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.

From workshops with members of the Deaf community, consultation with experts, and literature research, the WA Deaf Society, supported by a grant from ACCAN, created accessible videos showing people how to avoid romance scams, lottery scams, credit card scams, and other scams on the Internet and produced a short report. 

Grant recipient: WA Deaf Society

Grant round: 2010 

You may have heard that a few days before Christmas the Government released the NBN business case – formally known as the NBN Co Corporate Plan 2011-2013. There was a flurry of media coverage focusing on the financial stuff and the many uncertain assumptions the Plan depends on. But there were also some interesting new details beyond the expenditure and rates of return.

Write comment (0 Comments)

Man with backpack on street smiling at phone

Download: docxTravelling overseas with a mobile phone50.95 KB

Download: pdfTravelling overseas with a mobile phone346.11 KB

If you are travelling overseas and would like to use your mobile phone you have a number of options to consider.

Write comment (2 Comments)

The National Relay Service is experiencing major interruptions due to the Queensland floods. The National Relay Service (NRS), a phone solution for people who are Deaf, hearing-impaired or speech-impaired, has been dramatically affected by the Brisbane floods. The NRS’s call centre, which is in Brisbane, has had to be evacuated and this has meant that all NRS calls – other than certain emergency calls – are currently unavailable.

These interruptions are continuing, and there is now information available in Auslan (Australian Sign Language).

Write comment (0 Comments)

Submission by ACCAN to the Australian Communications Media Authority regarding the 'Structure of Australia’s telephone numbering plan' consultation.

This submission addressed questions raised regarding geographic numbering. The views in this paper should be considered alongside ACCAN's recent super-complaint about charges incurred from mobile calls to 13, 1300 and 1800 numbers.

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.

Professor Michael Fraser AM has been named as the new Chair of the ACCAN Board following a meeting held in ACCAN’s Sydney office yesterday.

Write comment (0 Comments)

New research commissioned by ACCAN that has found only 7% of people who are dissatisfied with their way their provider has handled a problem or complaint take it to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).

Policy position banner image featuring a mother and daughter using laptops with a background of optic fibre 

ACCAN's broadband position statement, entitled Our Broadband Future, was launched at the ACCAN National Conference 2010 in Melbourne. ACCAN defines four principles that should guide broadband policy.

A submission by ACCAN about the National Disability Strategy. 

Articles 9 and 21 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disability articulate the role of communications in making sure that people with disability enjoy human rights, freedoms and respect like other people. The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) believes that access to information and communication services are an essential tool for all people with disability to be able to participate to the fullest extent possible in Australian society.