Have you ever asked yourself or your friend why Telstra customer service is so bad? Well, you are at the perfect place to find the answer to such a question.
Telstra is Australia’s largest telecommunications company, offering internet, voice, television, and other media services. They sell services, but also build the networks needed to operate them.
In recent years, many complaints have come to light about the poor customer service of Telstra. The service is bad because of management’s take on customer care. There are issues with the websites for ordering available products. Free-trials are known for not working. Customer care call center employees are not well trained. And the list keeps going.
In this article, we’re looking at 7 reasons why Telstra customer service is so bad. Read on to find out what the issues are.
What Are All the Services Telstra Offers?
The broadest service Telstra offers is the internet. They’re the largest wireless provider in Australia. The company had 550 million subscribers to its service in 2020.
Other services offered include, pay television options, the facilitation of telephone directories, and wholesale services to support other carriers and internet service providers.
Customers can bundle television, cellular, and internet services with Telstra for discounts and billing through one company.
7 Reasons Why Telstra Customer Service Is So Bad
It’s never just one reason why a company’s customer service department gets a bad rap. Telstra is a highly successful company. However, they are known for their terrible customer service. Let’s find out why.
1. Management Doesn’t Seem to Care
The head of the customer service department doesn’t encourage good customer care.
She doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to make a difference in the reputation her department has fostered through the way they operate.
There is no urgency to find solutions for customers when problems arise. That demeanor has trickled down from the top to many of Telstra’s employees. When leadership doesn’t care, no one else does either.
2. Ordering Some Services Is Extremely Frustrating
You can try to order your services online. But beware, because this process is not easy, nor does it instill any sort of confidence that you’ve actually ordered the products and services you desire.
You’re prompted to enter some of your personal information, such as phone number, name, and address. Then, you do walk through a process for choosing the services you want. In the end, it’s not clear that you actually completed the order.
Customers have complained they placed orders online and did not receive items or have any type of service provided. Most of them end up in-store somewhere to place a separate order.
3. Beware of Any Free Trial Offers
It’s been noted by several customers that free-trial offers made were impossible to start up. One example was for Apple Music. The free-trial offer was for a year’s worth of Apple Music for free.
When the customer tried to start the free trial, he was notified on his device there was no free trial available.
While he did chat with a customer service specialist to get help with initiating the free trial, he ultimately was billed for the “free” Apple Music trial.
4. Customer Service Call Center Employees Don’t Know What They’re Doing
This may be tied to the poor attitude of the leadership that was mentioned above. Customers complain a lot about the terrible customer service when they call in for help.
Though the employees are often quite nice in their demeanor and have good phone etiquette to speak of, they do not often fix the issue. Some customers are told the problem will disappear after a certain amount of time. When the time expires, it’s still a problem.
This goes back to the way these representatives are or are not being trained. Better training by leadership that cares could easily do away with this problem.
5. Telstra Paperwork Is Unclear
Many complaints are made about the lack of clarity of Telstra’s provided paperwork. Customers complain that they do not receive an email copy of their agreements.
They wait for long periods of time for these to come by physical mail.
Once the paperwork is received, it’s found to be unclear and hard to understand what is being billed. Bundled packages are broken out so that it looks like you’re paying for services you weren’t supposed to or paying a higher price for them.
Customers also state the store representatives do not spend time going over the paperwork with them to ensure they understand what they’re getting.
6. Customer Service Is Unresponsive Regarding Complaints
Customers may file complaints with most companies through different avenues. You can submit something through the website.
You can call customer care to file a formal complaint. You can submit one in person at a physical Telstra dealer location. Or you can mail or email a complaint in writing.
The problem with all of these options is you aren’t likely to hear back on any of them. That’s not to say you won’t ever hear anything.
Depending on the type of complaint it is, you may have a Telstra representative try to contact you via phone. However, if you don’t answer, don’t get your hopes up for a second call. It’s not likely to happen.
7. Promises Aren’t Kept
Telstra just isn’t good for their word. It’s not that they don’t have an excellent product and service selection to offer. The poor customer service has to do with the people running the company and working for it.
Customers order services and expect functionality within the specified timeframe given at the time of purchase.
But that timeframe comes and goes without any installation visit or service setup. There’s no reliability factor with this company. Customers need to know they can count on the word of Telstra, but they cannot.
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Conclusion
Telstra has poor customer service. The company’s reputation is one of dissatisfaction with communications from the customer care department, as well as the user-friendliness of the online ordering platform, and even unsubstantiated free trial offers.
While the company has the means to be a frontrunner for communications services, its poor customer service holds it back.