MyCRA Specialist Credit Repair Lawyers

Tag: bill shock

  • Telcos to step up spend management awareness under TCP Code

    bill shockBILL SHOCK!

    We’ve discussed it frequently. We hear about it frequently as credit repairers. Next month, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is overseeing new guidelines under the Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code (TCP) designed to reduce the instances of bill shock, and hopefully the frequency of credit disputes over bill shock. The new requirements are about to take effect from 1 September. We look at what the new Code requires and what it will mean for consumers.

    By Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of MyCRA Credit Rating Repair and www.fixmybadcredit.com.au.

    Botched phone plans and lack of data usage monitoring has in the past left many Australians shell shocked over their mobile and internet bills, with bills so large many can’t pay up or refuse to pay up, leading to an increased rate of defaults.

    Consumers have been confused when it comes to data allowance – particularly on their smartphones, and this was a major focus following the ACMA’s Reconnecting the Customer inquiry – which found there was a real need for improvement in consumer protection in the telco industry in the areas of Critical Information Summaries, clearer advertising and improved complaint handling.

    In the past clients claim they have gone over their allowance really quickly, sometimes without realising it, or the plan they were put on was not appropriate for what they intended to use their mobile internet for. Often they have had great difficulty in cancelling the accounts or coming to a resolution with telcos over these billing issues.

    Sometimes consumers have reluctantly paid the bill, thought the matter was settled, only to find they were defaulted anyway, and others have just refused to pay the bill until they got some resolution. Either way, they have been faced with at least 5 years of bad credit from the episode unless they have been able to make a successful complaint.

    Last year, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) surveyed its services. It counted 52,231 new complaints about telcos received between January and March 2012. Almost two-thirds were about mobile phone services.

    The TIO reports new complaints about over-commitment caused by inadequate spend controls increased to 4,282 in the January-March 2012 quarter, compared to 2,181 in the same quarter in 2011. In the same periods, new complaints about disputed internet charges increased from 981 to 2,823 (180 per cent).

    “It is well known that more internet browsing and downloads are now done on mobile phones and other mobile devices. With this change in consumer behaviour, we have seen complaints about excess data charges almost treble over the last year,” Ombudsman Simon Cohen said.  “The incidence of these complaints will reduce if consumers are only contracted for services they can afford, and where spend management tools such as notifications and usage meters are accurate and reliable”.

    SPEND MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR TELCO CUSTOMERS

    From 1 September, 2013, spend management alerts, in addition to a range of new tools introduced for telco consumers following registration of the TCP code by the ACMA, will take effect. The changes include:

    • Residential customers on post-paid mobile and internet plans (with the potential for excess usage charges) will receive email updates when their data usage reaches 50 per cent, 85 per cent and 100 per cent of the amount included in their plan
    • Residential customers of the largest three mobile providers—Optus, Telstra and Vodafone—will also, from that date, receive SMS alerts when usage of their included value for calls and SMS reaches 50, 85 and 100 per cent.
    • The warnings at the 100 per cent usage mark must also include details of excess usage charges, which can be considerably higher than charges within the plan.

    ‘These notifications target customers most at risk of bill shock and represent an enormous industry reform by placing the power of information in the hands of consumers when they need it,’ said ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman.

    Customers will not receive the warnings if they are on a plan which does not expose them to bill shock. This includes plans that are a pre-paid service, have a hard cap, or are an unlimited service, a dial-up internet service or are a shaped internet service, (i.e. which slows data rather than imposes excess usage charges when customers reach their data usage limit). The warnings are not mandatory for mobile plans launched prior to 1 March, 2012.

    The final element of the new TCP code, developed by Communications Alliance, rolls out in September 2014 when customers of the mid-sized and small telcos (less than 100,000 customers on included value plans) receive voice and SMS usage alerts to accompany their data alerts.

    Image: artur84/ www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  • Are Telcos really behaving themselves under new TCP code?

    telcosRemember the Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) Code? It was put in place in September last year after a swarm of consumer complaints about telcos in Australia and was devised by Industry Group the Communications Alliance as a last ditch attempt to avoid regulation of the telco industry. Almost a year on, the overseer of the Code, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) have released their report on how telcos are faring with its implementation, but it seems the results have divided interpretation. The ACMA has reported that telcos are handling complaints better – and Industry Group the Communications Alliance has released a statement congratulating its members on how well they are doing – but a consumer group has strongly disagreed with those claims. We look at the report, what the differing opinions are of how telcos are implementing the TCP Code, and also offer insight into credit listing disputes and the TCP Code.

    By Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of MyCRA Credit Rating Repair and www.fixmybadcredit.com.au.

    It was reported in ZD Net early this week in its article Australian telcos making progress on complaint handling: ACMA, that three investigations conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) have found that the big 3 – Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone have largely improved their customer complaints process since the introduction of the 2012 Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) Code.

    The TCP Code placed new requirements on telcos to have clearer advertising, spend-management tools, and improved complaint handling. The code was introduced in phases, with the new compliant and advertising rules arriving on day one, standard summaries of pricing and product information arriving in March this year, and spend-management being required by September 2013.

    Here is an excerpt from that article:

    In February, the ACMA began investigations into Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone, with the telcos providing details of 200 customer complaints. Of these complaints, Telstra and Optus both had one complaint that the ACMA found to be in breach of the code — specifically, the clause that requires the resolution of an issue within 10 working days once the customer has agreed to the telco’s proposed action to resolve the complaint — while Vodafone made it through without any breaches.

    Responding to the ACMA’s finding, Telstra said, “It would be almost impossible to improve its level of compliance with clause 8.2.1(a)(xiii) of the TCP Code, as 99 percent is such a high result, especially taking into account the potential for human error.”

    In the cases of both Telstra and Optus, the ACMA said that a single instance is very low as a proportion of complaints provided. While the sample size is small, the authority accepts that Telstra and Optus have “appropriate policies and procedures in place to comply”, and that both telcos have “demonstrated a high level of compliance”.

    “The ACMA is pleased that the investigations indicate that the top three providers are delivering agreed resolutions to customer complaints in the time frames required by the TCP Code,” said ACMA chairman Chris Chapman in a statement.

    “It is also apparent that Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone have each taken steps to strengthen their complaints-handling procedures, since the new TCP Code was registered last September and has dedicated considerable resources to TCP Code compliance. However, the ACMA will continue to monitor compliance in this area.”

    But consumer group the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) says more still needs to be done. The group told IT Wire the ACMA was being “a little bit misleading.”

    Here is an excerpt from that article ACCAN cans ACMA’s view on telco complaint handling

    “The ACMA investigation shows telcos are in breach of the TCP Code on a daily basis,” says ACCAN spokesman Asher Moses.

    “We are encouraged to see ACMA investigating these breaches. But the regulator’s unwillingness to hand down even the most basic available penalty for confirmed breaches has the potential to create a culture of poor compliance.”

    Moses gives the example, from ACMA’s own documentation, of a Telstra customer who waited 48 working days to stop being charged for a T-Hub device they had already returned. In this case ACMA imposed no penalty.

    “ACCAN believes ACMA should take tougher regulatory action for non-compliance with the code,:” says Moses. “A recent KPMG study found Australian telco customer service ranked 18th out of 25 countries, behind nations such as Indonesia and Nigeria.

    “Judging from complaint statistics, telcos seem to be worse at customer service than Australian banks, who are historically the most hated service providers in Australia. ACMA’s inquiry into telco customer service followed record complaints from consumers. The inquiry finished about a year ago, but only half of the six reforms coming out of that inquiry have been fully implemented.

    “Some of these overdue reforms include performance reporting and customer service charters, expenditure management tools (due to be implemented from 1 September), and overhaul of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme.”

    The ACMA has fought back from criticisms, saying that many of the ACCAN wishes for a tougher agency “are not technically possible.”

    “We do not have the power to impose a penalty. We can issue a warning or a direction but not impose a ‘penalty’,” an ACMA spokesperson today told Computerworld.

    “Code compliance remains a priority for the ACMA, and the ACMA will continue to closely monitor compliance across the industry,” the agency spokesperson said.
    “However, in light of the number and nature of the contraventions found, and the steps which have been taken by the providers in question to improve and ensure compliance, the ACMA has decided not to take enforcement action in this particular case. In no way does this mean that non-compliance is condoned.”

    Telco listings in dispute

    As the TCP Code was only implemented in September last year, we are probably yet to feel the positive ramifications of new requirements put on Telcos under the TCP Code.
    At the time of the Code’s implementation, MyCRA had approximately 26% of its clientele with a disputable telco credit listing. These disputes ranged from alleged system errors, incorrect notices provided, through to data and plan confusion and hardship disputes.

    At the present moment, that hasn’t changed a great deal.

    However, we are currently handling a telco dispute where we believe a telco has breached its obligations to the consumer under the TCP Code. That case is currently mid-way through the dispute process.

    On the whole, we welcome the increased obligations of Telcos to comply with what we consider basic and fair customer rights. Most importantly, the rights for telco customers to fully understand exactly what their phone plan entails to avoid “bill shock”. Issues like international roaming charges, excess data charges and customers going over plan allowances (especially when the plan had the terms “unlimited” within it) has in the past been a source of dispute amongst customers.

    We also agree with the need for telcos under the TCP Code to provide ‘faster, better complaints-handling, with urgent complaints resolved within two days’. If this is consistently implemented amongst telcos, this sense of urgency will go a long way to minimising unfair defaults due to a more streamlined process of handling complaints. The grey area is what constitutes ‘urgent’.

    Image: num_skyman/ www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  • Have Your Say on Bill Shock

    Ever been overseas and returned home to find your mobile phone bill is as expensive as your plane ticket? You’re not alone. You may get a chance to have your say on what the telcos should do to stop bill shock and curb the excessively high data roaming charges which can see you in debt and threaten your credit rating in a new public consultation seeking to lift the telco industry.

    By Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of MyCRA Credit Rating Repair www.fixmybadcredit.com.au, https://www.facebook.com/FixMyBadCredit.com.au.

    The Government is welcoming public consultation on new standards to help Australians avoid bill shock while using their mobile phone overseas.

    As part of new guidelines for Telcos, set out through the new Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) Code, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will begin consultation on developing an industry standard to help Australians best receive timely information about international roaming costs when they travel.

    Minister for Broadband, Communications, and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, said in a media release late last week that Australian consumers are being price gouged by telecommunications companies every time they want to make a mobile call, send a text or go online, when overseas.

    “The industry standard will be an important transparency measure. People will receive clear information about pricing, allowing them to better manage their spending and avoid bill shock.

    “We also expect that the extra scrutiny provided by the standard will encourage telecommunications companies to reduce their obscenely high prices and give consumers a better deal when they travel.”

    “I encourage everyone to have their say during this public consultation, which ends on 25 January,” Mr Conroy said.

    Here’s what the current draft standard proposes:

    A traveller receives two SMS messages when they switch on their phone when arriving overseas. The first would be sent within 10 minutes, warning the customer that extra charges will apply and allowing them to switch off international mobile roaming services.

    The second would arrive within 1 hour and must detail the cost for a standard call, an SMS, and 1Mb of data.

    The standard also requires mobile phone companies to develop cost effective monitoring tools for consumers to use when they travel overseas.

    The new standard is expected to be in operation by the middle of next year.

    In the past, we have found many times the telco customer has had difficulty disputing their phone charges before they are issued with a credit default. These credit listings can be hard to fight. Often the customer will say what they had first understood the plan to be for, or what they wanted the phone to do, was not what eventuated. This can come down to a he-said she-said situation, and the telcos – with all the power on their side can often come out on top.

    As credit repairers we see many telco customers for various reasons – in fact almost 26% of our credit repair clients have telco credit listings they need removed. Many complain of confusion over bills, date allowance and plans and also difficulties with resolving disputes – which see customers with bad credit even though they had been attempting to sort out the bill discrepancy.

    The multitude of official complaints in the area of ‘bill shock’ resulted in a major inquiry by the ACMA and the report – Reconnecting the Customer. This examined the root causes of the industry’s poor customer service and complaints-handling performance. The telco industry was asked to regulate or be regulated – and so the TCP Code was developed by the Communications Alliance (CA), and a final draft was registered in late July.

    That TCP Code came into effect on 1 September 2012. If the code proves to be effective, there will be significant positive changes for telco customers. This public consultation and is one such proposed change coming to fruition.

    So get in and have your say,

    ACMA public consultation: http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_600133

  • Bill Shock: telco bills ruining credit ratings

    Botched phone plans and lack of data usage monitoring is leaving many Australians shell shocked over their mobile bills, with bills so large many can’t pay up or refuse to pay up, leading to an increased rate of defaults. We look at what is happening with Telco consumers, the new laws that have come in to combat bill shock, and some practical things that you can do to prevent it happening to you, and threatening your good credit rating.

    By Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs and www.fixmybadcredit.com.au.

    A large number of current credit listing complaints we receive from telco consumers relate to data usage on mobile phones. Consumers are confused when it comes to data allowance on their smartphones, and the providers up till now, have not been helping.

    Often clients claim they have gone over their allowance really quickly, or the plan they were put on was not appropriate for what they intended to use their mobile internet for. Often they can have great difficulty in cancelling the accounts or coming to a resolution with telcos over these billing issues.

    Our current statistics show almost 26% of our credit repair clientele in the 12 months to July were telco customers.

    Consumers have either reluctantly paid the bill, thought the matter was settled, only to find they were defaulted anyway, or they have just refused to pay the bill until they got some resolution – but have copped a bad credit rating through the account being more than 60 days in arrears.

    Either way, they were dished out at least 5 years of bad credit from the episode unless they have been able to make a successful complaint.

    Complaints numbers

    Recently the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) surveyed its services. It counted 52,231 new complaints about telcos received between January and March 2012. Almost two-thirds were about mobile phone services.

    The TIO reports new complaints about over-commitment caused by inadequate spend controls have over doubled in 12 months (4,282 in the January-March 2012 quarter, compared to 2,181 in the same quarter in 2011). In the same periods, new complaints about disputed internet charges increased 180 per cent (From 981 to 2,823).

    “It is well known that more internet browsing and downloads are now done on mobile phones and other mobile devices. With this change in consumer behaviour, we have seen complaints about excess data charges almost treble over the last year,” Ombudsman Simon Cohen said.  “The incidence of these complaints will reduce if consumers are only contracted for services they can afford, and where spend management tools such as notifications and usage meters are accurate and reliable”.

    The powers that be have heard the many complaints. Some changes have been swiftly made to improve transparency and service for telco customers. A revised Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code has been made in conjunction with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) which will amongst other things require telcos to provide their customers with notifications when they have used 80% and 100% of their data usage in the plan.

    These changes come after pressure from ACMA for Telcos to offer better protection for consumers, or face external regulation.

    For more information on the TCP Code, see our September post ‘Telco bill shock should in theory now be a thing of the past.’

    In the meantime, many consumers are still facing bill shock. We look at what you can do to prevent it.

    Preventing Bill Shock

    Savingguide.com.au published a great article late last week detailing some practical things that you can do to avoid bill shock. Here is an excerpt from ‘How to Avoid Bill Shock’:

    Read Your Contract

    I’ve said it before and somehow I feel I shall say it again: read the contract. From start to end. Before signing up to anything. Now, let’s just say you have already signed up and you didn’t read it before, you are not off the hook. Read it now. I’m serious, go do it… like, right now!

    Now that you’ve read your contract, you’ll know exactly how much data you get for your regular fee and how much you’re going to pay if you exceed that limit. Without this knowledge, you’re really just playing a guessing game and you’re probably going to lose.

    Don’t be Silly

    Seems obvious, doesn’t it? Yet here we are. If you are on a limited data allowance, don’t fritter it away on silly things! When I first got my smart phone I was so enamoured by the fact that I could get the internet on my handset that I would lie in bed, checking the week ahead’s weather on my mobile rather than simple make the walk to the study and use my PC, on which the internet is virtually limitless! Fortunately, I did not have to learn the hard way but many people will. Don’t be one of them.

    Start Downloading

    I know, I know, I just told you not to download stuff but this is the exception. Downloading the right apps is going to make all the difference, in fact these two apps are the best way to keep your data use under control.

    Data Usage Monitor

    A data usage monitor like 3G Watchdog (Android) is a brilliant addition to your phone. Simply enter the date your billing cycle commences and your data allowance, and a little symbol appears on your phone’s desktop, changing colour to warn you when you’re reaching your limit.

    Programme Closing

    A programme-closing app is your next best friend. Apps like Advanced Task Killer enable you to close any programmes that might be running without your knowledge with the push of a button. And without programmes secretly running, chewing into your data allowance, you’re much less likely to suffer that dreaded disease, bill shock.

    This is great advice. But what about if you already have a phone bill that has left your head spinning?

    How to Dispute That Shocking Mobile Bill

    1. Attempt to resolve the dispute with the Telco first. If a bill has just popped up you don’t agree with, let your Provider know, and DOCUMENT ALL CORRESPONDENCE WITH THEM (and document who you speak with if you are calling).

    2. You may need to make a formal complaint in writing. If there is no resolution over the telephone, set out what specific resolution you require, and all the details of your complaint. The telco has 30 days to answer any written complaint you make.

    2. Get all responses in writing. The matter may seem at an end, but sometimes people believe they have sorted it out only to find out later they have been defaulted anyway. If you have come to a resolution with the telco verbally, get it in writing and make sure it clearly states what will happen from here.

    3. If the matter can’t be resolved to your satisfaction internally, take your case to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. The TIO will make a decision on the matter, and their decision will be final. Make sure you provide as much evidence as you can for the Ombudsman to make an informed decision – you may only get one shot at it.

    4. If at any stage you have a credit file listing from a Telco which you believe shouldn’t be there, you can undertake professional credit repair services. The credit repairer works on the consumer’s behalf to remove credit file listings which contain errors or inconsistencies or just out and out shouldn’t be there. It gives the consumer the best chance of presenting the best case for removal of a disputed listing, and actually having an unfair listing removed completely off your credit file. The credit repairer can also escalate the matter to the TIO on the client’s behalf if necessary.

    If you would like help disputing your telco default or other credit listing, contact a Credit Repair Advisor on 1300 667 218 or visit our main website for more information MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs www.mycra.com.au.

    Image: Ambro/ www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

     

  • Telco bill shock should in theory now be a thing of the past

    The Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) Code came into effect on September 1. We look at what this means for telco customers and the possibility that less consumers could be subject to bill shock and subsequent credit rating defaults due to sky-high bills they had not budgeted for.

    By Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs and www.fixmybadcredit.com.au.

    Currently approximately 26% of our credit repair clients have suffered bad credit from telcos (telecommunications providers). Not all of that bad credit should be there. Whilst mistakes and mis-communications are frequent in the industry, as they are in many others – one of the major significant differences we have noticed with the telco industry compared with other industries issuing credit file defaults, is more clients are in dispute over excess charges.

    Excess charges or “bill shock” can occur when the actual bill the customer receives is significantly higher than what they understand it should be. Issues like international roaming charges, excess data charges and customers going over plan allowances (especially when the plan had the term “cap” within it) seems to be a frequent source of dispute amongst customers.

    Unfortunately sometimes the customer is unable to come to an agreement over these charges before they are issued with a credit rating default. These issues can be hard to fight. Often the customer will say what they had first understood the plan to be for, or what they wanted the phone to do, was not what eventuated.

    Resolutions with telcos over these billing issues can be difficult to come to. Sometimes consumers have reluctantly paid the bill, thought the matter was settled, only to find they were defaulted anyway, and others have just refused to pay the bill until they got some resolution. Either way, customers have been faced with at least 5 years of bad credit from the episode unless they have been able to make a successful complaint.

    The telcos – with all the power on their side can often come out on top.

    Escalating levels of telco complaints in Australia, resulted in a major public inquiry by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the report – Reconnecting the Customer. This examined the root causes of the industry’s poor customer service and complaints-handling performance. The telco industry was asked to regulate or be regulated – and so the Telecommunciations Consumer Protections (TCP) Code was developed by the Communications Alliance (CA), and a final draft was registered in late July.

    That TCP Code came into effect on 1 September 2012. If the code proves to be effective, and if the ACMA does as it says it will and come down heavily on those that don’t comply with the TCP Code, there will be significant positive changes for telco customers.

    What the Code provides for.

    The ACMA outlines the basic benefits for consumers in its article Fair call—new telco code to benefit consumers. Here is a breakdown of consumer benefits of the TCP Code:

    • Telco providers must be clear about what they are offering in their phone plans and stop using confusing terms like ‘cap’ (unless the offer refers to a ‘hard cap’—an amount that cannot be exceeded).

    • Better spend management tools designed to avoid ‘bill shock’.Including improvements in billing processes and credit management, and the introduction of notifications about data usage and expenditure thresholds.

    • From 27 September telcos will be required to provide unit pricing for national calls, standard SMS and downloading 1 MB of data in advertisements.

    • From 1 March2013 customers buying a new service will receive a two-page document called the ‘Critical Information Summary’. This includes essential information about service, pricing and complaints-handling, as well as volumetric information so consumers can easily understand how many two-minute calls or texts they can make under their plan.

    • Faster, better complaints-handling, with urgent complaints resolved within two days. All of these new measures will be monitored and the telcos subject to new benchmarking standards.

    • For customers having difficulty paying their bills or meeting unexpectedly high bills, telcos must advise consumers about spend management tools, hardship advice and options to restrict a service.

    • A new industry compliance body is being formed to ensure all industry participants comply with the new code.

    According to IT Wire in its story New telco code toughens up consumer protections, Optus jumped the gun ahead of the introduction of the Code, and launched its new usage alert service which it says gives its customers greater transparency in managing spending on their mobile accounts. The new Optus service sends text alerts to Optus’ customers on most post-paid mobile plans when they reach 50 per cent, 85 per cent and 100 per cent of their voice, text and data allowance.

    IT Wire also reports ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman as saying the ACMA will put the industry on notice, advising they would take a “far more robust approach” to ensure the industry’s compliance with the new Code and had “resourced up in this space.”

    “We will conduct more audits and investigations dealing with key areas of consumer detriment and expect substantial changes in industry practices,” Mr Chapman says.

    For consumers who consider that their service provider is not complying with the code, Chapman says they “may make a complaint to the provider in the first instance and if they are not satisfied with the resolution, they should contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.”

    And, if telecommunications service providers do not comply with the code, Chapman says they faced a direction to comply from the ACMA, “while further breaches could lead to Federal Court action where civil penalties of up to $250,000 are possible.”

    We will be following these telco improvements with great interest as they relate to the volume of credit file defaults due to telco customer service issues and bill disputes.

    For those consumers currently facing what they consider to be excessive charges, or other issues with their telco which have resulted in bad credit – it is possible MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs may be able to help.

    If a credit listing has been placed unlawfully, it may be required to be removed from the consumer’s credit file. Consumers can contact a credit repair advisor 1300 667 218 to assess their suitability for credit repair. There are no guarantees of success, but the specialised knowledge of credit reporting and industry law means engaging the services of a professional credit repairer gives the consumer the best chance of having bad credit removed completely and permanently from their credit file. Visit the main website for more information www.mycra.com.au.

  • Telcos may be forced to reign in their mobile roaming charges

    Going overseas? Often you are told to be wary about using your mobile in case you are charged for international roaming. And with good reason – many clients get what’s commonly called “bill shock” after returning from overseas. But it was announced last week that the government is cracking down on these charges. We look at what this means for you and your credit file.

    By Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs and www.fixmybadcredit.com.au.

    Recently we gave you a breakdown of things to look out for with your credit file when traveling. In this blog post, titled How An Overseas Trip Can See You With Bad Credit we looked at ways in which you could be at risk of getting a bad credit rating when traveling overseas. Number 3 on the list of ways you can cop bad credit on an overseas trip was phone charges:

    Many phone companies charge you extra for calls you make and receive while you are o/s. Call your telco provider and make sure you know all the facts before you take your phone on a holiday with you. It might be better to get an overseas phone or SIM for your trip instead.

    We help a number of clients who have had a default or other credit listing placed on their credit file during or after the course of a bill dispute following what customers call “excessive” “outrageous” and “unfair” mobile roaming charges which see them with whopping phone bills they either can’t pay or refuse to pay.

    But it seems telcos may soon be forced to reduce their mobile roaming charges.

    The Australian reports in its story New Move to Cut Mobile Roaming Charges,that the Australian and New Zealand governments have combined to stop telcos on both sides of the Tasman from hitting travellers with excessive mobile roaming fees.

    Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and New Zealand Communications Minister Amy Adams today released a draft report that looks at ways to cut charges and improve transparency.

    “The draft report makes it clear that telecommunications companies are stinging consumers on trans-Tasman mobile roaming charges and that their profit margins are excessive,” Senator Conroy told reporters in Canberra.

    The findings have already prompted the federal government to protect Australians travelling further abroad.

    The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has been told to create an industry standard for mobile roaming so charges for call, text messages, internet surfing are transparent.

    Senator Conroy said the standard should be in place within a year.

    “One of the most common complaints that I hear is from people who return from overseas and are confronted by a mobile phone bill that runs into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars,” he said.

    Both Ministers said the frequency of travel between nations highlights the need for common and reasonable pricing for international roaming.

    They are now seeking feedback on the draft report from the telecoms industry, ahead of formulating their final responses.

    In the meantime, there are many who are currently facing these billing issues. The important thing to remember is – whenever any changes are made or agreements are reached, whether it be with your billing charges or your accounts, or when going overseas, you should always request things be sent to you in writing for confirmation.

    If you are worried about what may have been reported about you on your credit report, you are entitled to obtain a copy of your credit report for free from the credit reporting agencies in Australia (you can do this once every 12 months). A report will be mailed to you within 10 days of your request.

    If you think a default on your credit file is wrong, or you want to dispute your credit report, contact a professional credit repairer to discuss your suitability for credit repair. If the credit listing is incorrect, contains errors or just shouldn’t be there, a credit repairer can help prepare your case and give you the best chance of having the default or other mistake on your credit file completely removed so you can apply for credit with a clean slate. Contact a Credit Repair Advisor at MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs on 1300 667 218 or visit our main website www.mycra.com.au.

    Image: adamr/ www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net