In October 2020 - a year ago, the NBN arrived and I took the opportunity to change provider from Optus (who for several years were unable to rectify a problem with calling the UK. The calls would not connect and according to Optus it was everyone and anyone else’s fault but theirs!) to Aussie Broadband. I wanted to also retain my landline (or convert to VOIP) mainly because all my family is in the UK and it is too expensive to call mobile phones. So I paid extra to have International calling on my line.
That process was fine until the technician came to install the modem and also to connect the VOIP and make sure it all worked. When he left, nothing worked so I called Aussie Broadband and with their help we managed to get the connection working. All along I kept reminding them that I needed to have access to international dialing. They assured me I had and it was all connected.
Now through the ensuing year I had tried several times to call family members only to have the engaged tone each time. I didn’t think much of it until earlier this month when I spent over 2 hours repeatedly redialling a number for the UK pension department in the UK. After the second day of doing this and making sure I was calling first thing in the morning their time as the office opened, I finally called Aussie Broadband. They told me the international dialling was blocked to avoid bill shock. When I asked why and when had it been blocked given that I had never actually been able to call anyone in the past year, they said that it was the default setting on set up. I asked why then had I been charged for the extra cost of having the service when they made it impossible for me to use it. And this despite me making to clear from the beginning that this was to am an essential service and for which I was happy to pay additional costs,
After some back and forth, Aussie Broadband claim that there is a single sentence in the ’ Critical details’ fact sheet that says this blocking is the case and the customer must ask for it to be lifted. They can offer no reason why what I had done did not comply with that expectation. They refuse to make any refund of monies paid.
Meanwhile I have paid extra costs for over a year for a service they were not providing. They are now meant to be searching for the telephone recordings to ’ prove’ they are right and I am wrong since they do not believe my account of the conversations.
Has anyone else had this issue?