Media Releases

ACCAN's work informs public debate about consumer issues in the communications landscape.  Welcome to our collection of the latest news and current affairs that impact communications consumers. 

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Alec Bennetts
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The creator of Vodafail.com, Adam Brimo, has submitted a damning 30-page document to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that summarises the experiences of 12,000 Vodafone customers in relation to poor 3G network coverage, customer service and complaint handling by the telco.

The report, Vodafone situation: yesterday, today and tomorrow, analyses thousands of similar stories from customers about hours spent on hold to Vodafone’s call centre trying to make a complaint about its 3G network issues, including frequent call dropouts and delayed receipt of voicemail and text messages.

ACCAN welcomes Vodafone Chief Executive Nigel Dews’s apology to millions of frustrated customers who have experienced network problems in recent months and says it marks the start of a long journey back for the company to restore its customer service reputation.

Peak communications consumer body ACCAN has welcomed the Government’s move to greatly improve media access for people who are Deaf, blind, or who have vision or hearing impairments, by improving television captioning and trialling an audio description television broadcast service.

Annual complaints data released by the Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman (TIO) reveals telco complaints remain at unacceptably high levels, according to peak communications consumer body, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN).

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network says the passing of landmark legislation in the House of Representatives today heralds a new era in telecommunications that will benefit telco consumers through improved competition and consumer protection measures.

New Galaxy research commissioned by ACCAN has found one in two telco customers have experienced a problem with their phone or internet service provider in the past year, with technical problems, customer service and complaint handling topping the list of complaints.

The Australian Communication Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes today’s announcement of an inquiry into customer service by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) at the CommsDay Summit in Sydney.

Australia's 22 million consumers and 2 million businesses are not receiving adequate attention in the current debate about telecommunications reform according to ACCAN, Australia’s peak communications consumer organisation.

Telstra’s decision to charge consumers a fee of $2.20 for paying their bills is ill timed and a bad deal for consumers, according to the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), Australia’s new watchdog for communications consumers.

Seven projects have been successful in the second round of the ACCAN Independent Grants Scheme.

ACCAN CEO Allan Asher today congratulated the diverse range of recipients including Able Australia Services, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Council on the Ageing WA, Danielle Notara, the Institute for Interactive Media and Learning (UTS), Novita Children’s Services, and a joint project between the Swinburne Institute for Social Research, Centre for Appropriate Technology, and Central Land Council.

The Australian Communication Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) says the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) report, Mobile capped plans, barely scratches the surface of the extent of problems Australian consumers are experiencing in relation to mobile phone bills.

The Australian Communication Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is strongly advising consumers to opt for a pre-paid plan when Apple releases its iPad 3G in Australia on May 28 to avoid the dreaded “bill shock” experienced by 3G smartphone owners hit with excess data usage charges.