TIO Complaints report Q4/2024 – the usual suspects let you down
The TIO Complaints Report Q4/2024 (Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman) reveals that it received 15,297 complaints, with Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, and TPG collectively accounting for 11,359 (75%).
Naturally, Telstra was worse (5591), Optus (3846), Vodafone (1270), and TPG (642), but to be fair, the figures reflect their market share. Of note are new entrants Medion Australia (Lenovo) and Circles Australia, which had massive 183.5/160.6% YoY increases.
Main offenders TIO Complaints report Q4/2024
| Providers | Complaint numbers this quarter | Same period last year | Same period last quarter | Quarter on quarter | Year on year |
| Telstra | 5,591 | 5,390 | 5,131 | 9.0% | 3.7% |
| Optus Group | 3,846 | 4,440 | 3,124 | 23.1% | -13.4% |
| Vodafone Australia Limited | 1,270 | 1,186 | 1,297 | -2.1% | 7.1% |
| TPG Group (owned by Vodafone) | 642 | 513 | 502 | 27.9% | 25.1% |
| iiNet Ltd | 545 | 419 | 441 | 23.6% | 30.1% |
| Southern Phone Company Ltd | 356 | 209 | 360 | -1.1% | 70.3% |
| Medion Australia Pty Limited | 275 | 97 | 166 | 65.7% | 183.5% |
| Aussie Broadband Limited | 248 | 222 | 231 | 7.4% | 11.7% |
| Dodo Services Pty Ltd | 217 | 230 | 258 | -15.9% | -5.7% |
| Circles Australia Pty Limited | 172 | 66 | 95 | 81.1% | 160.6% |
Why do consumers continue to accept this shoddy service?
The TIO noted substantial increases in cases against TPG (up 25.1%), iiNet (up 30.1%) and Southern Phone Company (up 70.3% owned by AGL Energy) but declined to comment further.
Lenovo owns Medion Australia and supplies Aldi stores with a range of consumer tech. It operates AldiMobile for Aldi. In January 2024, it was fined A$259,000 by the ACMA for failing to verify SIM swaps. This resulted in some users losing their phone number and pre-paid accounts. SIM swap scams are often used to send scam emails from the user’s accounts. AldiMobile uses the Telstra Wholesale network and has over 70% negative 1-star reviews. The TIO handled no or delayed action by the provider (168 cases), no phone or internet (58 cases) and equipment fees (48 cases).
Interestingly, Circles Life makes the claim ‘Australia’s Most Satisfied Customers’ by buying bodgy customer awards from Finder and Whistleout and flooding trust sites with glowing fake reviews. Clearly, this is not the case, and in January 2025, it closed its MVNO Operations and transferred all clients to Optus-owned Amaysim.
State issues
NSW led the complaints with 4663, Victoria 4167, Queensland 2795, WA 1179, SA 1086, Tasmania (250), ACT (210), and Darwin (76)—again, reflecting the population spread but all well up over the TIO Complaints report Q3/2024.
What were the main complaints in the TIO Complaints Report Q3/2024?
The full report is here, and most complaints were from consumers. In order of magnitude (YoY on brackets):
- No or delayed action by provider (9025)
- Service and Equipment fees (5286 – up 11.5%)
- No phone or internet (2085 up 26.2%)
- Intermittent service or dropout (1627 up 26.2%)
- Inadequate fault testing (1471 up 15%)
- Failure to cancel a service (1256 up 16.1%)
- Resolution agreed but not met (1025 down 28.6%)
- Non-financial loss – not privacy (994 down 13.5%)
- Delays in establishing a service (986 down 17.1%)
- Slow data speed (986 up 19/4%)
The TIO clawed back $366,453 for business customers and $587,280 for consumers. This shows the value of submitting a complaint.
TIO summary
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert said
We have seen an increase in consumers reaching out who are frustrated with their telcos. Everyone should have access to the service they’re promised, yet we are seeing an increase in persistent challenges with patchy service and dropouts and no phone or internet service. When you can’t use your telco service for everyday life and work, it can be a real barrier. I appreciate the work telcos do to resolve complaints directly, but with more people and small businesses reaching out to my office for help, there is clearly more that can be done.
CyberShack’s view: TIO Complaints report Q4/2024 shows yet another quarter of poor service. How long will we let these companies get away with this?
I live in a Telstra Blackspot, and because I use Woolworths for my mobile plan, Telstra will not talk to me. Woolworths regularly reports the issue, but nothing happens. When I was a Telstra direct customer, I often referred the blackspot to it. Ditto.
My neighbour is a rusted-on Telstra user. Despite his loyalty, when he goes to Erina (the closest Telstra store), he is told there is nothing wrong with the signal. He should buy a Blue Tick phone (he has a Galaxy S23 Ultra) and use Wi-Fi calling where possible.
So many readers have told us about their experiences with Telstra Blue Tick = BS, with Telstra selling expensive phones and 5G plans that simply won’t work where they live. Telstra refuses to refund the phones as home reception was not a condition of the sale.
These days, I report an issue, and invariably, nothing is done. The solution?
I encourage anyone experiencing an issue with their phone or internet service first to raise the issue with their telco, and if the matter can’t be resolved, to make a complaint with my Office. We are free, fair, and independent.” Ms Gebert said.
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