The information set out below is for the information of AAPT’s small business customers, as defined by Australia’s regulatory authorities. If you are not sure whether you qualify as a “small business” under these regulations, you can check the Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA) website (www.acma.gov.au) for further information.

AAPT operates within a complex regulatory environment but remains committed to keeping you informed about relevant key consumer protection measures that exist within the telecommunications industry.

Some of these measures include providing information on your rights and on our obligations under the Customer Service Guarantee.

At AAPT we know that our success depends on the service we provide our customers. The Public Affairs section is responsible for managing and communicating relevant and interesting information regarding the telecommunications regulatory environment.

If you need further information on anything contained here please contact us.

Billing

AAPT is committed to providing our customers with clearly understood, accurate, timely and complete bills and billing related information. AAPT has specific legal and regulatory obligations in respect of its small business customer when it comes to:

  • receiving billing information
  • what's in your bill
  • ensuring all bills are presented and formatted so you can easily read and understand them
  • making sure our bills are accurate and that the information in them can be confirmed
  • ensuring you have access to itemised details on all charges relating to your fixed line phone - either on the bill itself or as a separate piece of correspondence
  • not billing for charges older than 190 days from the date they were incurred
  • payments
  • direct debit
  • contact points to make billing enquiries, and
  • providing bills for customers in other formats, such as large font bills.

Visit www.commsalliance.com.au for further details.

Calling number display

Calling Number Display (CND) is a service that automatically displays a caller’s telephone number if the call recipient has a compatible handset. If you’re calling from your business phone (which may also be your home phone) or mobile, your number will be visible to the person you are calling unless you request a permanent block or dial 1831 before you dial the number you are calling. If you live in a shared household, this also means that your number will be visible when others make calls from your home.

  • If you want to change your CND status permanently to ensure that your number is not displayed, call us on 1300 786 786.
  • If you have an unlisted number, then CND is automatically blocked by AAPT. If you want to display your number dial 1832 first before dialling the phone number.
  • If you have a hearing impairment you should contact the National Relay Service who can be contacted on 13 36 77or at www.relayservice.com.au and who will assist you in making your call to AAPT. The National Relay Service has different numbers for different needs and therefore, you should consult your directory to obtain the number that best meets your needs.

There may be certain situations when, for quite legitimate reasons, a caller may not want their number sent to the receiver, for example:

  • Calling a counselling line;
  • Making initial enquiries with an organisation;
  • Calling a police phone-in line.

All calls to Emergency Service Numbers (fire, police or ambulance) display the caller’s number regardless of your CND status. The same applies when sending an SMS or MMS.

For more information you can check the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) website at www.acma.gov.au and search under 'CND'.

Any customer complaints about the operation of Calling Number Display should be made to AAPT directly on 1300 786 786. If your are not satisfied with the response, complaints can also be made to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman on 1800 062 058 or at www.tio.com.au.  The TIO can resolve disputes between telecommunications companies their residential or small business customers.

Customer complaints

If we haven't provided the levels of service you expected, or if you have a concern with AAPT, please tell us. We have a formal complaint management process in place to ensure that your complaint is addressed appropriately. For further information on Privacy complaints please refer to our Privacy policy
If you need to make a complaint please contact us.

Our complaints management process

Our formal complaints management process ensures your complaint is handled in the best way and at the highest level necessary. Your responsibilities and rights when making a complaint:

  • if our service has not met your expectations or if you have a concern about us, please contact us. You are invited to contact us about all general complaints, including privacy complaints
  • if you'd like to know more about privacy complaints, please refer to our privacy policy
  • if you call us, the consultant receiving your call will provide their name and either resolve your complaint there and then, or transfer your complaint to someone who can resolve the matter to your satisfaction
  • complex billing complaints may take some weeks to resolve. We may ask you to keep a detailed record of your outgoing calls during this period for comparison and to assist us in resolving your complaint
  • if you are not satisfied with the resolution we suggest, or if you feel that you have not heard fairly, your complaint will go to a supervisor or manager who will review your complaint and the resolutions offered, and discuss the complaint with you
  • if we don't resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). The TIO can resolve disputes between telecommunications companies their residential or small business customers and may also investigate complaints about breaches of any of the industry codes developed by the Communications Alliance
  • if your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction and the matter concerns either our carrier license or a regulatory issue, you can contact the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the government industry regulator. Or you can choose to seek independent legal advice from a solicitor, and
  • if the matter is a privacy issue, and your privacy complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction, you can refer your complaint to the TIO or to the office of the federal privacy commissioner. 

Our responsibilities when managing your complaint

  • to continuously improve our standard of customer service
  • to provide you with access to this complaint management process
  • to look to resolve all problems and complaints to your satisfaction locally, quickly and effectively
  • to keep you informed about resolution of your complaint, and
  • to contact you as soon as information becomes available if we do need time to investigate your complaint. This will normally be within five working days.

The extent of our liability

Under current law in certain circumstances, you have rights, under the Trade Practices Act 1974Consumer and Competition Act 2010 (and similar State and Territory laws) to be compensated for loss or damage caused by acts or omissions in the supply of telecommunications services and related goods and services.

Our liability for such losses or damages are limited to some extent by the General Terms and Conditions of our Standard Form of Agreement (SFoA) or Standard Services Agreement (SSA) (depending on which agreement governs the supply of your services), however neither the SFoA  nor the SSA protect us from any liability that cannot be excluded or limited by law. Under the Telecommunications Act 1997, the Australian Communications and Media Authority may impose limits or amounts recoverable by law for wrongful acts or omissions (of a civil rather than criminal nature) made in the course of supplying specific services.

As a company, we're generally liable to the same extent as other companies for wrongful acts or omissions (subject to the matters mentioned above and certain rights that we have under the Telecommunications Act 1997 for some activities relating to telecommunications facilities). If you believe that you have a claim against us relating to your phone service, you must take reasonable steps to minimise the extent of any loss or damage. Like other companies that provide services similar to ours, we're liable to pay damages for breaching the Telecommunications (Customer Service Guarantee) Standard.

The amounts payable by us for breaching the Standard is set out in the Telecommunications (Customer Service Guarantee) Scale of Damages 1997, and subsequent amendments. We also have a compensation scheme. If you make a claim, we take into account all relevant factors including any financial loss or financial expenditure you may have made, our actions, and what you did to lessen your loss or the money you needed to outlay. For any further information about your rights, we suggest you seek independent legal advice. You can also seek non-legal assistance from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). The TIO can resolve disputes between telecommunications companies their residential or small business customers.
Their freecall number is 1800 062 058* or you can email them at tio@tio.com.au.
* Calls from mobile phones will be charged at the applicable mobile rate.

Content filtering

We take our responsibilities as an internet service provider very seriously. We provide content filtering information and links to software that you can install on your computer to help protect you and your family from inappropriate internet content. Content filtering software can also let you:

  • select the sites that are accessible from your computer
  • prevent unauthorised credit card transactions
  • block unwanted communications such as instant messaging
  • prevent inappropriate files (images, video, text) from being shared between your computer and other people, and
  • stop annoying or offensive popup windows in your browser.
     

Net Nanny is one program that filters, blocks, and helps you control access to inappropriate content. This program can stop many different kinds of applications from communicating on the Internet, and can provide time limits to restrict the times of day and amount of time the internet is in use. Net Nanny also protects your private information by filtering it out the information sent from your computer. A free 15 day trial version of Net Nanny can be downloaded from their website. The Internet Industry Association (IIA) has a comprehensive useful list of Family Friendly Filter software filters and helpful information to help you prevent access to inappropriate content. Find out more about the IIA at http://www.iia.net.au

Copyright

Under the Copyright Amendment Regulations 2004 (Commonwealth), we are required to designate a person to be the Designated Representative to receive notifications and notices issued under the Copyright Amendment Regulations 2004.
This person is:
Rubina Lionatos
Corporate Counsel
copyright@aapt.com.au
GPO Box 7041
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone 02 9009 9009
Fax 02 9009 9999

Copyright Act

In accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) and other applicable laws, it is AAPT's policy to terminate, in appropriate circumstances, the service of any customer where that service is found to have been used to repeatedly infringe third party intellectual property rights. An appropriate circumstance may include but not be limited to (i) formal notification to AAPT of a decision of a recognised Australian court or tribunal that a customer has used their AAPT service to do an act that repeatedly infringed the intellectual property rights of another person or (ii) the giving to AAPT of unequivocal and cogent evidence of repeated infringement, where such evidence is supported by appropriate verification given under oath.

Credit management

AAPT is committed to maintaining an acceptable level of credit risk for our company through a sound credit management approach. We have specific legal and regulatory obligations regarding credit management in respect of our small business customers. Among the matters we address are:

  • we'll undertake a credit assessment in deciding whether or not to supply you with services
  • we'll tell you about the general nature and effect of that credit assessment
  • we'll make credit control tools available if they're needed
  • we'll assist you if you have payment difficulties
  • we won't take credit management action whilst there is a genuine dispute about payment of a bill, and
  • we will have a financial hardship policy.

Credit control tools

To help you estimate and control costs, AAPT provides a number of credit control tools to help you monitor and manage your account with us. These tools can help you in a variety of ways, depending on your specific needs or the area of cost that’s of most concern to you. Click here for details.

Our customer charter

The AAPT Customer Charter is our commitment to always providing you with the highest standard of customer service. It summarises what you can expect and what's expected of you as an AAPT customer who is being supplied telephone services under an AAPT Standard Form of Agreement (SFoA). The SFoA covers you, unless you are a business customer and have negotiated a separate contract for the supply of your phone services. You can read your SFoA in full or contact us and we'll send you your free copy.

Our responsibilities to you

Our Customer Charter plays an integral role in our culture and business. We are committed to meeting our obligations under our SFoA and to consistently delivering you quality customer service. The Charter covers the following areas:

  • accessibility and information
  • billing
  • credit management
  • personal information
  • customer service guarantee
  • complaints
  • consultation, accountability and audit

Accessibility and Information

  • for service requests, our call centre will be open from 8:00am until 6:00pm (EST), Monday to Friday
  • fault management is 24x7
  • we'll provide and ensure that our documentation and contracts are expressed in plain and intelligible language
  • if a contract term is found to be unfair, we'll not seek to enforce the unfair term against you
  • we'll respond in detail, by phone or in writing, to any enquiry you make within 5 working days, and
  • we'll keep you fully informed about any complaints you make to us.

Billing

  • we'll provide you with ready access to information about the billing practices that are relevant to the services you have with us
  • we'll not bill you for charges older than 190 days from the date they were incurred
  • we can make different arrangements with you in terms of how you receive your bill - for example, we offer online billing, paper billing - and what is included on your bill, within regulatory requirements
  • we'll make it easy for you to pay your bill
  • we'll tell you about any changes to our billing processes
  • we'll make it easy for you to contact us about your bill.

Credit management

  • we will not demand payment of genuinely disputed amounts whilst a complaint is being investigated
  • we'll have in place processes to assist you if you are experiencing difficulties in paying your accounts, such as the option of negotiating an instalment plan
  • if you ask for it, we'll help you to find information about, and referral to, any government assistance programs, and give you information about independent financial counselling services
  • we'll tell you everything that is relevant to your non payment of the bill prior to taking any credit management action
  • we'll tell you all relevant information before we suspend, restrict or disconnect you and we'll ensure that the way we tell you is clear and able to be understood by you
  • we'll review our decision to restrict or suspend without notice if you request it and if we have made a mistake we'll reconnect you without charge
  • we will not take credit management action in relation to genuinely disputed amounts whilst the disputed amount is being investigated and remains unresolved by us, the TIO or any other relevant recognised agency

Personal information – privacy, access and correction

  • we value the personal information you give us and we'll take all reasonable precautions to prevent unauthorised access to that information
  • we'll, with your help, keep your personal information accurate, complete and up to date. We guarantee to correct any error we make that you bring to our attention
  • you have the right to inspect personal information that we hold about you. This right is subject to some exceptions. See our Privacy policy
  • we'll take all reasonable steps to ensure your information is secured. 

Leaving us

We'll ensure that it is easy for you to leave us if you wish to.

Customer service guarantee

We are obliged to comply with obligations under the Customer Service Guarantee.  The Customer Service Guarantee covers maximum timeframes for connecting standard telephone services, repairing a fault and service difficulty and attending appointments with customers. We are obliged to make payments to you if we breach this Guarantee.

Complaints

We look to resolve all disputes quickly and fairly. If you ask us to investigate a complaint and you are not happy with our response, you have three options:

Contact us to tell us what we have done wrong in attempting to resolve or investigate your complaint.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can ask for the matter to be escalated to a senior decision maker.
If you still disagree with our investigation of your complaint, you can lodge a complaint with the independent industry dispute resolution scheme, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). The TIO can resolve disputes between telecommunications companies their residential or small business customers. You can email the TIO at tio@tio.com.au, phone them on (03) 8600 8700 or visit www.tio.com.au for more information.

Consultation, accountability and audit

We'll report publicly and annually on our compliance with this Charter. This Charter will be reviewed annually.

Disability issues

We are committed to the elimination of discrimination within the telecommunications industry. Our Disability Issues Framework recognises that telecommunications facilities and services should be available to all and that the needs of people with disabilities should be taken into account in the design of any new telecommunications equipment or service. The Framework recognises that all people, including people with disabilities, should have access to a standard telephone service, and provides guidance around the following behaviours:

  • we'll take into account the needs of people with disabilities in the design of any new telecommunications equipment or service
  • we'll ensure that as far as possible, people with disabilities are able to use telecommunications services at prices equivalent to those without disabilities. The cost of providing access to all will be met by dedicated funds or absorbed into general operating costs
  • we'll ensure that any documentation, including our bills are available in alternative formats upon request, for example, large print and large formats
  • we'll train our staff to assist customers with a disability
  • we'll ensure that our billing processes include appropriate services that meet the needs of people with disabilities
  • we won't charge fees that contravene the disability discrimination act 1992
  • we'll ensure that customers can be easily assisted by an advocate when communicating with us, and
  • we'll try and accommodate reasonable requests for customer disability equipment to assist customers with disabilities to obtain a standard telephone service.

This Disability Management Framework will be reviewed every 12 months or as required by changes to the regulatory Code legislation.

Emergency call service

This is an operator-assisted service that connects you to an emergency service organisation such as police, fire or ambulance services in a life-threatening or time-critical situation from any phone at no charge.

Dialing 000 will connect you with emergency services from any fixed, mobile or pay phone. If you have a speech or hearing impairment you can call the text-based emergency call service by dialling 106. This service is NOT available for mobile text messaging users.

If you're a GSM digital mobile user, you can also connect to the emergency call service by dialling 112 from anywhere in the world where there is GSM coverage and the call will automatically be transferred to that country's emergency number. 112 can be dialled in any area covered by GSM, whether it's within your mobile phone company's coverage area or not, and without having to unlock your keypad or key in your security-protection pin number.

Note: Caller information will be disclosed to the emergency service organisation you are contacting regardless of whether you have Calling Number Display (CND) blocking in place or not. You should only call the emergency call service in a life-threatening or time critical situation.

If you require emergency service assistance but the matter is not urgent, use the appropriate local number. You'll find this in the phone book or by calling Directory Assistance. 

Financial hardship

Financial hardship involves a situation where a person is unable, for reasons such as illness, unemployment or another reasonable cause, to meet their financial obligations to us, however they reasonably expect to be able to do so with an adjustment to their payment and / or service arrangements. If you wish to claim financial hardship and adjust your payment / service arrangements, please contact us.

There are no charges associated with this service. Each situation will be assessed on a case by case basis.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Our financial hardship policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that if we have customers who are experiencing financial hardship, we can work with them to pay their account over time whilst maintaining ongoing access for them to some telecommunications services.

Definition

Financial hardship involves a situation where a person is unable, reasonably, to meet their financial obligations to us under their contract. However, they expect to be able to do so if their payment and / or service arrangements are changed. Financial hardship can take place over a limited timeframe or be long-term. It can result from a number of factors including:

  • loss of employment, either for that person or a family member
  • family breakdown
  • illness, including physical incapacity, hospitalisation, or mental illness, either for that person or a family member
  • a death in the family
  • unexpected or increased family commitments, due to circumstances such as the above.

You can claim financial hardship if you think you can reasonably expect to be able to meet your financial and contractual obligations to us by changing your payment / service arrangements. If you are experiencing payment difficulties from time to time, that is not a situation that qualifies as financial hardship and therefore for assistance under this policy. See our exclusions below.

Our policy aims to be flexible enough to accommodate the circumstances of each individual customer. If you wish to claim financial hardship and adjust your payment / service arrangements, please contact us.

Information that is available

We can provide you with a summary of this policy either in writing or over the telephone if:

  • you ask for it
  • you indicate to us that you are in financial hardship, and/or
  • we considers that you may be eligible

All our reminder notices include information about this policy. No charges You won't be charged by us for implementing financial hardship measures.

Training

The staff responsible for discussing financial hardship payment arrangements with you are fully trained in this policy. On request, we'll assess your eligibility for assistance under our financial hardship policy. As part of this, we'll take into account your individual circumstances. As part of that assessment, we may request supporting documentation from you. We'll only ask for this if:

  • it appears that the financial arrangements will need to be long term
  • we consider the amount that needs to be re-paid is large or significant
  • you have not been our customer for very long
  • we are concerned that there is fraud involved

We consider the following to be evidence of financial hardship:

  • evidence of an unforeseen change in your circumstances
  • in some cases, evidence that you have met with and/or are accompanied by a recognised financial counsellor
  • documented evidence, such as a statutory declaration from a person familiar with your circumstances (family doctor, priest, bank officer etc). This information must meet the criteria of the privacy act 1988 in terms of how it has been collected and is used and retained.

Assistance from financial counsellors

In some cases, where we believe you are experiencing genuine and long-term financial hardship, we may ask you to seek assistance from a financial counsellor to discuss your financial situation. We believe some customers may benefit from the experience of a financial counsellor. The reasons why we may request that you seek their advice and assistance can include:

  • it is apparent that your financial situation is genuine, serious and permanent and you need expert financial advice and counselling
  • it appears that you are paying us at the expense of other bills, and that you may need financial advice and counselling to ensure your bills are paid in the correct order of priority in order for you to maintain a reasonable standard of living. For example, it may be appropriate for you to work with the financial counsellor to decide the priority of the bills that need to be paid, and
  • we cannot agree a reasonable payment arrangement (ie the suggested payments and the length of time to meet your financial obligations) without a financial counsellor's assistance and advice.

Note: We won't ask you to seek the advice of a financial counsellor in all the circumstances where a payment arrangement is being discussed, only where the conditions detailed above are involved.

Establishment of financial hardship

Once it has been established that you meet our financial hardship criteria, we'll agree a suitable arrangement between you, your financial counsellor (if you have one) and our Credit team. You will be asked to keep to this payment arrangement. Principles

  • you continue to satisfy the criteria that afford you treatment under the financial hardship framework
  • the financial hardship process will be reasonable to both you and us
  • we want to maintain our relationship with you
  • we'll take into account your individual circumstances
  • we'll look to identify appropriate products or services for you that will enable you to retain a level of access and still manage your future communications spending.

The basic principle of any agreed financial arrangement is that the repayment should be sufficient to cover your expected future use of the service, as well as continuing to reduce your debt.

Your obligations

  • you acknowledge the debt and your obligation to repay the debt
  • you'll provide us with enough information for both parties to decide what constitutes a reasonable payment arrangement
  • you accept responsibility for reducing your phone usage to a level that you are able to pay and you are prepared to take up relevant call barring options to achieve this
  • you accept the restricted level of access that we negotiate with you
  • you'll make repayments to us as agreed under the financial hardship arrangement.
  • if you experience any further financial difficulty, you'll tell us immediately and we'll review your situation.

Our responsibilities

  • we'll ensure that none of your outstanding debt is in dispute
  • we'll confirm that you are the person who is legally liable to pay the debt
  • we'll not take credit management action whilst financial hardship arrangements are being discussed
  • if limiting access to services forms part of our agreement with you, we'll ensure access is limited as agreed and that the limitations are explained
  • the arrangements will be ones that you can meet
  • we'll look at waiving our disconnection and late payment fees
  • we'll monitor your compliance with the financial hardship arrangement
  • we'll not change the terms of the arrangement if you are meeting those terms
  • we'll clearly explain the terms of the payment arrangement to you
  • we'll ask you to contact us if your situation changes during the term of the arrangement.
  • we'll be willing and able to review the terms of the financial hardship arrangement if you tell us that your circumstances have changed
  • we'll make sure you are fully informed of your rights and obligations under the arrangement
  • We won't undertake credit management action including listing of your debt with an external credit reporting agency whilst a financial hardship arrangement is being actively discussed with us or during the course of the financial hardship arrangement unless:
  1. you breach the terms of the arrangement
  2. credit management action appears to be reasonable in the circumstances or
  3. you agree
  • if you don't stick to the terms of the arrangement and don't notify us to re-negotiate, we'll take reasonable steps to contact you or your financial counsellor (if applicable) before taking further credit management action
  • if we can't make contact, we'll resume normal credit management action, including restriction or suspension of the service or termination of the contract. This action will be in accordance with our credit management policies and the credit management code
  • only our recoveries department or a credit manager can action financial hardship matters.
  • Payment arrangements for the settlement of all due balances must be made within a timeframe of 12 months
  • if your payment request, after negotiation, remains at greater then 12 months, then you may be referred to an external credit reporting agency and your "statement of means" forwarded to the relevant agent
  • documentation supporting your position must be on the official letterhead of the organisation assisting you with your claim.

Exclusions

Financial hardship does not apply to:

  • Customers who wish to negotiate time to pay their bill within a short period of time, usually 3 months
  • People who are bankrupt.

Internet dumping

Internet dumping happens when you are disconnected from the telephone line that you normally use to connect your computer to your ISP and reconnected (dumped), often without your consent, to a new number (usually an international number) that has a higher call charge rate. Internet dumping generally happens when you access certain websites, particularly pornographic and adult content websites, but also some gambling, games and music sites. These sites tempt you to click on something on the page – usually a hotlink or a pop up box - that automatically disconnects you and then reconnects your computer to the high call charge number. While some sites ask your permission before transferring you to a high call charge number, many don't.

Here are some signs that you may have been the victim of internet dumping:

  • you receive an unexpectedly high telephone bill with charges to an unknown international number
  • you get a phone bill from a telephone company other than the telephone company that normally bills you
  • an unfamiliar short-cut icon appears on your desktop
  • unexpected 'dialler.exe' files appear on your computer's hard drive, and/or
  • you can't send emails while you are online

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself:

  • bar access to international numbers on your telephone line
  • always read the messages on your computer screen including terms and conditions before you click 'yes' or 'ok'
  • install anti-virus software that blocks international direct dial access
  • install software that can prevent automatic downloads, monitor websites accessed by your computer or filter internet content and materials
  • set up password protection for access to your computer and the internet
  • ensure that all other users of your computer know about the risks posed by certain websites
  • put long expiry dates on the "internet history" folder in your browser, so dumped calls can be traced
  • check the dial-up box to ensure your settings are correct before you connect to the internet, and
  • turn off your computer and disconnect the modem when it is not in use 

Legal compliance policy

We carry out our business activities in a way that meets all applicable legal and regulatory requirements, minimises the cost of legal and regulatory risk and maximises business opportunities. Compliance involves making sure that we act in accordance with external legal and regulatory obligations, as well as our own internal policies and procedures. AAPT believes that meeting its compliance obligations is essential to getting the best results for our people, our customers and our business. 

Mobile manners

As a member of The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA), we encourage mobile phone users to use their phones responsibly and to be considerate and aware of situations where using their phone might annoy others.

Please remember these simple courtesies:

  • When in doubt, always go out: Whenever possible, go outside or into another room to make your call if it might disturb others. Please make good use of features such as text messaging answering services, call diversion and vibration alert to receive important calls without disturbing others
  • If you can't turn it off, use silent mode: If you need to keep your phone on for important calls, then turn it to silent or vibrate mode. It's the ring of a mobile phone in inappropriate places and times such as at the tennis or in restaurants which annoys people the most
  • When required turn your phone off and check it's off: There are some places where people should never talk on a mobile phone or send text messages and where the ringing of a mobile phone or message alert is considered highly unacceptable. These include movies, stage shows, weddings, funerals, concerts, speeches, classrooms and lectures. In these cases, turn your phone off and remember to check it's off before you enter the venue. You can always check your voicemail, text messages or your answering service afterwards
  • Keep your conversations private: People's sense of personal space varies in each situation. Making a call in a busy pub may be okay, but talking loudly in a confined space like a lift or on a train tends to infringe on other's personal space. In some situations it might be better to send a text message rather than make a call
  • Speak softly: Mobile phones have very sensitive microphones that can pick even the softest voice, so there's no need to shout. If you are having trouble hearing the other caller, check that you have the volume on your phone set high enough
  • You don't always have to answer - use your messaging service: It's a natural reflex to answer your phone if it rings, however, if you forget to put your phone on silent or vibrate mode and it rings at an inappropriate moment, send the call to voice mail or your answering service (usually by pressing the hang-up key)
  • Talk to the one you're with: If you receive a second call during a conversation, send that call to your voicemail or answering service. Your first priority should be to the person you are speaking with. However, if you are expecting an important call let the person you're with know before the call arrives, and excuse yourself before accepting the call
  • Don't send inappropriate text messages: Text messaging is a great way to communicate, but don't send offensive or threatening text messages, because it is a criminal offence to use a mobile phone to menace or harass someone. Also receivers can save messages and easily identify you as the sender
  • Respect others' privacy when using in phone cameras: In-phone cameras shouldn't be used anywhere a normal camera would be considered inappropriate, such as in change rooms or toilets. You should ask for permission before you take someone's picture
  • Ban the ring: not the phone: Venues can help by asking people to turn their phone to silent or vibrate mode before they enter. This will encourage those who need their phone for important calls to comply.

Premium services

A premium service call is a phone call to content or live advice. The calls usually start with the prefixes 109X, 191, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197 or 199 and services provided on mobile proprietary networks (or mobile carrier portals) or an international access code. Examples of premium service calls can include sex services, psychic lines, weather services, voting lines for TV shows or competition lines. Premium service calls can also include high school test result hot lines. You can usually access these services through another provider by dialling their over-ride code followed by the service number. An example of a service provided on a mobile proprietary network is video calls.

How can you be charged?

You can be charged for premium service calls in several ways:

  • flat rate - this is where you are charged a fixed amount for each call you make. It is a good idea to keep track of how many calls you make as the cost can quickly add up.
  • timed rate - this is where your calls are timed and usually charged at a rate per minute. A fixed set up or connection fee may also apply. Keeping track of how long you spend on the call will help to keep your costs to a minimum. [The average cost of a premium service can range from several cents to a few dollars per minute, depending on the service].
  • calls from mobile phones - if you are calling from a mobile phone, additional costs such as air time may apply.
     

You should always check the cost of the premium service call before you make the call. You are usually responsible for the cost of any calls made from your telephone, including calls made by family and friends, even when made without your knowledge. There are a number of specific rules that relate to the provision of premium services aimed at ensuring that you are fully informed about the price and content of the services. If these rules have been broken, you may not have to pay for the service. Note: If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment and wish to make calls to premium service numbers via the National Relay Service, then you must have an account with Australian Communication Exchange (ACE) and you will be charged for the calls.

Information about the financial risks associated with premium services

You need to be aware that using premium services can generate unexpectedly high bills which could cause you financial hardship while repaying the debt. Failure to pay for charges incurred from using premium services may result in the disconnection of some or all of your services and the recording of a default with a credit reference agency which could affect your credit rating and your ability to obtain finance. What steps can you take to lessen the risk of high, unexpected bills? You can bar access to some or all premium services using one of the following options:

  • barring only 190 calls. This means all calls to 190 numbers are barred permanently.
  • barring all calls (excluding local calls). This means all national, international, calls to mobiles and calls to 190 numbers are barred permanently through Telstra.
  • temporarily bar all calls (excluding local calls) using Easy Call Control. At a small monthly fee of $3.30, you can use this service to temporarily bar calls to mobiles, national, international and 190 calls. We provide you with a PIN which you can use to activate or de-activate the bars.

Please contact us to discuss your barring options. For mobile phone users, you can also take action to control your phone bill by using a prepaid mobile service.

Concerned about your use of premium services?

You can discuss any concerns you have about your use of premium services and/or the costs you have incurred with any of the following organisations.

Please contact us and we will assist you with barring options and payment arrangements. If you are worried about contacting us, you can arrange to have a Financial Counsellor assist you when you contact us. Please check your phone book or the internet for details on how to locate a Financial Counsellor.

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman

The TIO investigates complaints about billings of premium services on the 190 prefix, international numbers, 19X numbers and proprietary networks.

Freecall: 1800 062 058
Freefax: 1800 630 614
TTY: 1800 675 692
Translator and Interpreter Service: 131 450
Phone: 03 8600 8700
Fax: 03 8600 8797

Mail: PO Box 276
Collins Street West
Melbourne VIC 8007

Email: tio@tio.com.au

The Telephone Information Services Standards Council (TISSC)

TISSC investigates complaints related to the breach of its Code of Practice about the message content and advertising of premium services on the 190 prefix.

Phone: 1300 139 955
Fax: (02) 9211 4447

Mail: 190 Complaints
PO Box K1021
Haymarket NSW 1240

Email: tissc@tissc.com.au

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) 

For calls from Melbourne: (03) 9963 6988
For calls outside Melbourne: 1300 850 115
Fax: (03) 9963 6989

Mail: PO Box 13120
Law Courts
Melbourne VIC 8010

Selling practices framework

AAPT is committed to offering you our products and services in a legal, decent, honest and truthful manner. We understand that direct selling plays a key role in our ability to compete as a business, and that we are responsible for our direct sellers behaviour. We are committed to ensuring that:

  • we will not mislead and deceive you
  • we will not harass or exploit you
  • you will clearly understand the terms of our offers
  • you'll be told the full price commitment and any cooling off periods applicable to the sale.

Smartnumbers

The Smartnumbers™ Auction enables customers to select a 13, 1300 or 1800 telephone number from a pool of available numbers for their business. The greatest advantage of this auction is that businesses can choose telephone numbers that best promote their businesses to their customers.

On 18 August 2004, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will begin its Public Auction of Smartnumbers™.

Smartnumbers™ are freephone (1800) and local rate (13/1300) numbers initially allocated via auction by the ACMA. They are easy-to-remember six-digit 13 and 10-digit 1300 local rate numbers, and 10-digit 1800 freephone numbers.

Those wishing to participate in the auction must:

Register on the Smartnumbers™ website and pay the registration fee.
Indicate the number(s) or a range of numbers of interest and then bid for the numbers when the auction date arrives.
If you successfully win a number at auction and pay for it you will have Rights Of Use (ROU) over that number. This includes the rights to trade or on sell those numbers.

Once you’ve purchased a number contact AAPT Sales to organise activation.

For more information on Smartnumbers™ call the ACMA on 1300 79 39 19.

SSMS/MMS premium services

A premium SMS or MMS occurs when a service is contacted for content or live advice, such as news, wallpapers or horoscopes. The numbers for such services begin with the prefixes 191, 193 - 197 and 199 and cost more than the standard SMS (text message) or MMS (multimedia message).

You can contact AAPT to request barring of all premium SMS and MMS services, at no charge.  Barring of these services will take place within one business day after the request is made. You will no longer incur any charges on SMS and MMS services once the barring is activated. All your other services will continue as usual.

If you have any questions about premium SMS or MMS services, please contact the number on your bill invoice. 

If you have a complaint about these services that has not been resolved after dealing with AAPT’s escalation contact points, you have the right to contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman or Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). The TIO can resolve disputes between telecommunications companies their residential or small business customers.

Spam

How to report spam?
You can report spam that you receive to us.

If the spam you are receiving appears to come from a subscriber at another telephone company's network, you should send an email to them via their 'abuse@' email address. If the spam you are receiving appears to come from a subscriber on the AAPT network, please send us an email at abuse@aapt.net.au.

We will not impose any charges in respect of your report on spam to us.

We will acknowledge your report of spam within three business days, either manually or via auto response.

Our acknowledgement to you will include:

  • Information on how we will deal with reports of spam that relate to subscribers on our network
  • Information or a link to information informing you about your options for reducing the volume of spam
  • Information or a link to information about how the end user can report spam to another telephone company
  • Information or a link to information about how you can bring a spam complaint to the attention of the telecommunications regulator, ACMA
  • Information or a link to information about the procedure by which you can escalate a report about spam into a complaint
  • Information to a resource page