Dodo cops warning from ACMA over customer usage alerts

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has handed out a formal warning to Dodo about its compliance with the Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code.

The warming comes after an ACMA investigation (.doc) found the telco provider failed to send alerts to its fixed broadband customers about their data usage — a requirement under the TCP Code — during October and November 2013, affecting some 5,300 customers.

ACMA chairman Chris Chapman said Dodo cooperated with the investigation.

"Once its failure to send the alerts was identified in its response to the ACMA's enquiries, Dodo worked swiftly to fix the information technology faults that had prevented the alerts from being sent. Dodo also compensated affected customers and had capped the excess usage charges," he said.

Under the TCP Code since September 2013, all telco providers must send usage alerts to customers on post-paid broadband internet plans when they have reached 50, 85, and 100 percent of their monthly data allowance, unless it's an unlimited data plan.

According to ACMA, Dodo was the only company that was identified to be non-compliant during an ACMA audit of seven large and medium telco service providers to assess compliance with the usage of alert requirements.

ACMA said all seven providers that were audited had begun offering usage alerts before it became mandatory and several offered customers the flexibility to choose when and how the alerts were delivered.