Credit: Dreamstime
Internet service provider Exetel has forked out $12,600 for an infringement notice issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for failing to lodge complaints reports on time.
During an investigation, ACMA found Exetel failed to lodge complaints information on three occasions by the due date and issued an infringement notice on one of these breaches.
As part of the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints) Record-Keeping Rules, large and medium-size telcos are required to report complaints information within 30 days at the end of each quarter to the ACMA. If companies breach these rules, the ACMA may commence court proceedings, seeking penalties and injunctions of up to $10 million.
“The ACMA relies on complaint data to understand the current issues facing Australian consumers with all their telecommunications services,” ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said.
“This infringement notice serves as a warning to Exetel and other service providers that the ACMA takes compliance with the reporting requirements seriously. We will take appropriate action if companies do not comply with the rules.”
In October, the ACMA came after Optus to obtain an external audit of its compliance with the rules.
V4 Telecom also received a formal warning in July after an investigation found that customers could not contact the telco to complain about service outages.
