Telcos slow to comply with new ACMA code

Telcos have been slow to comply with the ACMA's requirement for Critical Information Summaries, according to the communications watchdog, with smaller players the worst offenders.

ACMA last year ruled telecommunications service providers must provide the summaries to consumers by March 1. The CIS sets out clear information about products and services and offers comparisons for both post paid and prepaid products.

Today ACMA revealed it had sent 100 enquiry letters to providers after it found 25 with flawed CISs and 13 lacking readily accessible summaries on their websites.

ACMA consumer interest section manager Alan Chalmers told iTnews smaller providers were the worst offenders.

“The industry was a little bit slow to get up and running," he said.

“Since we’ve written to them they’ve responded very quickly and been very compliant with what we’ve asked them to do and change."

ACMA said the most common flaws were failure to link the CIS to the relevant offer and not ordering the CIS correctly (allowing ‘like for like’ comparisons).

Kogan Mobile came under fire last week for not making its simplified CIS easily accessible for customers.

Chalmers declined to name individual companies contacted by ACMA, but said those that failed to comply with the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code by April 2 would be named as part of a formal warning or direction to comply.