How frustrating is it to get help from Telstra ? I went to the Telstra shop on Friday to get help with activating a prepaid Telstra WiFi with my new iPad after I had run into a problem trying to follow their simple how to guide. After driving 10kms and battling the Xmas shoppers just trying to get into the shopping mall I'm told that I will have to speak to a technician but unfortunately none will be available for 2 hours, I opt instead to make an appointment for the first time slot on the Monday (9am). After arriving promptly at 9am I'm told I will have to wait until the technician finishes with someone else probably in about half an hour as the appointment time was really only an approximate guide. Finally I get my time with the tech. who decides just to bypass the iPad and activate the Wifi using our existing phone account but it may be up to 24hrs before I know if it's working. I then asked him how do I get a problem fixed with my Foxtel continually losing the signal and the IQ box not recording - easy he can contact the Foxtel technician to come and check it out. Problem is he can't contact Foxtel as the Telstra account is in my wife's name so she will have to come into the shop and report it herself. I suggest to him just to save the mucking around give me their number and I will contact them myself - sorry he is not allowed to do that as the account is not in my name. I then asked him if I decided not to connect the NBN which I am seriously considering due to all of the problems that people are having after its done what will I lose - sorry he cannot give me these details as I am not the account holder. By this time I was becoming a little bit frustrated so I suggested that I will go home and along with my wife promptly cancel our Telstra Foxtel, my bigpond account, our 2 Telstra mobiles, my landline and throw this WiFi that I had bought for travelling into the bin - he reluctantly gave me the Foxtel Techs. number with strict instructions that my wife must be with me when I make that call.
Alternatively he told me that I could have saved all the hassle of going to the shop by ringing Telstra to get help, I said from my past experience I really wasn't that keen on trying to explain my issue to someone sitting in India - he said no problem our call centre is in the Philipines.. all up that is probably 4 hours of my life that I am never going to get back. Is it just me being impatient or do other people feel as frustrated as I do when dealing with this mob ?
JackoFJR said
08:02 AM Dec 13, 2016
I must be lucky, I have always found Telstra to be very good when I have had a problem .
Hey Jim said
08:19 AM Dec 13, 2016
Bear,
, Live and Learn. Go next door and get a kid to do it =$5.
Works every time.
Jim
marto1944 said
08:28 AM Dec 13, 2016
Bear I have the utmost sympthy for you I have just experienced similar events with changes to our SMSF and the NBN changover we had all this so called security is starting to peeve me off
peter
Cupie said
08:56 AM Dec 13, 2016
I have had very little in the way of problems with Telstra.
BTW, if you know a current or past Telstra employee, then they can help if you are experiencing problems. They have access to a special Alumni contact who will manage their & their family or friends issues. I have used it for a complicated billing issue that my Daughter was having trouble resolving.
NBN is a worry though. Unfortunately my area is about to have NBN availability via our existing Co-ax cable (HFC they now call it).
I currently get a constant 115Mbps download & 200gig/month on a bundle with my landline. I can't find a comparable NBN based alternative. So it looks like I'll hold out until I am forced to change when they switch off the copper connected land line in about 18mths.
Bloody Govt. & their half baked NBN. It's a National disgrace. The only answer was and still is Fiber to the Premises. Politicians have buggered it up again.
Dougwe said
09:12 AM Dec 13, 2016
Dave, phone would have been worse maybe. I know you need internet conection but I go to Telstra web page, open my account and use 'live chat' much better than a voice chat.
rockylizard said
09:13 AM Dec 13, 2016
Cupie wrote:
SNIP~~~ I currently get a constant 115Mbps download & 200gig/month on a bundle with my landline. I can't find a comparable NBN based alternative. So it looks like I'll hold out until I am forced to change when they switch off the copper connected land line in about 18mths.
Gday...
Who is your internet provider? In which major city are you located? Where in the major city are you located?
This review seems to have missed whoever is providing your internet
You get the bravery award for going to Charlestown Square this time of the year.
Hope you get it sorted BB, I found that the Telstra live chat has been very useful/helpful in past to sort comms issues.
Cheers
Vince
Yuglamron said
09:53 AM Dec 13, 2016
You must be bloody lucky to use chat on Telstra. I tried three times last week in Qld. First time I started at 23rd in line three hours later I was number 19. Never got past tenth in line and just gave up after hours waiting. Partly because of having to refresh page all the time.
I had bought a prepaid Wi Fi and before I purchased it asked the girl in the Telstra store to check the coverage map. All good, Good indoor for phone and internet. I am just 6.2 K's from the Centre of Hervey Bay. The Towers are on the tops of hills. Internet and Phone. ABSOLUTE RUBBISH.
I get SMS texts sometimes hours later but phone NO Internet sometimes in the wee hours I get the net.
Won't ever get better, they won't spend money on the coverage because that will go when the NBN Comes. When will that be? No Bloody idea because the NBN site has no info re roll out in HB Just sign up to get emails about the roll out. Did that two years ago, No Email surprise surprise.
Ever wondered why the Telstra store in the shopping malls are so busy and Optus and all the rest are not......... Might it be people complaining and trying to get their issues dealt with.
macka17 said
10:20 AM Dec 13, 2016
Well. We been with Telstra for over 40 yrs. phone and net.
Only ever had a coupla bad problems and they always gave very nice cash bonus or free services as apology.
That live chat is the only way to go for tech and updates.
The secret is. A little bit of patience.
Pick a time when you on computer anyway. even if only playing cards. Open box on page and get in queue. I'm often anything from 4 to 37 the most so far.
Open another page. and just do your thing on computer with earphone in. When they come on However long it takes. it beeps. then you get on with it. whatever.
If you not happy with Philipina Operator, Just ask for supervisor.
but I find most (98%) are verbally legible nowadays. and ALL very \super helpful.
Anybody who has trouble with those kids is either super impatient. or bad tempered . They're beautiful people as a breed.
Telstra has ONLY twice. ever not been able to fix my requests, A new modem was in mail same day. and t'other one. they came and laid new cable from box on other side of road to my house.
I wouldn't use any other service, personally.
I don't understand (after my experiences with the operators) how anybody could be having problems
with anything but major problems with Telstra.
They've always fixed 99% of mine.
And They ,when it does happen. just escalate to next level. 2 days. Tech calls.
If necessary, within the week knock on door. and always so far fixed.
There must be some very inpatient people on here is all I can say.
Think back to when YOU were a young worker. and have a little patience with them. There are usually a lot more than you on the line with their volume of custom.
How they keep so chirpy and smiling is beyond me the whingers they must get.
Hey Yug....
6.2 km is long way from tower.
Normally after 2 km's it starts dropping down in speed.
We 4.3km.
Up is 7.4 on a good day.Down around .65\75
A lot of people don't realise the importance of radii from tower.
there is an app to tell you. some may be surprised.
We got email yesterday "Almost here" NBN.
Tech that installed nodes said at least 3 months so not holding breath.
A few round here already on.
Very happy. straight switch over. With 5 or 6 times original speeds.
No extra costing. We'll see hey.
-- Edited by macka17 on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 10:25:29 AM
-- Edited by macka17 on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 10:34:34 AM
Desert Dweller said
10:46 AM Dec 13, 2016
JackoFJR wrote:
I must be lucky, I have always found Telstra to be very good when I have had a problem .
Another happy Telstra customer, they are so helpful!
Knightrider said
10:50 AM Dec 13, 2016
Firstly, "getting help from Telstra" is an Oxymoron. Bit like an intelligent & caring politician! Anyway, you can get the opportunity to vote in the A.M.U.I.O. awards and the Grand Final will be battled out between Telstra & Australia Post. What are those awards I hear you say - Australia's Most Useless Inefficient Organisation Award. Have a Happy Christmas.
Santa said
10:53 AM Dec 13, 2016
No complaints from me, been with Telstra for ever, very few hiccups, and what there were dealt with promptly.
If your having problems with an Apple product why not visit the Apple store?
Santa said
10:56 AM Dec 13, 2016
Knightrider wrote:
Firstly, "getting help from Telstra" is an Oxymoron. Bit like an intelligent & caring politician! Anyway, you can get the opportunity to vote in the A.M.U.I.O. awards and the Grand Final will be battled out between Telstra & Australia Post. What are those awards I hear you say - Australia's Most Useless Inefficient Organisation Award. Have a Happy Christmas.
I must admit I do find it frustrating in the Telstra shops now with the queues, but it appears to be no different to Apple, as my son said he waited 2.5 hours for an issue with his super duper phone at the Apple store in Adelaide the other day. Just another reduction in staff numbers to provide timely service, I guess.
That said, I have always been attended to within a reasonable time (20 minutes I think is my longest wait), and my issues or requests cleared up quickly.
When we were away last year, the help centre, wherever it is, was also reasonable to deal with, and had us on line quickly.
All in all I am glad I have stayed with Telstra over the years, and would recommend no one else for travellers, as our mobiles and mobile internet have served us well around the country
Santa said
11:32 AM Dec 13, 2016
TheHeaths wrote:
I must admit I do find it frustrating in the Telstra shops now with the queues, but it appears to be no different to Apple, as my son said he waited 2.5 hours for an issue with his super duper phone at the Apple store in Adelaide the other day. Just another reduction in staff numbers to provide timely service, I guess.
That said, I have always been attended to within a reasonable time (20 minutes I think is my longest wait), and my issues or requests cleared up quickly.
When we were away last year, the help centre, wherever it is, was also reasonable to deal with, and had us on line quickly.
All in all I am glad I have stayed with Telstra over the years, and would recommend no one else for travellers, as our mobiles and mobile internet have served us well around the country
Perhaps Apple Aust need a few lessons from Apple Cupertino, my wife needed help while in California a few months ago, easy, make an appointment, walk into crowded store at the arranged time and was immediately directed to the person who will look at, and hopefully fix the issue, yes, they did.
The Belmont Bear said
12:13 PM Dec 13, 2016
Vince like you being a resident of Lake Macquarie I would never attempt to go to Charlestown or Kotara at this time of year, I chose the best of 3 bad options Glendale. Being a shareholder I am glad to see that at least some people are happy with their Telstra service and like Macka I have been with them for over 40 years. As far as assistance with past problems I have experienced a mixed bag some very good some quite poor mainly it will depend on the person that you end up with and their understanding of the issue. Santa if I was having a problem with the iPad I would have gone to Apple but the message I was getting for 2 weeks when trying to activate the WiFi "Telstra are currently experiencing a problem with proceeding to the next step but don't worry we are working on it - please try again later ".
This east lakes area was one of the pioneer areas for the NBN rollout in Australia and believe me the feedback I get from people who have so far switched is fairly negative. My 86 year old father got his landline taken off last week after numerous failed attempts by Telstra to get it working properly after the NBN installation, he now relies entirely on his mobile for communication.
Totally agree with the parallels between the Apple Store and The Telstra shop there seems to be myriads of staff walking the floor just waiting to pounce on people when they walk in to buy something. The help side seems undermanned and overworked in trying to deal with those who are looking for assistance with products that they have already spent their money on. Macka don't get me wrong I don't have a problem with the Philipinos or Indians, I have a problem with trying to make someone understand what my issue is. This is made worse by us both speaking in accented english, I would much prefer to be showing someone face to face. The young fellah at the Apple Store told us while setting up and showing us probably for the 6th time the functions of the new iPad that we had just purchased "Don't worry I try to take it very slowly with people of a similar age to my parents as I know that you didn't grow up with this stuff like we of the younger generation did ". Cheeky bugger but probably true..by the way the Wifi is now working.
Maybe the 2 hour wait was because it was the Xmas rush and is not the normal state of affairs.
The Belmont Bear said
12:25 PM Dec 13, 2016
Santa you posted just after my last reply - Apple Stores are the same here I thought that after I made that appointment at Telstra it would work the same way.
-- Edited by The Belmont Bear on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 12:27:13 PM
Cupie said
12:32 PM Dec 13, 2016
rockylizard wrote:
Cupie wrote:
SNIP~~~ I currently get a constant 115Mbps download & 200gig/month on a bundle with my landline. I can't find a comparable NBN based alternative. So it looks like I'll hold out until I am forced to change when they switch off the copper connected land line in about 18mths.
Gday...
Who is your internet provider? In which major city are you located? Where in the major city are you located?
This review seems to have missed whoever is providing your internet
John ... This review seems to be for Mobile internet. (3G & 4G).
My results are for fixed broadband , on what was Telstra co-axial cable (Initially installed for Foxtel but now owned by NBN & operated by Telstra). I have a super fast cable BB with a free speed boost. Brisbane area.
Of course when I go off from my ethernet connection (ie PC plugged into the modem) to WiFi the speed drops to around 30Mbs.
aussie_paul said
12:49 PM Dec 13, 2016
Dougwe wrote:
Dave, phone would have been worse maybe. I know you need internet conection but I go to Telstra web page, open my account and use 'live chat' much better than a voice chat.
Doug, I now use the 'live chat' format with a number of providers. I was afraid that I did not type fast enough BUT it works well for me now. Scared of the unknown I guess.
Aussie Paul.
rockylizard said
12:58 PM Dec 13, 2016
Cupie wrote:
John ... This review seems to be for Mobile internet. (3G & 4G).
My results are for fixed broadband , on what was Telstra co-axial cable (Initially installed for Foxtel but now owned by NBN & operated by Telstra). I have a super fast cable BB with a free speed boost. Brisbane area.
Of course when I go off from my ethernet connection (ie PC plugged into the modem) to WiFi the speed drops to around 30Mbs.
Gday...
As I asked ... your statement was not quite 'representative' of what one could 'normally' expect from their ISP .... given your location and set-up.
Perhaps this puts available, and achievable, internet speed into perspective ...
-- Edited by rockylizard on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 01:00:24 PM
CC Bear said
01:46 PM Dec 13, 2016
Hey macka we are the reverse, no mobile phone or internet, talk to the call centre they read of the screen and will not listen to you.
Arrange a tech to come out 3 weeks minimum and then cancelled without telling you. Phone lines that are so old and degraded that high humidity is enougth to cause drop out and most time just plan slow. Can not explain to the call centre and always get lost during a transfer to someone else.
Telstra is rot and I have to wait 12 months before my contact is finish. Optus is no better and no other mob wants to service this area. Merry Christmas.
Cupie said
02:29 PM Dec 13, 2016
rockylizard wrote:
(snip)
Gday...
As I asked ... your statement was not quite 'representative' of what one could 'normally' expect from their ISP .... given your location and set-up.
Perhaps this puts available, and achievable, internet speed into perspective ...
My point was that the first link was a report on Mobile BB while my post was referring to Fixed BB.
The second one that you provided looks at Fixed.
Perhaps my experience is not representative of the general fixed BB situation, but is I suspect, typical of those Telstra Customers using the Co-ax connection. My neighbors get similar results.
The comparisons in the rating would be of more use if the composition (ratios) of the customer base connection types were available.
eg. % of ADSL, FttP, HCF,FttN, Customer selected speed.
The second link report actually pointed out that the 'Best'' providers results are skewed by the superfast connections offered to a couple of estates, as a significant part of their customer base. I suspect that others like Telstra, Optus & perhaps iiNet have a relatively high % of ADSL customers still. This would bring their average down.
It would be easy to improve your rating in this survey by just walking away from ADSL1/2.
Who was it who said "Lies Dam Lies & Statistics". You can get statistics to support almost any argument that you want to run. I have experience in that area having experiences statistical performance measures being the greatest influence on my daily work life (& remuneration) for the last 20years of my working life. My favorite companion was a small publication "How to Lie With Statistics" which pointed out many of the most common statistical fallacies/devices/errors.
I don't think that I was missed in the survey as it seems that the source of the data was from the speed test mob Ookla. I use that regularly so I suppose that they identify me as a Telstra customer although I don't directly provide that info. I just check my speed on their site.
Oops .. 2nd edit ..
I went back & read the Business Insider report once again & noted this .. which emphasises the point that I was rather ineptly trying to make ..
"Fastest ISPs in Australia
Looking at the results for overall performance Australia-wide, we see a trend that continues from last year; once again the NBN-only ISPs lead the charge when it comes to performance. It's no surprise really, as the ISPs that are selling a mixture of connection types have their overall performance dragged down by the older technologies they support, such as ADSL1, which is still surprisingly common in Australia."
It rather devalues the headline doesn't it, but why let the facts get in the way of a good story!
-- Edited by Cupie on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 02:35:51 PM
-- Edited by Cupie on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 02:44:13 PM
brickies said
03:03 PM Dec 13, 2016
JIM is spot on the Kid next door or grandkids .
meetoo said
03:56 PM Dec 13, 2016
macka17 wrote:
If you not happy with Philipina Operator, Just ask for supervisor.
but I find most (98%) are verbally legible nowadays. and ALL very \super helpful.
Anybody who has trouble with those kids is either super impatient. or bad tempered .
Hard to believe most replies here are in the affirmative for the Manilla / Indian call centres.They can be hugely frustrating. Yes they can speak the lingo, but often have absolutely no understanding of what you are trying to get through to them. To get them to understand is often a major challenge. You can explain all you like and then they go and say they understand you to be saying something completely different. After waiting on the phone for too long, trying to work out crazy menu's that take you to another long wait, explaining for an hour or so, does not make it that we are super impatient or bad tempered. It makes it that we are the chumps at the end of the telco's and others cost cutting at our expense. It is just not Telstra etc, but Utilities as well, even Centrelink. We the customer deserve more respect!
Cheers, John.
The Belmont Bear said
04:02 PM Dec 13, 2016
Thanks Brickles for coming back to the subject of the OP - I was commenting more on Telstra's customer support rather than the overall performance of their network which I personally don't have a problem with (other than this half baked NBN). I am not joking my 3 year old grandson knows more about using my current iPhone 6 than I do.
Vince said
05:02 PM Dec 13, 2016
The Belmont Bear wrote:
Vince like you being a resident of Lake Macquarie I would never attempt to go to Charlestown or Kotara at this time of year, I chose the best of 3 bad options Glendale.
I forgot Glendale has a Telstra shop, thanks for the reminder.
Aus-Kiwi said
05:12 PM Dec 13, 2016
Help and Telstra shouldn't be in one sentence !! With me at present !!
Snippy said
06:26 PM Dec 13, 2016
Have had multiple 2+ hour sessions with Telstra since Last Wednesday. When poor english speaking philipinos could not solve the problem, just dumped me back in the queue.
Back to the ombudsman again 3rd time in a year. Each time this happens I get heaps of credits on my bill, justice as far as I am concerned.
I worked in Telstra call centres for 2 years after I sold my business, prior to retirement. I know what goes on.....not much when it comes to customer service.
Cupie said
06:33 PM Dec 13, 2016
I reckon that we have probably reached the point where a company could stage a huge PR coup by announcing that they were going to migrate ALL of their customer contact centers back to Australia and drop the Call Center management model.
I think that we all dislike off shore call centers. I know I do.
Towards the end of my working days I managed several customer interface areas & fought extremely hard (& successfully) to prevent my centers being pulled into the Call Center basket. I refused to adopt the Call Center practices and we consistently out performed them. But I suppose that they won in the end by giving me a very generous golden handshake. But the centers stayed out of the call center model to this day almost 20 years later.
ps. I can recall sitting in a meeting where the Union Rep sought assurances that we were not about to off shore their members jobs to ... The Philipines! The Manager with responsibility for Call centers assured them that they had no plans to do so. Which I knew was a lie. Hard to keep a straight face or to keep the faith.
-- Edited by Cupie on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 06:34:20 PM
How frustrating is it to get help from Telstra ? I went to the Telstra shop on Friday to get help with activating a prepaid Telstra WiFi with my new iPad after I had run into a problem trying to follow their simple how to guide. After driving 10kms and battling the Xmas shoppers just trying to get into the shopping mall I'm told that I will have to speak to a technician but unfortunately none will be available for 2 hours, I opt instead to make an appointment for the first time slot on the Monday (9am). After arriving promptly at 9am I'm told I will have to wait until the technician finishes with someone else probably in about half an hour as the appointment time was really only an approximate guide. Finally I get my time with the tech. who decides just to bypass the iPad and activate the Wifi using our existing phone account but it may be up to 24hrs before I know if it's working. I then asked him how do I get a problem fixed with my Foxtel continually losing the signal and the IQ box not recording - easy he can contact the Foxtel technician to come and check it out. Problem is he can't contact Foxtel as the Telstra account is in my wife's name so she will have to come into the shop and report it herself. I suggest to him just to save the mucking around give me their number and I will contact them myself - sorry he is not allowed to do that as the account is not in my name. I then asked him if I decided not to connect the NBN which I am seriously considering due to all of the problems that people are having after its done what will I lose - sorry he cannot give me these details as I am not the account holder. By this time I was becoming a little bit frustrated so I suggested that I will go home and along with my wife promptly cancel our Telstra Foxtel, my bigpond account, our 2 Telstra mobiles, my landline and throw this WiFi that I had bought for travelling into the bin - he reluctantly gave me the Foxtel Techs. number with strict instructions that my wife must be with me when I make that call.
Alternatively he told me that I could have saved all the hassle of going to the shop by ringing Telstra to get help, I said from my past experience I really wasn't that keen on trying to explain my issue to someone sitting in India - he said no problem our call centre is in the Philipines.. all up that is probably 4 hours of my life that I am never going to get back. Is it just me being impatient or do other people feel as frustrated as I do when dealing with this mob ?
Bear,
Works every time.
Jim
peter
I have had very little in the way of problems with Telstra.
BTW, if you know a current or past Telstra employee, then they can help if you are experiencing problems. They have access to a special Alumni contact who will manage their & their family or friends issues. I have used it for a complicated billing issue that my Daughter was having trouble resolving.
NBN is a worry though. Unfortunately my area is about to have NBN availability via our existing Co-ax cable (HFC they now call it).
I currently get a constant 115Mbps download & 200gig/month on a bundle with my landline. I can't find a comparable NBN based alternative. So it looks like I'll hold out until I am forced to change when they switch off the copper connected land line in about 18mths.
Bloody Govt. & their half baked NBN. It's a National disgrace. The only answer was and still is Fiber to the Premises. Politicians have buggered it up again.
Gday...
Who is your internet provider? In which major city are you located? Where in the major city are you located?
This review seems to have missed whoever is providing your internet
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/network-speed-heres-how-australias-biggest-telcos-stack-up-2016-6
Cheers - John
Hope you get it sorted BB, I found that the Telstra live chat has been very useful/helpful in past to sort comms issues.
Cheers
Vince
You must be bloody lucky to use chat on Telstra. I tried three times last week in Qld. First time I started at 23rd in line three hours later I was number 19. Never got past tenth in line and just gave up after hours waiting. Partly because of having to refresh page all the time.
I had bought a prepaid Wi Fi and before I purchased it asked the girl in the Telstra store to check the coverage map. All good, Good indoor for phone and internet. I am just 6.2 K's from the Centre of Hervey Bay. The Towers are on the tops of hills. Internet and Phone. ABSOLUTE RUBBISH.
I get SMS texts sometimes hours later but phone NO Internet sometimes in the wee hours I get the net.
Won't ever get better, they won't spend money on the coverage because that will go when the NBN Comes. When will that be? No Bloody idea because the NBN site has no info re roll out in HB Just sign up to get emails about the roll out. Did that two years ago, No Email surprise surprise.
Ever wondered why the Telstra store in the shopping malls are so busy and Optus and all the rest are not......... Might it be people complaining and trying to get their issues dealt with.
Well.
We been with Telstra for over 40 yrs. phone and net.
Only ever had a coupla bad problems
and they always gave very nice cash bonus or free services as apology.
That live chat is the only way to go for tech and updates.
The secret is. A little bit of patience.
Pick a time when you on computer anyway. even if only playing cards.
Open box on page and get in queue.
I'm often anything from 4 to 37 the most so far.
Open another page.
and just do your thing on computer with earphone in.
When they come on However long it takes. it beeps.
then you get on with it. whatever.
If you not happy with Philipina Operator, Just ask for supervisor.
but I find most (98%) are verbally legible nowadays.
and ALL very \super helpful.
Anybody who has trouble with those kids is either super impatient.
or bad tempered . They're beautiful people as a breed.
Telstra has ONLY twice. ever not been able to fix my requests,
A new modem was in mail same day. and t'other one.
they came and laid new cable
from box on other side of road to my house.
I wouldn't use any other service, personally.
I don't understand (after my experiences with the operators)
how anybody could be having problems
with anything but major problems with Telstra.
They've always fixed 99% of mine.
And They ,when it does happen. just escalate to next level.
2 days. Tech calls.
If necessary, within the week
knock on door. and always so far fixed.
There must be some very inpatient people on here is all I can say.
Think back to when YOU were a young worker.
and have a little patience with them.
There are usually a lot more than you on the line with their volume of custom.
How they keep so chirpy and smiling is beyond me
the whingers they must get.
Hey Yug....
6.2 km is long way from tower.
Normally after 2 km's it starts dropping down in speed.
We 4.3km.
Up is 7.4 on a good day.Down around .65\75
A lot of people don't realise the importance of radii from tower.
there is an app to tell you. some may be surprised.
We got email yesterday "Almost here" NBN.
Tech that installed nodes said at least 3 months so not holding breath.
A few round here already on.
Very happy. straight switch over. With 5 or 6 times original speeds.
No extra costing. We'll see hey.
-- Edited by macka17 on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 10:25:29 AM
-- Edited by macka17 on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 10:34:34 AM
Another happy Telstra customer, they are so helpful!
Firstly, "getting help from Telstra" is an Oxymoron. Bit like an intelligent & caring politician! Anyway, you can get the opportunity to vote in the A.M.U.I.O. awards and the Grand Final will be battled out between Telstra & Australia Post. What are those awards I hear you say - Australia's Most Useless Inefficient Organisation Award. Have a Happy Christmas.
No complaints from me, been with Telstra for ever, very few hiccups, and what there were dealt with promptly.
If your having problems with an Apple product why not visit the Apple store?
And seasons greetings to you to Mr Grinch.
That said, I have always been attended to within a reasonable time (20 minutes I think is my longest wait), and my issues or requests cleared up quickly.
When we were away last year, the help centre, wherever it is, was also reasonable to deal with, and had us on line quickly.
All in all I am glad I have stayed with Telstra over the years, and would recommend no one else for travellers, as our mobiles and mobile internet have served us well around the country
Perhaps Apple Aust need a few lessons from Apple Cupertino, my wife needed help while in California a few months ago, easy, make an appointment, walk into crowded store at the arranged time and was immediately directed to the person who will look at, and hopefully fix the issue, yes, they did.
Vince like you being a resident of Lake Macquarie I would never attempt to go to Charlestown or Kotara at this time of year, I chose the best of 3 bad options Glendale. Being a shareholder I am glad to see that at least some people are happy with their Telstra service and like Macka I have been with them for over 40 years. As far as assistance with past problems I have experienced a mixed bag some very good some quite poor mainly it will depend on the person that you end up with and their understanding of the issue. Santa if I was having a problem with the iPad I would have gone to Apple but the message I was getting for 2 weeks when trying to activate the WiFi "Telstra are currently experiencing a problem with proceeding to the next step but don't worry we are working on it - please try again later ".
This east lakes area was one of the pioneer areas for the NBN rollout in Australia and believe me the feedback I get from people who have so far switched is fairly negative. My 86 year old father got his landline taken off last week after numerous failed attempts by Telstra to get it working properly after the NBN installation, he now relies entirely on his mobile for communication.
Totally agree with the parallels between the Apple Store and The Telstra shop there seems to be myriads of staff walking the floor just waiting to pounce on people when they walk in to buy something. The help side seems undermanned and overworked in trying to deal with those who are looking for assistance with products that they have already spent their money on. Macka don't get me wrong I don't have a problem with the Philipinos or Indians, I have a problem with trying to make someone understand what my issue is. This is made worse by us both speaking in accented english, I would much prefer to be showing someone face to face. The young fellah at the Apple Store told us while setting up and showing us probably for the 6th time the functions of the new iPad that we had just purchased "Don't worry I try to take it very slowly with people of a similar age to my parents as I know that you didn't grow up with this stuff like we of the younger generation did ". Cheeky bugger but probably true..by the way the Wifi is now working.
Maybe the 2 hour wait was because it was the Xmas rush and is not the normal state of affairs.
Santa you posted just after my last reply - Apple Stores are the same here I thought that after I made that appointment at Telstra it would work the same way.
-- Edited by The Belmont Bear on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 12:27:13 PM
John ... This review seems to be for Mobile internet. (3G & 4G).
My results are for fixed broadband , on what was Telstra co-axial cable (Initially installed for Foxtel but now owned by NBN & operated by Telstra). I have a super fast cable BB with a free speed boost. Brisbane area.
Of course when I go off from my ethernet connection (ie PC plugged into the modem) to WiFi the speed drops to around 30Mbs.
Doug, I now use the 'live chat' format with a number of providers. I was afraid that I did not type fast enough BUT it works well for me now. Scared of the unknown I guess.
Aussie Paul.
Gday...
As I asked ... your statement was not quite 'representative' of what one could 'normally' expect from their ISP .... given your location and set-up.
Perhaps this puts available, and achievable, internet speed into perspective ...
http://au.pcmag.com/networking/36536/news/fastest-isps-2015-australia
Snipped this graph from within the article:
cheers - John
-- Edited by rockylizard on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 01:00:24 PM
Hey macka we are the reverse, no mobile phone or internet, talk to the call centre they read of the screen and will not listen to you.
Arrange a tech to come out 3 weeks minimum and then cancelled without telling you. Phone lines that are so old and degraded that high humidity is enougth to cause drop out and most time just plan slow. Can not explain to the call centre and always get lost during a transfer to someone else.
Telstra is rot and I have to wait 12 months before my contact is finish. Optus is no better and no other mob wants to service this area. Merry Christmas.
It rather devalues the headline doesn't it, but why let the facts get in the way of a good story!
-- Edited by Cupie on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 02:35:51 PM
-- Edited by Cupie on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 02:44:13 PM
I forgot Glendale has a Telstra shop, thanks for the reminder.
Back to the ombudsman again 3rd time in a year. Each time this happens I get heaps of credits on my bill, justice as far as I am concerned.
I worked in Telstra call centres for 2 years after I sold my business, prior to retirement. I know what goes on.....not much when it comes to customer service.
I reckon that we have probably reached the point where a company could stage a huge PR coup by announcing that they were going to migrate ALL of their customer contact centers back to Australia and drop the Call Center management model.
I think that we all dislike off shore call centers. I know I do.
Towards the end of my working days I managed several customer interface areas & fought extremely hard (& successfully) to prevent my centers being pulled into the Call Center basket. I refused to adopt the Call Center practices and we consistently out performed them. But I suppose that they won in the end by giving me a very generous golden handshake. But the centers stayed out of the call center model to this day almost 20 years later.
ps. I can recall sitting in a meeting where the Union Rep sought assurances that we were not about to off shore their members jobs to ... The Philipines! The Manager with responsibility for Call centers assured them that they had no plans to do so. Which I knew was a lie. Hard to keep a straight face or to keep the faith.
-- Edited by Cupie on Tuesday 13th of December 2016 06:34:20 PM