Gotalk stung twice over telemarketing issue

Twin bites of the cherry?

Gotalk Telecommunications has been ordered to front the Federal Court over a telemarketing issue that the telco claimed to have resolved three years ago.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) gave notice to Gotalk that it would file a case last week - over an issue the telco claims was already dealt with by the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) several years ago.

ACMA said today in a statement that the case was over "numerous breaches of the Do Not Call register" made by two offshore call centres engaged by gotalk.

The calls were allegedly made between August and November 2007. The register came into effect in July the same year.

ACMA's case is at least partially related to the issue aired by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in 2008. A spokesman for ACMA declined to comment on the link.

In that investigation, gotalk telemarketers were found to have breached the Trade Practices Act. The telco entered an enforceable undertaking with ACCC to resolve the issue, which included paying compensation to affected customers.

Gotalk's chief Steve Picton said the telco would mount a vigorous defense of the latest allegations.

He told iTnews that gotalk had resolved the issues and not been found in breach since the original allegations by the ACCC.

Picton also said gotalk no longer worked with either call centre implicated in the case.

"ACMA is suing us for practices which mainly arose over two years ago and which we proactively took steps to fix," he said.

"Taking court action a significant time after the issue was resolved wastes court time and taxpayer money".