The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and Optus today announced that Optus is taking steps to eliminate confusion over the process of obtaining bill comparisons through the 'Optus Guarantee' promotion.
"Some customers, when calling to 'test' the Guarantee, were told that they could not get a bill comparison on their current telephone bill," Commission Chairman Professor Allan Fels said today.
"The terms of The Optus Guarantee provide that a customer can ask for a comparison on their current bill or their next bill. After the Commission raised concerns regarding the advice customers were being given about the availability of bill comparisons, Optus retrained all staff to ensure that they give correct information on the Optus Guarantee."
Optus is also writing to all customers who may have been told a bill comparison was not available on their current bill under The Optus Guarantee. Optus will report to the Commission on the results of the mailout.
"Optus reacted positively to our concerns," said Professor Fels. "The Optus Guarantee is central to Optus' competitive pricing strategy, and we were keen to see the company make good its offer as a way of providing the benefits of competition to consumers."
Optus Director, Mr Dick Simpson said, "Optus were pleased to co-operate with the ACCC on this matter to remove any possible confusion about our Guarantee offer. The Optus Guarantee will continue to provide peace of mind to our phone customers by guaranteeing that they will benefit from low and simple pricing."
The Optus Guarantee promises customers that Optus will be cheaper across the bill for long distance calls, than Telstra. If customers wish to test this guarantee Optus arranges a bill comparison of the total Optus long distance bill against the same calls over the same period with Telstra, including any flexi-plans. If the customer's bill would have been lower with Telstra, Optus refunds double the difference.
"Some customers, when calling to 'test' the Guarantee, were told that they could not get a bill comparison on their current telephone bill," Commission Chairman Professor Allan Fels said today.
"The terms of The Optus Guarantee provide that a customer can ask for a comparison on their current bill or their next bill. After the Commission raised concerns regarding the advice customers were being given about the availability of bill comparisons, Optus retrained all staff to ensure that they give correct information on the Optus Guarantee."
Optus is also writing to all customers who may have been told a bill comparison was not available on their current bill under The Optus Guarantee. Optus will report to the Commission on the results of the mailout.
"Optus reacted positively to our concerns," said Professor Fels. "The Optus Guarantee is central to Optus' competitive pricing strategy, and we were keen to see the company make good its offer as a way of providing the benefits of competition to consumers."
Optus Director, Mr Dick Simpson said, "Optus were pleased to co-operate with the ACCC on this matter to remove any possible confusion about our Guarantee offer. The Optus Guarantee will continue to provide peace of mind to our phone customers by guaranteeing that they will benefit from low and simple pricing."
The Optus Guarantee promises customers that Optus will be cheaper across the bill for long distance calls, than Telstra. If customers wish to test this guarantee Optus arranges a bill comparison of the total Optus long distance bill against the same calls over the same period with Telstra, including any flexi-plans. If the customer's bill would have been lower with Telstra, Optus refunds double the difference.