Pathetic Customer Service

[NigelW]

So let's be clear, you can complain as much as you like to TPG about the failure of NBN to arrive to connect the service as the appointment confirmed in a stack of sms messages and emails insists that they will and what happens....exactly nothing of course. Talking to an well mannered 'Customer Service Representative' just gets you back to square one. No matter how reasonable you are, no how reasonable your complaint, i.e. I have just wasted 8 hours of my life without the courtesy of any notification from you or NBN despite my own polite phonecalls seeking information...it matters not a jot to TPG or NBN.

Nobody seems to think that either TPG or NBN's level of customer care or even common civility and communication with the client need to be addressed. I find that remarkable. We are all signing up and paying for this. And dont even bother to speak to attempt to speak to a Complaints Department or even so much as a Supervisior to try to obtain some higher satisfaction because you wont be allowed to or they do not exist.

So beware, the NBN roll out appears to be in chaos, TPG have no idea whats going on and no clearly no influence in the matter. They just want to sell you a service which they cannot get connected. My advice, forget the whole thing until issues of installation through NBN are resolved...unless you want to waste lots and lots of your time.

Shame on you TPG and your lack of customer care and awareness.

NWright

[MarN]

Hi NigelW,

NBNco will provide RSPs only the proposed installation schedule, but not the details of the assigned contractor or his number of job orders for the day. If a prior appointment takes longer to finish, then the tech may not be able to attend to some of the remaining appointment for the day.

In this instance, we will not be able to provide you any update until after the schedule has lapsed and an update in the ticket is logged. We try to provide the best service, but this is something beyond our control.

[DerrynH]

Good customer service would be to have a system where TPG logs the disgust with NBN and backs up their customer, not just say "beyond our control" wipe hands, walk away.

[mikicarpus]

Yes their customer service is worse than any other internet provider. Just cancelled with them because of this. Good luck to their customers they really need it.

[spdesai]

I have been a TPG customer for last 14 years since the dial up days. So let me start by saying you are absolutely right TPG does not care and NBN and TPG keep blaming each other. My ADSL and home phone has been disconnected and my NBN does not work - so I have nothing now AND I have been charged for it.. Now read below for the detailed story....

I applied for NBN connection in June. I received my first appointment for NBN installation in July. Two technicians from NBN visited my house and installed the Arris box. They did not connect the Huawei WiFi modem because after installing the Arris box they could not get proper signal on the box (Power light solid green, Downstream light solid green, Upstream light flashing green and NO Online light). So the NBN technicians told me that they had logged a fault with NBN and they left. This was in July.

Then after numerous calls I made to TPG (TPG never called me) I was told a case manager is assigned etc. Then over the 3 months the case managers asked me to provide serial numbers on about 3 of the calls I made. Finally I asked them to check their records because on every occasion they would just get me to power cycle the ARRIS and kept asking the same information over and over again. Also as you know every time I call TPG they ask the security questions and then if my call is transferred I get asked the security questions again. All in all I would have told my username, my name, address and date of birth to TPG more than 15 times over the past 3 months (literally). But all this to no avail. It has been 3 months and my ARRIS modem status is still the same.

Finally I got an SMS from TPG NBN saying an appointment is set for Thursday 12th Oct and I was required to stay at home between 8am-12pm. I work full time however I stayed at home just for this. No one called or turned up until 11am so I called TPG and was told please be patient they’ll turn up (I have been patient for 3 months).  No one turned up until 1pm. So I called TPG again and I was put on hold to check status and then at 1pm I was advised “oh NBN has advised they are having some issues with their job orders”. I said how can that be given I was given the appointment. Then I was told that TPG will investigate and call me back in half hour. So I waited but no one called back. So I called again at 2pm and was speaking with TPG technician and suddenly I received an SMS saying my TPG NBN installation is complete!! So I told the TPG tech on the phone and he said he could see that its marked as completed so he got me to power cycle the ARRIS box and he also got me to connect the Huawei wifi router to it. The status on ARRIS still remained the same as described above (no Online light and Upstream light flashing). To add to my misery TPG disconnected my ADSL and my home phone also stopped working as my service was migrated to NBN. So now I do not have ADSL, no home phone and no NBN. Please TPG try to understand my plight!!

As I was speaking with TPG tech I received another SMS for an appointment next day (Fri 13th Oct 8am-12pm) and I was again asked to be at home. I work full time but stayed at home (3 months of agony and 2 days annual leave to get my NBN sorted). Two NBN technicians arrived on Friday morning 8:30am and they checked a few things.. After waiting 3 months the NBN techs advised me to change my ISP as TPG is %^%@#$#@ - their words. I told him I cannot do that because I have waited 3 months for this and need my NBN fixed now. Also I later noticed the NBN techs had chopped some cables – I do not know where they chopped the cable from if they did not fix anything. The NBN techs were on the phone to NBN and told me they will log it with NBN yet again to replace the cable

So my NBN, ADSL and home phone are all not working. I called TPG Tech team again and begged them to at least get my ADSL working again. So I spent 2 hours on Thursday 12th night and 3 hours on Fri 13th morning trying to get the “temporary” ADSL username and password (that TPG techs gave me) to work but to no avail. So my ADSL service, home phone and NBN everything has been entirely made useless.

I have not heard any further NBN ticket numbers for changing my cable etc. from NBN nor TPG AND I have been charged for my first month of NBN and install fees etc. I have asked TPG to reverse these charges and that I should not be charged for any NBN install or monthly charges or even ADSL charges until my NBN service works again.

This is a disgusting service. I have been charged for something that has not been delivered. If TPG is advertising and agreeing to deliver a service then they should know If this service can be reasonably (its been 3 months for me) delivered without all the above pain and agony and at the end of all that –

• My ADSL is disconnected
• My home phone is disconnected
• My NBN does not work AND FINALLY
• I have been charged for the service that has not been delivered (this is literally like going to a shop and you get asked to leave your shopping bags with them and they force you to pay for the shopping - sounds like theft?)

[KarenC · Accepted solution]

Hi @spdesai

We are sorry to hear this wasn’t a pleasant experience. Latest update on your ticket shows that we've been coordinating your installation issue with NBN Co. since  Friday and another follow up was made today. We will be keeping a close eye on your case and will provide you with updates where possible. 

[spdesai]

So I got a call about this today from TPG. Spent 30mins on the call (customer service asked for Username, address, DOB and then transferred to engineering team who again asked for it. So total count 17 times asked for this.

Outcome - nothing. I was told besides my specific issue now NBN is having network issues generally in my area. ETR given by NBN for fixing my cable is now 3rs of Nov. I still do not have ADSL nor home phone nor NBN and I have been charged for it. The technician was quick to point me to the waiver which I have thoroughly read. I have never signed a waiver that says TPG will take money from me even though nothing works from day 1. I was then pointed to case manager who has never contacted me. The tech says once NBN works they will look the charges that they took from my credit card. So they are not going to reverse the charges although NBN has never worked from day 1. I have no words to describe this blatant outrageous treatment and I have no idea who to talk to about this. Feeling so vulnerable.

[spdesai]

Hi everyone - I finally got my NBN sorted two days immediately after posting here. Nevertheless, like I said I have been with TPG for a 14 years and have never had any issues like this before. Even then it was all ok until my ADSL and Home phone were all disconnected. From what I can see all the work was actually done by NBN from the start to the end and all the delays were purely caused by NBN!! What I can say is that the ISPs truly do not have any control over how NBN install process works (or does not work).

Its early days but I am getting the top speeds that I subscribed for! Hopefully all the things we hear about NBN are not true and I get to enjoy my high speed Internet for eternity!

[Solarman]

Surely it cant be to much to ask the tech to phone you if he is delayed and say "Ill be there in ,whatever time" Dousent seem like rocket science.

[umeshm2000]

I am with TPG for last 6 years, TPG moved me to NBN in Mid-Oct, since the begining NBN is not working for me, there are several hours of blackout each day. There have been many technicians (5 so far) come and gone without fixing my issue. TPG does not care and not even sharing any technical details about my connection or technician findings, I have no clue what to do...

I have been a TPG customer for last years since the dial up days. So let me start by saying you are absolutely right TPG does not care and NBN and TPG keep blaming each other. My ADSL and home phone has been disconnected and my NBN does not work - so I have nothing now AND I have been charged for it.. Now read below for the detailed story..