The TIO
2007 Annual Report illustrates the problems consumers and businesses
are having with their communications providers. It's wake
up call for all ISPs and phone companies to improve their service.
The Internet, or connecting to it, is probably
the most complex of all the technology we use. The telcos and ISPs
add to this with complex pricing plans, unreadable bills and poor
support. Because of this, it's quite common to find yourself in
a dispute with your ISP.
The most common depots are about excessive
bills. Complaints about slow or unreliable connections are frequent
as well. Increasingly, we're hearing of people finding their service
cut off because the ISP has decided the customer has been involved
in illegal file sharing, spamming or has a virus infection.
The problem is that many Internet providers are quick
to act without informing the customer. Most of them are quick to
assume that the customer is always wrong. To make it worse, many
ISPs systems seem to be designed to make it difficult to resolve
problems.
While it can be difficult to settle a problem with an
Internet provider, there are ways to make it easier. We've put together a list of how to get some results
when dealing with a problem. The aim is to get the dispute resolved
with the provider as quickly as possible so that you can get on
with surfing the net.
Call them
The first step when you realise you have a problem is
to call them. This is the quickest and easiest way to resolve things.
If you can solve the problem at this point, you will save a lot
of time, money and frustration.
When dealing with any call centre, there are a few important
things to remember. You must remain polite, you must never make
threats and you should note everything. A lot of this is easier
said than done.
Take notes
From the first call, you must take notes. Every time you
speak to them you must note the date and time you have made the
call, the time they answered, the name of the person you spoke to,
what you discussed, what was agreed (if anything) and the time the
call ended. Any important discussions should be confirmed in writing.
Be Polite
At
every stage of the process you must stay cool and polite. Do not
lose your temper and do not abuse people. If you find the person
you are dealing with is rude or provocative, or if find your blood
pressure rising, then politely finish the conversation and call
back later later.
Don't Make Threats
Making threats will hurt your argument and draw the process
out. Threatening people only makes their attitude harder or locks
them into a position where they cannot negotiate with you.
Suing the ISP, complaining to the TIO, going to the media
or calling consumer affairs are all options should everything else
fail but the aim is to settle the matter quickly and amicably.
Do it in writing
It
is important to confirm everything in writing. All too often people
believe that a matter has been settled only to find it is still a
problem months or years later.
Follow
up any important conversations with a letter confirming the details
including the time, date and person you discussed the issue with.
This is very important if you have reached an agreement
settling the dispute. Write a letter confirming the details and
the agreement. It must be sent it by registered
post to the ISP, any faxes or emails should be followed up by
a letter.
Any emails about the matter should be printed out. Despite
the claims of a paperless world, the only thing that really matters
in disputes is what is written on paper.
Make sure you keep the full story in writing and this
includes printing out emails and web pages.
Follow the ISPs complaint procedure
You
may need to start a formal complaint within the ISPs internal complaints
or appeals procedures, the ISP or telco support line should be able
to tell you how to do this. For smaller ISPs there may not be any
formal procedures. A letter to the senior management may be necessary
to get the right person to respond.
Contact the ISPs management
If
the ISP doesn't have a formal dispute procedure, or if it doesn't
respond, forward your complaints with copies of all the supporting
documentation to the directors and Managing Director or CEO of the
company concerned. Generally directors and senior managers hate
this and will make their displeasure known to the people responsible
within their organisation. Again, be polite and respectful, make
no threats and express your desire to settle the matter quickly
and amicably.
Pay the bill
Some ISPs have a habit of calling in the debt collectors
at an early stage. This complicates the matter and can also affect your credit record. Generally, it's a good idea to pay any disputed amounts and then continue
arguing about the facts of the dispute.
If
you have direct debits with the ISP it may be necessary to stop
these to avoid further disputed debits to your account. Do this
in
writing to the both the ISP and your bank with a cover letter
informing them the direct debit has stopped. If you do this, make
sure you are within your contract and you have a backup Internet
service as the ISP will almost certainly stop your service immediately.
Complain to the TIO
If
you are still unhappy, complain to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. Make sure you send them copies of all correspondence,
the original bill or notification, any contracts and a summary of
the calls you have made to the ISP.
Further complaints
Despite all of
the above, it's still possible not to have resolved the problem
with an ISP. The next step is to complain to your state
consumer affairs department or the ACCC.
You can also seek advice from your solicitor or local community
legal centre.
The aim with
any dispute is to settle it quickly and amicably. The important
thing is to contact your provider quickly if you have a problem.
Internet providers be difficult to deal with but with a combination
of patience, persistence, good record keeping and a cool temper,
it can be done.