You can depend on Telstra to do the (insert a word) thing

[JeffH]

Telstra is continuing to provide their usual standard of service'

24X7 CHAT

Status: Unavailable

Unfortunately the 24x7 Chat service is currently unavailable.

We're sorry for the inconvenience and hope to have things running smoothly again soon.

Please try again later

Not only is their bloated home page one of the slowest loading pages you could find, nothing ever seems to work. I changed my account details a month ago for direct debit and it didn't happen. Tried again now and maybe it happened, maybe not as no acknowledgement of my submission.
Tried to contact them as above [just felt like a chat with someone in Malaysia] to sort it out -see above. It did actually conect me (14th in the queue -is that their performance standard?) before dumping me with the "service unavailable" message.

Now looking for a contact phone number or email address but their support page does not seem to have them.

I forsee an argument now when they charge me a penalty for an overdue bill.

[JeffH]

Well interesting. Chat session never eventuated. I tried again later and started at 7th in the queue, jumped quickly to 4th before I was bumped to unavailable message.
Shortly after received an email;
"Hi Jeff,
Thanks for your time today. I trust I've addressed everything required.

If you want to chat to me again, you can reach me directly here

Chat to you soon,
Angelyn Mxxxxx
Employee Number: XNNNNNN"

Strange.

[Pedro]

Are you sure it was Telstra you were ringing Jeff? :angel:

Pedro

[ausjack]

Good old telstra never let the team down, or paying customers :dodgy: One day they might get their act together but I doubt it Where's Fulvio, he's just gonna love this

[JeffH]

I ended up sending in an on-line complaint form with my enquiry. Automated response says will take up to 5 days for a reply -that means a week in business speak.

[Fulvio]

Where's Fulvio, he's just gonna love this

Lurking. Why do you think I use Engin VoIP?

Tel$tra pissed me off 20 years ago when I used to give them $10,000 a year. When I threatened to take my business away, one of them laughed at me and said 'We're Telstra, you have no choice'. Took me a few years to find suitable alternatives, but I made good on my threat, and haven't given them a penny since. Despite being a shareholder and having friends who work there.

My current project is the NAB. I got really pissed off over that $3,500 of silver they sent to destruction (which my spies since tell me was snagged by someone at Armaguard anyway), and I'm identifying business I can take away from them... up to $7 million so far, and I will make sure the board knows the details of why they'll lose it.

[JeffH]

Goodness Fulvio. They have only done what Big Business always does to individuals (unless the individuals are billionaires).
How many  more dastardly companies are on your hit list? I can think of several you have previously mentioned but, on reflection, they may only be on your "never have anything to do with them" list.

Remember the golden rule of big business; "Look after number 1" -that is the executives and shareholders (not to be confused with the customers).

[Fulvio]

Remember the golden rule of big business; "Look after number 1" -that is the executives and shareholders (not to be confused with the customers).

Heh, they don't even look after us shareholders, trust me. Well, unless you own enough of them that is.

Don't have anyone else on my hit list right now. I do have a 'never to be dealt with under any circumstances' list, but they tend to be individual stores or businesses which have aggrieved me, not conglomerates. Well, apart from AGL, I suppose. And Microsoft of course. But then everybody hates M$, right?

[JeffH]

Telstra offers "24/7 service" so my wife rang up to report her mothers phone stopped working this morning.
First they refused to take her complaint as she is not listed as an authorised person on that account but she managed to convince the Telstra idiot that she was not ringing about account details, payment or any such that required personal details. In any case she knows enough that, if she had called claiming to be her mother, she would have easily passed any tests they have to confirm identity.
Then she was advised that it is do do with the NBN upgrade and the appointment to have an NBN modem installed tomorrow.

Well M-i-L doesn't have a computer and probably thinks NBN is a TV station (which it is).

Wife was told to call back tomorrow and they can investigate it then -NBN crews don't work Sundays and Telstra don't make service calls on a weekend*.

So "24/7 service" means, by Telstra definition; we have someone rostered to answer your service call so we can misinform you, tell you lies (NBN crew don't work today but still they managed to disconnect the phone) and not even log your report for action in normal hours.

*I wonder what happens next time there is a fire in Chatswood exchange that causes widespread (i.e. Australia wide) disruption to services and send SMS messages to wrong numbers with other service providers....and it is a weekend. I bet they manage to find some service crews then. They have managed to have two fires at that exchange in recent times.

[r9453]

I gave Telstra the flick about 10 years ago. In November last year, I needed a new ADSL connection at my house on the mid-north coast. I tried every ISP other than Telstra and none could provide a service. Finally, I relented and Telstra made the connection in four days. Now, I guess my troubles will commence although so far so good.

[JeffH]

Did you try Exetel? They provide ADSL using Telstra facilities.
A search of a random address in Coffs Harbour gave the result "Yes. An ADSL service is available at your address. Please choose one of our value-packed ADSL plans."

I went with them some years ago after too many problems with Telstra and got a better plan at lower cost. Their restricted hours service is actually better than Telstra's so called 24/7 service when you do strike a problem.

[r9453]

I'm not in Coffs Harbour, about 20km north. I get the impression it all depends on the exchange you are connected to and the ability to obtain a "port". I did not try Exetel but I did try the same provider the tenants were happily using two weeks prior and they (iPrimus) could not obtain a port (they called it a "slot"). In any case, I now have a contract with Telstra which is competitive on price compared to what the others had to offer.

[JeffH]

Supposedly if there is a spare Telstra port then Exetel can provide a service. I would not be surprised if Telstra withholds a few so they can finesse the competitors.

[r9453]

I have to admit I never heard of Exetel before. I entered my address and apparently, they can provide a service. However, all the ISPs indicate the same, it's when you place an order that they come back to you after a week or sometimes two and say they can't do it after all.

Incidentally, the Exetel price was more than I'm paying Telstra which brings up another point. None of the ISPs prices matches what they advertise online. It's always dearer when you speak to someone and place an order, in my experience.

[JeffH]

Truth NOT in advertising. I thought advertising a price and not honouring it was now illegal under present consumer law.
No doubt there is some loophole they take advantage of.