euslaner

I am in Australia for 4 months (just about to return to the US) and when I arrived I let a salesperson at a kiosk here in Canberra tell me that I should buy an Optus SIM card.

I won�t go into a long story (if you want all of the gory details, you can send me a PM or an e-mail though I�ll be traveling most of the next two weeks before returning to the US). But Optus has repeatedly told me untruths about the conditions and costs of the SIM card. The situation was so bad that the Managing Director twice had to authorize refunds to me and admitted that I was not told the truth by the kiosk operator and an Optus agent in Sydney (where I stopped when my balance suddenly sank to zero even though I had made almost no calls).

I told the Managing Director�s number two that I was going to use a different carrier after my balance went down to zero�and it is now close to zero. So I took the bus to the Canberra Centre (the mall) and went to get a new SIM card and was told twice, once by a newsagent and then confirmed by the Optus store there that the phone was locked and it would take up to 10 days plus a fee to get the phone (my phone purchased in the US after advice from FT members) unlocked. The number two today told me that my phone was not locked and it was my fault for believing what I was told by the worker at the Optus store. He and the Managing Director both told me that I had two options: spend another hour and a half going to the mall (I have no car now) and getting a different card or renewing at Optus�s inflated rates online (more than eight times as great as Lebara�s rates with a large minimum). I should not have believed what I was told by the sales rep at the Optus store.

So the message is: If you are in Australia with a need for a mobile phone, find some other carrier. Optus is a scam. Don�t fall for it.

Christopher

I can't really comment on the scam aspect of it, but I can say that when I bought a pay-as-you-go phone and a mobile internet connection from Optus a couple of years ago (which I did on advice, offered honestly), the salesman was supremely unhelpful � it was quite extraordinary really. I have since moved to another provider for the times I am in Australia.

number_6

Advice on FT made me pick Vodafone in Australia and I've been happy with it, though the rates are higher than Lebara but service is better. Don't recall Optus as being highly rated in the alternatives. All mobile phone plans are scams in the sense that they try to obfuscate charges and make it sound like you get more (when you don't).

ozzie

I wouldn't pick anyone other than Telstra these days.

bensyd

For future reference, I wouldn't waste my time dealing with the company. If a telephone call doesn't work, send a letter outlining your issue. Once they have given you a response, which invariabley will suit them not you, take your complaint to Ombudsman. I have used the Ombudsman twice after being overcharged by Telstra and both times I got the result I wanted.

euslaner

I am friendly with an MP and I have called his office. They said that they would do what they could to help but didn't hold out much hope. I could contact the Ombudsman office (thought of that) but we are only in Canberra until the end of the week and then on vacation at the beach (hoping to avoid some of the rain) next week and then back home to the US. So any proceedings with the Ombudsman office would take time and wouldn't be resolved while we are here.

I just wanted to share my frustration with Optus. It is hard to believe that they can get away with lying and lying and lying.

tt7

I understand your frustration but I would have to say your post is a bit heavy on the criticism and a bit light on the details.

I don't understand how a phone purchased in the U.S. could be locked to the Optus network? I guess it's possible but would seem unlikely. You don't need to go to any store to determine whether a phone is locked - just find someone using a different carrier and borrow their SIM. If it works in your phone, the phone isn't locked.

I have no desire to appear as a fan of mobile phone companies (whose customer service is usually atrocious and pricing is deliberately convoluted). However, I really don't understand why you have had such a difficult time. I assume this was a prepaid SIM whose value expires after a certain time (30 days?) if not used? Given the lack of any real details in your post, it's hard to comment further.

euslaner

Then don't comment. It is nice that you know all this stuff about the ins and outs of SIM cards. This was the first time that I ever had one. When someone sells you something, they should tell you about the conditions. And it was an Optus salesperson who told me that the phone was locked. When I expressed my frustration with earlier problems, even the Managing Director of Optus admitted that they did not tell me the full story. But I guess everyone should know what you do.

tt7

I can't, as, other than accusing Optus of "lying and lying and lying", you continue to provide absolutely no details whatsoever of what the issues were.

euslaner

I would give you the whole story but you are predisposed not to believe me or to understand how someone might not understand how anyone could not know about the duration of an initial fee or whether phones are locked or not. I took the advice of Optus salespeople. The Managing Director admitted that I was misinformed twice (on duration and on the price per call) and did not dispute the fact that I was misinformed again when the Optus personnel told me that the phone was locked.

But clearly you know better. That's great that you are a superior person. Now maybe you can let me be.

tt7

I am not "predisposed not to believe you" - there is nothing to believe or not believe, as you have provided no facts on which to come to any judgment.

Was this a pre-paid or post-paid plan? What Optus plan has an "initial fee"? If you can't be bothered to explain what the issue was, I can't understand what the point of posting was.

DownUnderFlyer

Anyone coming to Australia should have a look at amaysim. Uses the Optus network so much better coverage than Vodaphone/3 (but not as good as Telstra when going bush) and very competitive deals for casual users. Plus a good onshore call centre.

jpatokal

Which leads me to suspect that you would probably have had the same issues with any operator, as they all have similar insanely complicated pricing plans laden with small print.

euslaner

No, switched to Lebara for our last two weeks here. Very simple pricing and much cheaper. They explained it all on the phone.