Telstra in apology to inundated customer
TELSTRA has apologised after a customer was told their inundated suburb wasn’t in the company’s recognised disaster zone.
The customer, who did not wish to be named, couldn’t believe when he was told Idalia wasn’t covered by Telstra’s Disaster Relief Package.
“This is a disgrace,” the customer wrote in a message to Telstra.
“I will be taking this further. Telstra needs to get their facts right. Idalia is the hardest-hit suburb in Townsville.”
Human error has been blamed on the incident, with Telstra regional general manager Rachel Cliffe apologising to the affected customer and clarifying assistance is being offered to all suburbs in Townsville and surrounding areas.
“Idalia is definitely eligible for the Flood Assistance Package,” Ms Cliffe said.
“This is not the experience we want any of our customers to have. Unfortunately, it was a case of human error and we have provided additional coaching to our teams.”
Telstra is offering an assistance package for its residential and small business customers in Townsville area who were evacuated or have lost services due to flooding in the region.
Ms Cliffe said the assistance package was designed to provide customers with access to free and interim services during the recovery period.
“We understand how important it is to reach out to friends and family during these situations,” she said. “The assistance package is designed to provide customers with a range of interim services in addition to providing the wider community with free calls and free Telstra Air Wi-fi through our payphones in the area.”
Affected customers should phone Telstra on 132 203.