Almost every plan document in this site contains the same escalation instruction, and it is worth knowing before you need it. If your provider has not resolved a complaint, you can contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman on 1800 062 058.
What the published status is
The TIO is described in the same clause as free and independent. Both words are load-bearing. Free means a customer who has been overcharged or cut off does not have to weigh the cost of pursuing a small amount against the amount; independent means the body is not the provider deciding its own case.
When it is the right step
- The provider has not resolved the complaint after you have used its process.
- You have been charged for usage the plan document says is excluded.
- The service was stopped or cancelled and you believe the fair use policy was applied wrongly.
- The excess data charge you incurred was not disclosed in the way the plan document requires.
The first item is the ordering rule: the ombudsman is a step two. Going to it first usually costs you time, because the provider has to have had the chance to respond.
What to have ready
Keep the recharge receipt or transaction record, the dates, the SMS alerts you received about data limits and expiry, and the wording of the plan document on the day you bought. Every figure on this site links the archived provider text it came from, so you can check exactly what you agreed to at the time you agreed to it.
What we could not verify. Where a provider has not published a figure we mark it unknown rather than estimate it. Re-read the provider page linked below on the day you decide.