instead you get a prethora of other peoples queries and responses BUT it takes forever to work out if any of it is relevant.

Your website includes confusing terminology - we are not all sparkies or tech savy. eg.  'Basic Plan Information' - there is no Basic Plan !   What the website means is Plan Basic Information ie., basic infomration about the plan your '(energy) plan.

In other parts of your website, the lower panel slides to the left while the heading remain station at the top of screen.  This means the information under is now reading under the incorrect headings.

The profile information is incomplete.  My Mother is a pensioner (concession holder) BUT it is impossible to confirm from her profile if you know this information.  Instead I am/she is required to load her private details to a possibly insecure chat window and leave them there for someone to upload at a later date - maybe or to use for whatever purpose  .......   very poor and not transparent.

I would ring with the information BUT I would have to wait for 'longer than normal' wait times - really, what is a normal wait time ?  COVID finished last year !!!!!!!!!!!   Employ more people if you can't provide a better more interactive website.

Need I go on !

Suggest you get someone 'of the street' to review/use your website to find some information and or make some enquiries .... essentially a 'customer' instead of someone internal 'in the know' and who has a vested interest.

[NeilC]

@Warren100000000,

Don't know how you will feel about this.

Now in SA there are 36 plans offered by AGL, hence the reason why they show only 3 plans (all basic).

To view all the plans on offer from all the retailers I suggest you look at energymadeeasy.gov.au/ 

 (just click on the link and a new page will start)

Fill out the details, your postcode, electricity gas or both and others as requested and then continue, for SA there are 209 plans in NSW there are over 300 plans.

Now, reading your text it appears to me that you are using a phone rather than a computer screen, the best way to view any web site is to use a computer as that is what the page is generally designed for.

If you download the AGL app you will also find that it is easier to enter the data that you require.

I do agree that some times the back button does not take you back to where you think you should be!

I am not a company person and I am one of those people off the street that are "essentially a 'customer' instead of someone internal 'in the know' and who has a vested interest."

Now you are "essentially a 'customer' instead of someone internal 'in the know' and who has a vested interest." so you should be supplying this information in a way that explains the issue in your layman's terms for instance..........

"Using an Android phone via a Chrome browser on the page "https://myaccount.agl.com.au/profile" when attempting to update Personal Details I am having an issue where the page scrolls unexpectedly when trying to enter My Contact Details. (etc etc)."

Now on a PC and using the App I had no issues in entering the details in any of the boxes (I did not actually change my details but entered the same data onto the screens again).

However, using a Google Browser on my Android Phone (Android 9) and using another Android Phone (Android 13)  with the Google Browser I also had no issues.

Now I also presume that you know that this Web Site "https://neighbourhood.agl.com.au/" is in fact a site open to the general public and that any one in the world can view it's content. I can see that you only joined yesterday and more than likely ended up here accidentally.

I suggest that you download the APP or use a PC and try again to enter your details again.

I get some enjoyment helping people and rely on feedback (positive and negative) in my attempts to assist people on this NEIGHBOURHOOD and can tell you that I have spent over one hour of my time on trying to see your issues and documenting it tonight.

I hope you take my advice and try and help yourself and resolve your issues. With the tools that AGL supplies you should be able to resolve your issues without any contact other than your phone APP or PC using the internet.

There are known delays with AGL assist at the moment and I tried the other day to use chat but while I was waiting I managed to solve my issue without the help of the chat person (one issue was that I was not the account holder but an authorised person).

By the way, you do understand, that there are a large number of people that are not computer literate, do not use a smart phone and are too embarrassed or scared to get assistance from people in these matters hence the reason they ring or chat.

I know from what I see on these pages a large number of people just use the phone or chat because they do not take the time to look for the information they require.

Many of their queries can be answered by a quick search of Google, I wrote a reply on these pages early on tonight, where the question was about using a Seniors Card to get reduced rates, my quick research showed that a seniors card does not get any reduction only a pension card will possible get a reduction....

I volunteered for three years at over 50 and seniors clubs giving technical support, I also taught spreadsheets, basic word processing, smart phone usage etc, back in the late 1990's I spent three years as a TAFE lecturer teaching Engineering and Computing before going Full Time in computer support, then worked for the two largest computer companies in the world for 18 years.

Now I think nearly every council has assistance available (many times at the local library or seniors club) to help. In giving this help the people have to be police cleared etc etc.

They get you onto the right page help you to the stage where you have to enter personal details, passwords and then get you back to the correct page.

Anyway hope this helps.

Neil

[Warren100000000]

Neil

Thanks for your response and advice, although with respect, I will likely
just consider my future relationship with AGL and find another supplier
...... not that I anticipate a markedly different/better experience.

Several points below, not to bore you with my issues. I also don't wish to
'argue with you as you are not at the root of my angst. Hence, please feel
no need to respond or even read further.

1. I have both the APP on my smart phone (early adopter) as well as being
able to log onto the PC site. I am quite familiar with both and still find
negotiating the 'site(s)' difficult and confusing - too much information
and too many referring links that take me to places I don't need or want to
be. For example, you are correct, I ended up in the 'community' by
accident because I followed the link called contact us .... hoping to get
an email link but instead was taken to a site I didn't want/ask for. This
is because AGL don't want to communicate with me - I mean I am a customer.
Having spent 25+ years in consulting I know what a PiA clients (customers)
can be .... but you know what, they are ones paying the invoices !!!!! Oh,
and in some cases they are also the shareholders the organisation is
ignoring !!!!!

2. I have spent a 45 year career creating complex and
para-legal development regulatory and forward planning documents. This
career has also included significant ongoing consultation processes to
help stakeholders including the general public understand and operate
within the rules. The purpose in telling you this is not to WoW you
(hardly) but just to establish that I am well educated, well experienced,
fairly worldly and contemporary in approach and thinking.

I will be the first to accept that one can always learn .... but not much
from the AGL website. By way of example, if I have a question then I need
information to answer the specific query ...... not to be referred to a
discussion group of other people with similar or disparate questions
talking amongst themselves. Pardon my sarcasm but if I wanted therapy, I
would seek professional advice.

3. I note your advice to me .... *so you should be supplying this
information in a way that explains the issue in your layman's terms for
instance.........* Love to ..... but I can't work out where to send it -
either email or snail-mail, I can wait on the telephone for longer than
normal (whatever normal is - at least 20 minutes plus but I have no idea
who determined this as normal) and then to speak with someone whose remit
is to placate me but not 'deal' with the issue, I can access a 'tele-bot'
that is likely to only excite me more OR ultimately, I can just change
suppliers.

4. If there are 'glitches' in the software driving the webpage versus the
APP, this is not my problem. AGL owns both and needs to fix the issues as
it created them and both should operate seamlessly ! I didn't write
planning schemes with 'glitches' expecting customers to go find alternative
answers in the enabling legislation !

5. Last rant, while I commend you for solving you own issue while on hold,
that is hardly satisfactory. AGL is a service provider. It's business is
to provide a service which includes dealing with customer issues. It
doesn't generate electricity or gas, it just provides a service and in my
experience, not very well.

Thanks again and regards

Warren Batts