TIO: Telco complaints were down 15% last year

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has revealed its annual report summarising complaints from Australian telco consumers across the 2023-2024 financial year. Surprisingly, the headline statistic here is that there has been a 14.6 percent decrease in the total number of complaints made when compared to the 2022-2033 financial year.

There was, however, a more significant increase in complaints related to inadequate fault testing, where a technical issue wasn’t resolved. Delayed or “no action” by a provider also remains the primary source of frustration, making up 63 percent of the total complaints made to the TIO last financial year. So while the overall number of complaints was lower year on year, the nature of the complaints remained just as frustrating, even more so for customers seeking technical assistance, it seems.

On the reduced number of complaints, Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert had this to say:

The TIO also included a breakdown of where most of the complaints are coming from in Australia. Topping the list in New South Wales was the Central Coast region, with 857 total complaints. That's pretty impressive, that’s 46.7 percent more complaints than Sydney; mind you Sydney has a population of roughly five and a half million whereas the Central Coast has about six percent of that with a population of roughly 344,000.

Here’s where the TIO says most of its complaints came from the last financial year in each state.

New South Wales

16,567 complaints (15.5 per cent decrease)

1. Central Coast - 857 complaints
2. The Hills Shire - 843 complaints
3. Canterbury-Bankstown - 754 complaints
4. Blacktown - 699 complaints
5. Sydney - 584 complaints

Victoria

15,315 complaints (18 per cent decrease)

1. Wyndham - 822 complaints
2. Casey - 712 complaints
3. Whittlesea - 656 complaints
4. Hume - 601 complaints
5. Greater Geelong - 554 complaints

Queensland

10,267 complaints (17.6 per cent decrease)

1. Brisbane - 2,243 complaints
2. Gold Coast - 1,373 complaints
3. Moreton Bay - 1,115 complaints
4. Sunshine Coast - 909 complaints
5. Logan - 648 complaints

Western Australia

4,638 complaints (13 per cent decrease)

1. Wanneroo - 457 complaints
2. Stirling - 412 complaints
3. Swan - 304 complaints
4. Rockingham - 241 complaints
5. Gosnells - 232 complaints

Tasmania

839 complaints (24.5 per cent decrease)

1. Clarence - 94 complaints
2. Launceston - 74 complaints
3. Glenorchy - 64 complaints
4. Hobart - 59 complaints
5. Kingborough - 58 complaints

Northern Territory

266 complaints (20.1 per cent decrease)

1. Darwin - 103 complaints
2. Litchfield - 51 complaints
3. Palmerston - 47 complaints
4. Alice Springs - 33 complaints
5. East Arnhem - 12 complaints

Australian Capital Territory

730 complaints (22.4 percent decrease)

South Australia

1. Onkaparinga - 400 complaints
2. Port Adelaide Enfield - 332 complaints
3. Salisbury - 315 complaints
4. Charles Sturt - 306 complaints
5. Playford - 303 complaints