Fighting your phone or internet provider?
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman handles complaints your provider will not, and the provider is bound by the outcome.
57,592
phone and internet complaints the Ombudsman took in 2024–25, at no cost to the customer
What this is
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman handles complaints about phone and internet services that the provider has not resolved. It is free, it took 57,592 complaints in 2024-25, and providers are bound by its decisions. Most disputes it sees are billing, a service that does not work as sold, or being unable to leave a contract.
Does it apply to you?
- Residential customers and small businesses
- Anyone billed for a service that was never connected or never worked
- Anyone locked into a contract for a service that does not deliver what was sold
How to do it
- Complain to your provider and get a reference number.
- If it is not resolved, lodge with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman online. It is free.
- Say what you want: a bill adjusted, a service fixed, a contract released.
- Keep paying the undisputed part of the bill while it is looked at, so you are not disconnected.
Where people lose the money
Stopping payment of the whole bill during a dispute.
Pay the undisputed part. Withholding everything can get you disconnected and damages your position.
Complaining by phone only.
Put it in writing so there is a record, and always get the reference number.
Questions
Does it cost anything?
No. The service is free to consumers and small businesses and is funded by the phone and internet providers.
Do I have to complain to my provider first?
Yes. The Ombudsman expects the provider to have had a chance to fix it, which is why the reference number matters.
Can it get me out of a contract?
It can, where the service was misrepresented or does not work as sold. It decides on the facts of your case rather than on policy.
Where these numbers come from
- Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Annual Report 2024–25 · read 2026-09-22
Last gone over 2026-09-22. Figures change; the link above is always the current one.