If I'm having trouble with my phone company, who can I complain to besides the company itself?

Here's how you can complain about your phone company, based on the provided legislation:

In Plain English

If you're not happy with how your phone company is handling your complaint, you have a couple of options:

  1. Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO): You can take your complaint to the TIO, which is a free and independent service that helps resolve disputes between phone companies and their customers.
  2. Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA): You can also contact the ACMA, which is the government agency responsible for regulating telecommunications companies.

For complaints about payphones specifically:

  1. ACMA: If your complaint relates to the removal of a payphone, you can contact the ACMA to review the decision, but only after the primary universal service provider has responded to your complaint.

Detailed Explanation

Several pieces of legislation outline avenues for complaints regarding telecommunications services:

  • Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2018: This standard mandates that carriage service providers must have a complaint handling process that includes informing consumers of their right to escalate a complaint to the TIO if they are not satisfied with the provider's handling of it (see [Chunk 7] and [Chunk 6]). The contact details for the TIO, including a link to their website and complaints telephone number, must be provided.
  • Telecommunications (Payphones) Determination 2022: This determination focuses on complaints related to payphones. It states that a primary universal service provider must have a publicly available complaints process for payphones (see [Chunk 25] and [Chunk 49]). If the complaint relates to a final decision to remove a payphone, the response must advise that the person may apply to the ACMA in writing for a review of that decision.
  • Telecommunications (Financial Hardship) Industry Standard 2024: This standard mentions the TIO as a free and independent resolution service for consumers who have been unable to resolve their complaint with a phone or internet service provider (see [Chunk 23]). It also mentions the ACCC as the Commonwealth competition and consumer regulator.
  • Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999: This act empowers the Minister to make determinations setting out rules to be complied with by a primary universal service provider in relation to the process for resolution of complaints about the location or removal of payphones (see [Chunk 19]). It also mentions the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme (see [Chunk 74]).

Therefore, if you are not satisfied with the resolution of your complaint by the carriage service provider, you can escalate the complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). For complaints specifically about payphone removals, you may also be able to contact the ACMA after the provider has responded to your complaint.