cooks with Telstra

[kiwigeo]

My thoughts on Telstra:

Telstra's service is cr*p and theyre sitting on an ageing copper network that's so decrepid its a timebomb waiting to go off. Broadband takeup in Australia is the third lowest in the world..simply because Telstra just hasnt bothered to spend the money to keep up with new technologies...the money has been diverted to the shareholders as healthy dividends to keep the share price bolstered up.

Under the leadership of Ziggy the poor state of the copper network and other issues got constantly swept under the carpet. Sol Trujillo has come on board only to find he's in charge of a company in a very poor state of health...possibly terminally ill.

Telstras share price has only stayed where it is because of its high dvidend yield....that cannot last and as soon as the yield starts dropping a large percentage of share holders like myself will be dumping the stock. That doesnt add up to a happy situation for the government as it tries to offload its remaining stake in the company.

Moving the governments shares into a future fund and releasing them over a period of time is only going to put off the inevitable...the government just isnt going to get the price it thought it would get for their shares and the company has a serious uphill fight looming against some serious competition.

[doug the slug]

well i had a visit today from a contractor working for telstra to fix my phoneline. mysteriously, a lind broke between my place and the rim about when he checked the rim before coming to talk to me and we had no phone for the afternoon. when i came home after picking up the kids from school i tried the phone but the noise on the line was even drowning out the dialtone. phoned through a complaint at 4.30 and was told a technician would contact me within 5 hours. its been seven hours now and guess what?????

[HiString]

Doug,

Were you given a test result by the consultant? Also were you told.........1) that a service specialist/tester would contact you, OR....2)were you given a commitment for a technician to attend?

[doug the slug]

Doug,

Were you given a test result by the consultant? Also were you told.........1) that a service specialist/tester would contact you, OR....2)were you given a commitment for a technician to attend?

no test result from todays test, just a line, an don reporting that i was told a tech would contact me with in 5 hours of 4.30 this arvo. anyone want to place a beton whether ive heard anything since the last post i made on this????

[HiString]

SWMBO is now in bed but frequently is "on the phones" (night shift) for said corporation. I gather it isn't uncommon for them to have to "defuse" and correct situations where incorrect or unclear information has been passed onto customers or where customers have misunderstood correct information. I suspect you wouldn't hear from a tech as I seem to recall that they knock off around 7pm, after that it is an after hours situation, also I suggest you check out what the "service standard" is, (what if any, is the guaranteed time for normal repairs).

[AlexS]

Normally I don't touch anything telemarketers are selling, justy on principle, but as I was planning to go to broadband anyway, I took up telstra's kind offer, which included free installation. I asked for a copy of the offer in writing, but was referred to a website which didn't have the details, so made them go over the offer in painstaking detail, while I took notes.

Yesterday, I received a letter from their Head of Customer Sales & Service, thanking me for purchasing their product, a $249 connection fee. I tried to ring them immediately on the number I'd ordered the broadband connection on. "Sorry, all our operators are busy, leave your name & number & we'll get back to you within 2 working days." Well that's OK, but by then my 10 day cooling off period will be over.

This morning, an identical letter arrived. Managed to get through this time, but the operator didn't know anything about the deal. He arranged to get the person I'd dealt with to ring back, which she did. Assured me that I shouldn't have received that letter, & should just ignore it. Yeah, sure. Then the $249 will appear on my bill, I'll refuse to pay it, telstra will cut off my phone, I'll go ballistic (not a pretty sight) and no one will be very happy. I've insisted that they send me a letter confirming that there is no installation cost.

Since this happened, I've spoken to a couple of other people who've received the same letter from telstra. There are a few things that upset me about this, both as a customer and a shareholder. Firstly, since the problem of people receiving the wrong letter is not a new one, why wasn't it fixed immediately? Why did I receive 2 copies of the wrong letter - surely one would have been enough? How much postage has been wasted? If a telephone company can't answer its calls, should I expect their broadband service to be any better? Should I complain to my local polly - waste of oxygen that he is - while the government is still a shareholder?

My daughter wanted a Mickey Mouse outfit - so I bought her telstra shares. :mad: (Not really)

[outback]

As a result of the techo here the other day, I have been contacted by Mr Telstra. He told me I would need a repeater, it was at the planning dept, and he gave me his contact details.
Whilst a little sceptical, last time this happened it did at least give me one person to annoy the crap out of until something happened.

[Wood Borer]

Alex,

I suggest you call Telstra and ask them for the telephone number of the Telecommunications Ombudsman or the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) who investigate such matters. They have to give you the numbers but the request may ignite some action giving you the service you are paying for and deserve.

The problem will not lie with the technical staff but with the "come in late, leave early, aren't we wonderful" sales and marketing people who seem to specialise in ambiguity.

Chances are the people who contacted you are not employees of Telstra but another company who are paid commissions for every service they sell. They also possibly get a kickback every time you pay your bill. They say they are from Telstra but they are no more Telstra staff than a car salesman is an employee of the car manufacturer.

Good luck.