Thanks for the update @karen_seager. It is surprising how hard you had to fight though, an unexpected experience considering ABB’s reputation and advertising, and the clarity of your original claim.
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Just a little extra advice here for future issues. Over the years there have been so many issues with Telstra. I have found that the best way is to chat with them online. There is always a record of the chat conversation you may keep; there is always a reference number; there is always a transcript so unlike telephone calls where they suddenly can’t seem to find the record, you have the records and can quote exactly at them what they said on X day and believe me it works.
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That is a good outcome, but I think the charge is excessive anyway. I have a free VoIP service as part of my ISP plan, mainly so people can ring me on ‘the landline’ (retaining my old landline number). If I need to ring someone in Australia, I use my mobile for which calls are part of the plan. If I do use the VoIP service, it is 10¢ a call. But international VoIP calls are billed by the minute and calls to the UK are 2¢ a minute or part of. Clearly @karen_seager doesn’t use the service much if she calls through a year and gets engaged and doesn’t follow up. $10 a month would cover a couple of hours per week conversation. Maybe worth investigating alternate VoIP plans. I had a quick look and freecall.net.au seems to provide the sort of service I am talking about. This is not a recommendation, just an example.
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Most RSPs, including ABB, have free numbers with outbound calls billed at various amounts. ABB is far from the cheapest or most expensive. I think since I took up NBN with them I have used $0.15 of ‘service’ and my mobile is cheaper to the US and most international destinations than their VOIP, and no extra cost for 13xxx numbers on my Aldimobile Super Pack.
plans with ABB or another.
FWIW many are still learning about the differences between PSTN and VOIP services and especially charges where trying to understand how they have the audacity to charge what ‘they’ (not ABB or just ABB) do for some things is challenging.
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I have been using VoIP from before the NBN, when my wife was calling her mum over PSTN and getting charged a couple of dollars a call, billed by the minute. I bought a Sipura SPA3000 ATA (analog telephone adapter), using it over ADSL, and dropped it to 10¢ a call. I think the ATA was $35, paid for itself in a few months. It is still being used over 10 years later with the old analog answering machine and three handsets. A friend bought an expensive modem/router but it didn’t have inbuilt VoIP. His ISP sold him one with inbuilt VoIP and he gave me the other one. It upgraded me to dual band WiFi.
A separate ATA is not for the faint hearted, setting them up is a lengthy and not well documented process. Most people will opt for the VoIP service provided by their ISP on an ISP configured modem/router. So most people are locked into whatever the ISP provides. Many people don’t realise that VoIP services are independent of the ISP, and a user can choose any VoIP provider, if they can configure their own modem.
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There are many issues with telecommunications that could be recitified, if ACMA did its job and the ACCC did their job.
The head of ACMA is Nerida O’Loughlin
Red building Benjamin Offices Chan St., Belconnen in Canberra
She is in charge, and should be called to account for not ensuring that Telcos fix the problems then and there as soon as they are reported…
All Telcos have an obligation to connect to all services. (Which they dont.)
For example ii-net blocks many local numbers in Canberra, causing severe damage to small business. Obviously this suits the two main corporation funded political parties, but not the people.
Nerida needs to be ruthlessly badgered, because she passes the buck to someone who claims it isn’t happening. It could be easily proven.
All telephones should have a faults service that can be called promptly.
If a consumer has to mess around trying to get their service fixed, they should be compensated.
If a number gives an engaged signal instead of a blocked call signal, then that is fraud.
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How do you know that II-net blocks these calls and that it harms small business?
Why would this suit the two main parties?
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Please do. You are making serious accusations that a company is not delivering the services for which its customers pay, which if supported by evidence could cause that entity a great deal of damage.
May I suggest you get everyone to join WHATS APP . I have a daughter in Washington DC and talk to her whenever I want ,and it costs NOTHING.
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There are many alternatives to traditional phone calling, many free - the original, Skype, Whats App, Facebook Messenger, Facetime, and others. It is a crowded market these days.
One obviously needs a device with a data plan on both ends to use them or nominally an internet connection as well as a minimally technically able person. Contrary to popular believe the USA as an example does not have internet everywhere although has better coverage than ourselves.
There also remains a segment of populations who are unequipped to deal with technological options as well as unable to learn despite applied one on one assistance. Lastly, everyone in the group needs to have the same app(s) and many push back on adding more as they pile up on their devices.
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Well strictly speaking it does not cost nothing. There is the cost of Internet connectivity to be considered by both parties, and the cost of devices that can run the software.
True but most people have them anyway. That is an I Phone and the wifi or broadband. Anyway just thought I would mention it. So much for bloody good broad band after what you had to go through to be compensated for services NOT rendered.
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Pronto! It depends?
Italy is the European Union’s third-largest economy, but comes second to last among 27 EU members in Internet usage, latest EU data show. Almost a fifth (17%) of Italians have never used the web and only 13% of households subscribe to superfast broadband connections of at least 100 megabytes.
Coverage varies, whether as dedicated broadband or using mobile data.
Ciao.
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100 megabytes? That would be a 1 gigabit plan. I venture to guess they put us in the shadows in comparison on that metric because of the wonderful multi-technology mix many are saddled with that are incapable, lack of need, or not justifiable/affordable at the price points.
This link is a company in the business of selling ‘search engine optimisation’, so take their page for what it is worth, but the stats are largely reflected by other sources.
When one has a digital life it is easy to expect everyone has a similar one, or to buy into hype/news to have other expectations re the larger community.
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Actually, it is not clear that this is talking about fast broadband as there is no unit specified as the denominator. 100 megabytes download limit per month? 100 megabytes/day download speed?
One wonders whether the Italian language is poorly represented online, and thus many Italians do not see much value in using the Internet. Italy does not have much in the way of former colonies, compared to countries like Spain and England (and to a lesser degree France and The Netherlands). If the ‘Italian Internet’ is limited to 60 million inhabitants of Italy then one can well imagine that it may have slower growth leading to slower up-take compared to the English language Internet.
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Good point. ‘Italian English’ can be quite difficult to understand, and despite Italy having many world class global products many companies continue to use local translators that can confound most non-Italian speakers.
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It all depends on which part of Italy your relatives live in or came from. More recent scientific and technical content uses common terms.
The SIL communicates with ex work mates and friends in Italy using Facebook. We’ve found FaceTime, Skype and iMessage are all low cost options, internet or data access required. The last iMessage only uses minimal data.
Australian’s can grumble about our mixed mode NBN and lack of mobile coverage. We are not alone. Scotland has a similar blend of solutions, being the somewhat outcast nation. They missed out on Satellite. The UK Govt went to great lengths to take phone lines to the nation. It decided with broadband it would not be so. Delivering ‘Decent Broadband’ was the promise.
There are still parts of Scotland where there is no continuous mobile coverage of main roads. There are premises without ‘Decent Broadband’.
Spoiler Alert:
‘Decent Broadband is a service of 10Mbps down and 1Mbps up. 
Mobile coverage across the UKis measured by how well one can receive all 4 of the major competing carriers 4G service indoors!
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I cant call them from my iinet service but I can call them from my mobile. I used to think all these numbers were disconnected, then I found I could call them from the mobile.
Furthermore, in one case, the recipient claims many people also tell them that they cant call their number but a friend can call them.
The two main parties favour public corporations over small business. In fact corporations are their main source of funding.
Yes, there is nothing to force them to call all numbers. There is a regulation that says they are supposed to, but ACMA doesn’t enforce it. I know it’s happening because my service cant call certain numbers and some recipients have been told that their number is a problem by other sources. I do have some witnesses, but I would have to take my witnesses to court to prove it. It is an elitist political system and I am not important enough to be listened to.
Lodge a FORMAL complaint with the Company, and if that fails then lodge a FORMAL complaint with the Ombudsman.
they, the Company will ALWAYS try to wiggle out of admitting a mistake and making a repayment, until they are forced to.
forget all the excuses offered by the NBN apologists here, they probably work for NBN.
