New data released by advocacy group Australian Communication Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has highlighted growing distrust between Australia's telcos and their customers.
Based on research attributed to ACCAN's Consumer Sentiment Tracker, the group found that 43% of consumers do not trust their mobile or home internet provider to act in their best interest. Another 47% do not trust their provider to recommend the best plan to suit their needs. Finally, 48% do not trust their provider to work to keep costs low.
ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett put it bluntly, saying that these figures will hardly be a surprise to "the many Australians who have experienced pushy sales tactics, bill shock, or services that don’t deliver what was promised".
ACCAN's latest research also found that 21% of consumers felt pressured to purchase a more expensive contract than they wanted and 42% experienced unexpected changes to their contract. In addition, 30% said that the coverage they received was different to what they were promised by their provider.
Off the back of these findings, Bennett called for an end of the era of industry self-regulation and a reform of the Telecommunications Act 1997.
“The data demonstrates that customers are feeling pressure to purchase pricey and unnecessary products, which is no surprise given that sales practices are self-regulated under the industry code," she said.
Bennett said that the current act promotes an approach that has failed consumers time and time again. Pointing to Optus' recent $100 million fine over "improper" conduct, she warned that harmful practices are still ongoing.
"This will not change until sales practices are properly regulated," she said.
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