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Hung up on VoIP
2006-12-05
"None of the legislation talks about VoIP," Mr Pinnock warns. "There isn't a minimum standard of protection for consumers."
But VoIP providers say the reliability of a user's broadband connection that carries the VoIP call is beyond their control.
Mr Pinnock wants to see two essential minimum protections for VoIP consumers in the Customer Service Guarantee Act. VoIP providers need to provide a service and be able to repair a service within a maximum time frame, he says. And, as with Telstra and Optus, membership of VoIP providers into the TIO scheme should be mandatory, so the ombudsman can "better deal with complaints".
The Consumers Telecommunications Network (CTN) is unwilling to recommend VoIP for mass consumer use because of the lack of safeguards in a market without industry codes or guidelines. "Even though people are getting cost savings, there is confusion and lack of consumer protection," says researcher Ryan Sengara.
A CTN report says almost a fifth of VoIP users surveyed said their VoIP providers did not give them enough information, or gave them confusing or false information. Mr Sengara says technical problems such as echo affect call quality and drop-off is compromising reliability; emergency services cannot always locate VoIP callers.
But Luke Thornley, a senior network technician from VoIP brokers OzVoIP, says: "We hold everyone's hand during the process." He says responsibility for the broadband lies with the broadband provider, and there are warranties on the hardware.
VoIP provider engin is part of the TIO scheme, and founder Ilkka Tales says internet telephony is designed to be a plug-and-play service, but the two biggest issues consumers face are using older incompatible modems or routers, and broadband quality. "If there is decent quality broadband service and speeds, then call quality is as good as a fixed-line service."
But Georgina Swan, editor of Computer Choice magazine, says VoIP is complex for consumers. Confusing and overly technical customer service is "a fairly typical experience".
Shara Evans, CEO of research company Market Clarity, says VoIP call quality can't be guaranteed when "the internet is many networks and no single service provider is in control of all the links".
Rosemary Sinclair, from the Australian Telecommunications Users Group, says: "'I'd be hesitant to recommend anyone going completely to VoIP . . . It's going to be a couple of years before services are completely seamless and compatible."
By Cynthia Karena
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VoIP Providers Statistics |
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Providers in database: 3315
Users Online: 215
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