AAPT: DIAL UP CUSTOMER – YOU ARE BEING RIPPED OF !!!!

[Platycat]

I WAS with AAPT and have now changed to internode--they are great and their site is so easy to use--I get 5gb a month for $39-95

[mshaqal]

AAPT is the worst company in Australia.I dont know how they still in the market I had internet account with them on 2002 left them after a month.bad very bad.

[Grandma S]

Will never deal with AAPT again. They cut off my broadband while changing over to their new accounting system. They didn't realise until I rung them up. AAPT then wanted me to give them all sorts of informationn as if I was a new customer. I said I just wanted the same as before and seeing it was your error I was cut off, I wanted to be back online in 24 hrs. No such luck I was on the phone 2 days in a row once for 50 mins without getting anywhere. I eventually threaten to go to Telstra and hung up. Approx. 20 minutes later AAPT rang back and said I was under a 2 year signed contract and would have to pay a termination fee. When I challenged saying I had not signed a contract AAPT changed their story and said it was verbal!!! I know I was not on a contract and how dare they threaten me with a lie. I have been a good customer of theirs for a long time. I got upset and said if there was a contract, AAPT was the one who broke the contract by not providing the broadband service to me. I am going to Telstra. Even after all was transferred to Telstra, my account still appeared online to be active. On ringing AAPT they tell me that I am still with them for long distance calls. Appartently I have to cancel that not Telstra!!!! What does one have to do to change companies? This was the last straw, I have had so much trouble with AAPT over the last few months. Word of advice stay away from AAPT, you get no service and the people you ring up do not listen to you, they only talk about their sales jargon and have no idea how to solve a customer's complaint with due care.

[aptine6132]

Oh dear AAPT has been at it again. I have been a great AAPT customer, always paid on time and I have recently found out it means absolutely nothing to them. At the beginning of October I agreed to have my service (phone and internet bundle) upgraded and therefore put on their new 24 month contract. The service never eventuated as it turned out that I couldn't receive the faster broadband, (you'd think they would of know before offering it to me)and they didn't let me know. I had to ring them and find out what was going on to find out the upgrade was cancelled. But, people, they had changed my phone to a 24 month contract which they shouldn't have as my phone was part of the phone/broadband deal and suprise surprise they got the new direct debit fee I agreed to right even tho the service wasn't forth coming. I'm on the look out for a new provider. I always bragged about AAPT to anyone I could and told them they should swap, cos no one is happy with Telstra.

[rebelsnail]

Oh AAPT has done it again!! They are the WORST company in Australia!

AAPT did this to me too on broadband! First, in 2005 I was offered a good deal for 256k speed (good at the time) for $29 a month, then I upgraded to 512k for $39 a month a year later, all good.

Then I discovered my bill was getting higher and higher all the time. Then my parents, who had an AAPT account too, told me that they had discovered AAPT was changing the system, and had upped their prices so they moved to Dodo (which seems to be going well for them now, a year and half now). Then I realised AAPT had stuffed me over too!!! So I rang them and complained. Found out they had put me on a $59 plan on the same speeds without my permission!!!!!!!! I was SO ANGRY!!! And they gave me the elusive letter cr ap too and of course I never got it!!! So I told them and they would not listen, so I said, "Goodbye! You have lost me for good!" and that very day I switched over to a new provider which has been a lot better!! With a much better price too for much faster speeds!!!!

I have never forgiven them and to anyone reading this, DONT GO WITH AAPT!!!!! Let their business go under! They deserve this for abusing their customers rights and trust!!

[daryljp]

I can't get ADSL, due to Telsta cabling, can't afford wireless so I use dialup. Recently I started getting larger messages dropping out after about 500kb, a Filipino answering service informed me , yes changes to their server you must go direct to Bigpond website to read them. Not happy shopped around, wish I had years ago, and discovered beagle. For unlimited d/l, no time restrictions, no contract, yes you do pay for a local call to connect AND you speak to an English speaking person who will ring you back if you wait 90 seconds. All this for $9.95 (Senior), I was paying Telstra $25.95. Worth also checking for those who can use ADSL.

[ollyonatrolley]

For the information of Bowiee and other scornful commentators, there are still many rural and small town internet users who have no option but to use dial up for their connection to internet.

[bowiee]

Why you thought dial up would be a money saver is beyond me. Just think of the time you waste waiting for pages to load let alone downloads.

I, and I am sure most people, have better things to do with their time, after all time is money.

[ollyonatrolley]

AAPT was satisfactory until they made a major change in their accounting. I got sucked in to a downward spiral of no broadband service and inability to get a reply from them; accounting squabbles; hounded by debt collectors and finally, being charged for broadband after they had cut me off.

[ozbert]

You seriously think the TIO are going to give you money back for dialling into a dial up system. I have had this system for years and the terms and conditions Cleary say that it costs a local phone call each time you connect. Believe me, the TIO will ask AAPT for a copy of the terms you signed up to and then dismiss you claim as frivolous. And shame on NGE for wasting space publishing your gripe.

[esteven]

You need to lodge a complaint with the TIO (telecommunications industry ombudsman).

[herring]

I have been an AAPT customer for 12 years (home phone, mobile and broadband), and I have never had the slightest problem with them.

[ozcan]

We were with AAPT for just over a year. Their accounting was poor -and despite being in credit- we were continually advised we owed them money. Funnily enough, their prepaid mobile WAS worthwhile, but it became unavailable in WA. We dropped AAPT over a year ago... and we'd NEVER return. We get a great package from iinet, now... .

[NGE]

We have been a customer of AAPT for almost 6 years, for the entire time we have had the $10 dial up package which was offered because we also had our home phone with them. This included unlimited access, and dial up into the network (ie. you were not charged for dialing into their network).

Since their new billing system has been implemented, we were shocked to find that we are now (and most probably have been for a while now) being charged $0.19 for each time we log onto the net.... However, under internet it still clearly shows unlimited dial up usage, the number of calls, and total cost $0.00. What they have been doing is hiding it in the local calls which are not itemised on their old accounts.... I worked out that I have spent $137.00 in just over a month, for a substandard slow dial up system, thinking I was saving money....

When I enquired, I was told that they had changed the deal (was unable to tell me when this came into effect) and then claimed that they notified us... again another ‘elusive’ letter that never arrived.

They know who in their right mind would pay this much for a dialup service, when they could save money and have broadband... that is unless we don’t know that we are paying it.... (HIDE THE CHARGES)

We are now very peeved to find out that we have been paying more money for this slow dial up system (which is continually disconnecting and reconnecting itself) than we would have been paying for broadband. And the entire time, this was HIDDEN in their accounts with the $0.00 still clearly stated next to the number of times we have logged in.. Just as it has from the day we started....

If AAPT was being upfront about these charges, why don’t the charges appear in the open, next to the number of calls to the server? Why do they hide them? Why does it show $0.00?

I am hoping if anyone else is in the same boat as my and my friends (who are also a victim of this underhanded grab for money) Please contact the telecommunications ombudsman – the more people that lodge a complaint the more chance we have of forcing AAPT to repay us all of the money they have been taking from us without our consent (stole).

This just involves a simple phone call, no forms to fill out and you (we) could hopefully get some of our money back.

I would also recommend that you find another carrier... AAPT does not know the first thing about valuing their customers... see my thread under telecommunications.

NGE Member: murdkm