Hi there. It sounds like you are in a difficult position. In Australia, all residential and small business customers are protected from poor telephone service under the Customer Service Guarantee Standard. Under the CSG Standard, phone service providers must meet particular performance standards and provide customers with financial compensation when these standards are not met. The standards relate to things such as time frames for connection of services and repair of faults.

If you had a pre-existing phone service with your provider and they have failed to meet the CSG Standard, you can lodge a formal complaint with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) (www.tio.com.au). Note that the CSG Standard does not apply to internet or mobile phone services, and that some discount providers require customers to waive their rights under the Standard when they sign up.

If you have a complaint about an internet service provider, you should raise the issue directly with the service provider. Most large internet service providers have internal dispute resolution process that can handle your issue. If you are not happy with their response, you can also lodge a complaint with the TIO.

For most phone and internet related complaints, the TIO will begin a conciliation process between you and the service provider in an attempt to reach an agreed outcome. If this does not work, the TIO may investigate the matter and ask you to provide evidence to support your complaint, before finally making a decision to resolve the issue.