Optus under fire for making customers pay

Australian communications and broadband giant Optus is said to have come under fire recently after being accused of making its customers pay to fix and upgrade its networks.

There has recently been some controversy about the broadband and communications giant Optus, with the company being accused of making its customers pay for fixing and upgrading the networks, which many have said the company should be paying for itself.

The controversy has arisen after the provider launched its 3G Home Zone product today, which is designed to boost indoor 3G wireless signals for Optus mobile customers at home, and is based on femtocell technology. The company charges an upfront cost of between $60 and $240 to install the equipment or a monthly payment of $5 to $15.

Some officials have said that the reason behind the launch is that the company’s networks are struggling and that the company is making customers pay to ensure that their services work at home rather than investing money in more mobile towers to ensure a high quality service.

One official said: “We are worried that this release tries to position user-pays Femtocells as an innovation that everyone needs or a way to ditch the home phone. Further investment by Optus into mobile infrastructure can have the same desired effect.”

Teresa Corbin, chief executive of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network added: “When customers buy a product they expect it to work in their home or business first and foremost … and really it should be up to the provider to make sure that they’ve sold a product that is fit for the purpose.”

Do you agree that Optus is making consumers effectively pay for improvements that it should be paying for itself? Comment and let us know.

Source – Narooma News Online