The Australian November 07, 2014 12:00AM
Patricia Karvelas
TENS of thousands of pensioners and welfare recipients are being stung by high call costs to Centrelink, prompting the National Welfare Rights Network to call for a 1800 free-call facility for more people. In a letter to Human Services Minister Marise Payne, the network notes with concern that the majority of lines used by the department’s clients are still ‘13’ listed numbers.
Centrelink’s two main lines, the self-service line and the reporting line, only offer a ‘13’ option. General inquiry lines for information about payments and services that are most frequently used do not provide a no-cost 1800 option.
These include lines for older Australians, those with a disability or sickness, carers, employment services, families and parents, and youth and students.
“With the number of fixed-line services dropping each year and mobile phones becoming the preferred choice of many people, it is important that DHS provide a 1800 Freecall facility for ‘13’ numbers,” the letter says.
“Telstra has announced it has removed call charges to 1800 numbers from Telstra mobiles. Traditionally, 1800 numbers have been free of charge from landlines.
“However, calls from mobile phones are generally charged at timed rates. This has led to many of our clients being saddled with unavoidably high costs while waiting for considerable periods when calling the Centrelink call network”.
The network urges the department to significantly expand access to 1800 free-call numbers for people seeking information about payments and services, to reduce call costs for millions of low-income and disadvantaged Australians.
“Our clients can spend significant amounts of money calling DHS, irrespective of the call-back and queuing options that are available,’’ the network says. “For instance, some prepaid calls can charge $1.39 for a three-minute call. “Even if a person manages to get through in 15 minutes, they will still be out-of-pocket by nearly $7 for the call.”
I had to call centrelink yesterday & was told the wait was OVER 60 minutes. Thank Goodness I have a home phone but not everyone does. That would have cost me $27.80. STUFF THAT!!!
I am full time carer and was once of hold for 3 HOURS! Was waiting so long the Call Centre in Adelaide closed and was transfered to a queue Interstate! How can I do my job as a care properly with one hand wasted on the phone waiting for hours, chewing up my credit?
It’s utterly shameful that the very core of government towards employment and welfare lead by the example of reducing it’s staff so dramatically that an average caller has a wait time over an hour! How about Create jobs and hire more staff to deal with the customers!? I have always had an hour or more. Yesterday my call duration was 1.45 hours. used 63% of my phones call plan In a single call!
How can Centerlink expect Australians to gain employment when thier own strategy is to employ as few staff as possible. We now live in a society where more and more businesses and Government offices are adopting this method of sacrificing service to increase revenue yet this government talks about “jobs and growth”…
There can not be a reductio of the unemployment rate when population increases, computers and self service increases and companies adopt this unacceptable poor service. It’s time the government woke up to itself!
How dare centrelink repeat the same appalling insult to our intelligence with phone wait messages like this:
” We are experiencing higher than expected call volumes”.
This message is total load of rubbish!
Over 25 years! This has been thier idea of an excuse for making customers wait!
They can not POSSIBLY suggest the call volume is UNEXPECTED after nearly 3 decades! The actual message should be saying:
” We are currently experiencing an insufficient amount of staff to answer your call because we are cutting costs at out customers expense”.
Or: ” We don’t give a rats about you wasting your day on a phone using all your credit being stressed we like ruining our customers experience when dealing with us and we should expect that’s why we cop attitude from them”.
Wake up Centrelink and wake up Government and shame on you!
Australian Pensioners didn’t pay taxes thier entire lives so you can treat them your insulting customer service!