Hopeless service - complaint with Telecommunications Ombudsman

[profdraper]

Am now two months into a Telecommunications Ombudsman case against AGL, still zero results as yet and still zero direct support or response from AGL.

1) Have been with our AGL electricity plan for some years now, we have been hassled many times by AGL to add internet ect with all kinds of cash incentives. At the outset I always stated just how important it was to port our existing landline VOIP number over to that internet service for our 94 year old mother-in-law. Of course they always promised YES.

Over two months later, we still don’t have that phone. Disgusting. the 94year old barely comes out of her bedroom and has zero phone service to speak to her friends, receive calls for doctor, dentist, and vip to maintain contact with overseas UK relatives. She is effectively isolated, cannot use a touch device (arthritis) nor can hear mobile speaker phone, has heading aid etc. This one should be EASY. Incompetent.

2) AGL promised all sorts of cash back incentives on electricity bill, but have never seen this yet on my account. That ranged from Chat operator offering $300, then various followup calls to AGL variously stating that ‘the operator was wrong’, you don’t get anything against your EV plan, though to $200, then eventually $600[!]. Incompetent and confusing, I still have no rebate, nor any answer to queries about this.

3) We got small 5GB data plans for our two mobile phones given that these are used 90% at home on wifi (we’re retired). Again, zero sense to our enquiries and still cannot access a contract /plan that shows wht the charges are - both for now & after six months. At law, the telco must provide us with a contact but here we still have nothing.

Dodgy, dodgy, dodgy. If we don’t get some satisfaction soon , will move the lot.
BTW, former telco escalated the landline complaint to a senior person: confirmed the same landline was available and working by calling me on that number & having me return the call on that number. They also verified that they have NEVER received a porting request from AGL in the past couple of moths. Hopeless & very distressing for our 94 year old.

[NeilC]

@profdraper 

This seems to be a sad story and you have my sympathy.

Now this site is basically a Blog and there is no guarantee that anyone from AGL will even answer this.

The best you can hope for is you will get a message from an AGL Employee saying that "I will PM you and get more details"

My advice to you is to do what you are saying you are going to do.

The Ombudsman should be helping you in this case but there are many others like you, contact your Ombudsman and iterate your issues to them, contact AGL via PHONE ask to speak to a supervisor, get the issue escalated within AGL.

Start looking at new plans for your phone, and electricity / gas suppliers.

The best site is run by the Federal Government for Electricity, EVERY plan by every Retailer is listed with all prices.

https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/article/electricity-tariffs/

It's not the easiest site to navigate but by choosing from the filters (to the left of the screen) you can limit or increase the number of offers available.

Make sure you have you NMI number (written on you AGL bill on the top right of the first page under your details) as this will fill out many details for you.

Initially it gave me 19 choices but in the end I ended up with about 50, this was because we have solar and I was seriously looking at best prices.

If you have an AGL SUPPLIED ROUTER then there should be no issue in having your home phone number, but ONLY IF YOU HAVE AN AGL SUPPLIED router.

I am confused because if you previously had a internet service with another provider then the house should be all set up and you would simply change over using NBN services, except if you do not have an AGL supplied router, in which case you cannot have a home phone.

When you applied to move NBN services to AGL did you state that you wanted a home phone?

Any way, this method of going onto the Neighbourhood pages is not the best approach.

By the way AGL pages state that having AGL internet and a GAS / Electricity service gives you a $15 a month credit on your internet account as long as you maintain your GAS / Elect account, and this is supplied by giving $15 per month credit on the bill.

Now AGL also states that the $10 per month home phone plan is only available if you have an AGL supplied modem.

How long have you had this AGL internet account, in most cases the Ombudsman will not assist until at least a month has passed since you complained to your provider, have you followed up with the Ombudsman.

Now I have added my two bob's worth here.

Asked a few questions which you don't have to answer but try to give you a hand in starting to either find new providers or work out the issues you have mentioned.

Good luck