The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has released figures for the last quarter, revealing a 31 percent rise in customer complaints compared with the previous quarter. While the TIO has attributed the sharp increase to complaints about Vodafone, complaints against other providers such as Telstra and Optus were also on the rise.

Vodafone customers have recently endured a number of network coverage faults on their mobile phones or mobile broadband services, along with customer service problems when reporting the issues. There was a 96 percent increase in Vodafone complaints compared with the previous quarter.

“New complaints to the TIO point to a grim quarter for consumers,”’ said Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Simon Cohen. “We have received more new complaints about landlines, internet services, and a 50 per cent increase in mobile telephone complaints.”

The report indicates that in every issue type, such as billing, coverage and credit management, there was an increase in complaints across the providers.

“Most complaints are being resolved at a very early stage, indicating consumers’ problems are often not complex and can be quickly sorted by complaint handling specialists. However, we are seeing more consumers returning following referral to us to ask for an investigation,” Mr Cohen said.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has said the unacceptable figures justify the need for The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to take action and bring the “self-regulated industry under control.”

ACCAN expects that the 2010-2011 financial year will have been the worst year ever for Australian telecommunications customers.