Optus refunds Tegan $500 after billing issue

Tegan was having problems with her mobile bills from Optus. She had been trying to get in touch with Optus for some time but wasn’t able to get her issue resolved. Luckily, Tegan found Ajust’s resolution platform and within 3 days of making her complaint to Optus, the issue was resolved. Optus fixed the billing problem and refunded Tegan $500.

The Experience

Problem with Tegan’s mobile bill 

Everyone has to pay bills in return for the service provided by businesses like Optus. However, the bill needs to be fair and in line with what is agreed to between the consumer and business. Most of the time, billing is a relatively smooth process however there are occasions when something goes wrong.

Occasionally, consumers receive a bill that doesn’t match their agreement with a business. Glitches, errors and human mistakes can’t always be avoided. However, they can and should be fixed. When a customer sees something wrong with their bill, they need to be able to contact the business to have the issue resolved.

When Tegan received her bill, she immediately knew something was not right. The charges were well above expectations and simply not what she had agreed to. It was as though she was being charged for the brand new iPhone she wanted despite still using her 3 year old handset.

Tegan contacted Optus so she could get the problem resolved, however her calls for help didn’t seem to be heard.

The Complaint

I’m not being heard, nothing is being explained 

When Tegan got in touch with Optus, she struggled to find a resolution. Unfortunately, this went on for months. Every time she spoke to someone, Tegan had to repeat her story and request for help. Despite all of her efforts, nothing seemed to happen. Each subsequent month when she received her bill, she noticed the same issue.

When Tegan spoke to Optus, the complexity of her issue required escalation as it was beyond the capabilities of the frontline team. Tegan is a very understanding person so she wasn’t concerned by the fact that the team couldn’t resolve the issue immediately, however it was very frustrating that she wasn’t being called back as promised. She also didn’t feel like there was a reasonable explanation as to why the issue was happening in the first place.

All of this was understandably exhausting for Tegan. She just wanted to get her billing problem sorted. She didn’t want to spend more of her spare time on the line with Optus trying to get this issue sorted. The time was much better spent with family and friends or at the park with her dog.

Luckily when Tegan was scrolling through Instagram, she came across Ajust. She was excited that there was an easy way to make a complaint to Optus that didn’t involve her having to pick up the phone.

She filled out the relevant details, uploaded a copy of a recent bill and submitted her complaint. Ajust’s resolution platform made sure that Tegan’s complaint was sent to the right people at Optus so that they could fix her billing issue.

Just a bit more

If you’ve noticed an error on your telco bill, then you have the right to get this issue fixed.

You’ll need to get in touch with the business and tell them what happened. Once the telco has considered the issue, it’s up to them to provide a fair solution. If you’re unhappy with the resolution being offered or the issue isn’t being solved at all, you don’t need to give up. 

In Australia, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) exists to help consumers when they’re unable to resolve an issue with their telco.

If you want to know more about making a complaint to the TIO, here’s a guide that we prepared.

The Resolution

Optus refunds Tegan $500 

By using the Ajust platform, Tegan was able to make sure her complaint was taken directly to the right people and communicated in a way that was helpful for both parties.

When Optus received Tegan’s complaint that she created using Ajust’s resolution platform, they sprung into action. Just a few days later, Tegan had worked with an Optus team leader to come up with a solution to her issue. In the end, Tegan received a $500 refund from Optus.

Tegan wishes she found Ajust earlier as it would have saved her a lot of time on the phone and maybe she’d have a few less grey hairs!

Editor’s note: We’re always excited to share the experiences of consumers that have used Ajust. This Consumer Story is based on a real complaint made through our platform. But we’ve changed some details to protect the consumer's personal information and make the story more enjoyable for our readers.

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