Comms regulator cracks down on Dodo

Dan Warne
14 February 2008, 5:59 AM

Cut-price ISP Dodo, the subject of ongoing controversy over customer service and billing issues, has been directed to clean up its act by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Bargain-basement ISP Dodo, the subject of ongoing controversy over customer service and billing issues, has been directed to clean up its act by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

The communications regulator told Dodo it must comply with industry codes of practice relating to complaints handling and billing.

The ACMA investigated Dodo after a formal request by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, which had been receiving swelling numbers of complaints from furious customers who were unable to contact Dodo's customer service staff over technical faults and billing errors.

ACMA said if Dodo did not start complying, it faces civil penalties, such as financial damages in a possible customer class action.

ACMA said Dodo had contravened the industry codes due to failures in its policies and procedures. Its enforcement action has been in train since September 2007, however ACMA was unable to make an amicable arrangement with Dodo. ACMA says it was forced to move to enforcement proceedings against Dodo in December.

Dodo appealed the enforcement and ACMA re-affirmed that enforcement would go ahead in January 2008.

Dodo has been a regular in APC's online news:

In June last year, it launched "free broadband !". The only catch: you had to pay $32.90 line rental fee, and once you used the broadband at full speed for more than 50 seconds, you could be hit with another fee of up to $29.00, and soon after, your broadband speed would drop to dial-up speeds.
In November last year, we reported on the tsunami of customer rage against Dodo, with 6,056 complaints about Dodo to the TIO -- almost double the 3,341 complaints made about Telstra BigPond (despite BigPond's massively bigger customer-base).

In the most recent results issued by broadband community Whirlpool.net.au, the company scored worst on customer service, with 53% of people saying they had to wait 20 minutes or longer to get a person on the phone.

Furthermore, 61.5% of people surveyed said Dodo's customer service was "below average" or "awful". Another 45% of people said they'd previously left Dodo because of poor customer service, while 32% said it was because of poor network reliability.

Comments

RSS feed

Email alert

tin:

I have no sympathy for Dodo...

Back when they started up, they advertised an unlimited dialup plan, then chucked people off for using it too much.
We got chucked off even though before signing up I had asked them about our level of usage (which they said was fine).

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Ozzy:

When I wanted a cheap ISP - dodo was priced right. I realised that a cheap ISP meant there would be problems and less support, but I was willing to put up with this for the price.

Now that I can afford to spend more - I've moved to another ISP - with better support, etc...

Get real people - you get what you pay for. Dodo still serves a need for people that don't want to pay much and are prepared to put up with the lesser support. You can't have it both ways.

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Anonymous1:

http://idiotinternet.dyndns.org/monitor.html

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Norm:

People,

Do you not realise that you get exactly what you pay for? If you want the full bit, pay lotsa money and go to Tel$tra or one of the other big name ISPs.

If you're happy with lower standards of service and support, pay less and go to someone like Dodo.

Personally, I'm with aaNet. The support is mainly peer based through forums, but there is a 9 to 5 helpdesk, weekdays. I'm happy with that 'cause that's what I pay for.

Always wanting something for nothing... Sheesh

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

John from Pine Rivers:

Ha Ha Ha aanet I hawe had them they are #2dodo constant cut offs, exuses about telsra line problems.No thanks.Now we are with bigpond and it's no more cost as aanet & no problems troublefree service.
john

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Sydney Lawrence:

Notice very little comment on Dodo. Bet that had it been Telstra the story would have been different.

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

James:

Yes, and if Dodo played the role Telstra does in everybody's Internet access, it would also be different. Notice also that Dodo have a fraction of Telstra's retail marketshare (which is even referred to /in this very article/) and public profile. Is there a point you're trying to make?

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Me:

Nah !! ... Web admins don't seem to work throughout the night (slack buggers). Come on editor ! get the horsewhip out ! Get on to the slackers before Labor scraps the AWA's :)

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Rod:

I say the same thing if it would have been teltra i could not imagine the title and comments.

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

raindog:

When and if DODO have the size and reach to negatively affect as many consumers as Telstra do then I am sure the will attract the same levels of scrutiny and public disdain.

Whilst many of DODO's practices have proven contemptible the have only directly affected the relative few that have been lured to subscribe with them.

There is not one Australian user of Telecommunication that has not been negatively affected by the negative manoeuvring, skulduggery, and restrictive trade practices of Telstra.

Would you care to mention where Telstra stands in customer satisfaction surveys or in TIO complaint figures? Because as you are well aware Sydney, Telstra sits in a similar position of notoriety as does DODO.

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Craig:

Well Sydney, that's because Telstra have a household name, have the experience, have the resources, have the ability, have the infrastructure, have the money, yet do not provide good quality service in comparison to many other ISP's in Australia. They are shareholder focused rather than customer focused which is really not acceptable.... unless you are a shareholder (which I assume you are). In other words, they should know better. They can do better but they won't.

Dodo is a horrible company that is for sure, but they are not holding Australia back. Personally I think anyone who signed with Dodo is exactly that... Honestly, why sign up with a company that is called Dodo?

That is why people rag on Telstra. Purely and simply because they SUCK and they have the ability to not suck anywhere near as much, yet they choose not to.

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

tin:

Perhaps no one cares because Dodo isn't a monopoly carrier holding us (and the government) to ransom.
Everyone that has something bad to say about Dodo left them years ago (as demonstrated already).

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

fluffy:

didnt have too much trouble with dodo a few hours off here and there over the last few years due to system upgrades but bandwith and through put average. have 4 isp's dodo, telstra bp,pacific & optus cable, similar problems with all of them over time. (personally i use iinet)
its not the lack of service that erks most of us (you must expect that)its the lack of respect we are given!

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Slowgunjoe:

I am a Dodo customer, and whereas from time to time i have had a few problems, some protracted, they have been eventually overcome. I left Bigpond years ago simply through frustration and massive expense for dial up. Dodo was capped at one fifth of the price i had been paying. An earlier comment rings a very clear bell with me, Telstra Sucked when they could have done better, and in my experience they charged an arm and a leg for it. We now pay 52 aussie bucks a month for broad band, i didn't get sucked into the promotions to sign into anything six months back, and though i'd of course like something better, the bottom line is i am still paying less than half for broadband than i was paying Bigpond for dial up over three years ago.

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Me:

Amen .... Now TPG should be next !

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Anonymou5:

I'm quite happy with my TPG account.

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Bill:

Dodo suck and I wish they'd go the way of the real Dodo! I had a dial-up account with them 3 years ago and have been unable to get in disconnected in that time ... no shit! i have asked about 5 Dodo CSRs to disconnect the service and thought they'd done so until I was speaking to my credit-card provider and they told me that Dodo had been debiting my card for the last two years. I called Dodo cust-ser, aagin, and did my block. The service is still not disconnected and they haven't credited me for the $250-$300 they've debited from my CC. I am furious ... beyond words ... livid. I cannot remeber a more frustrating customer-service experience ever! Again ... Dodo SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Bob T:

Looks like you need to check your credit card more often...

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Bil:

I'm the guy who left the 2nd comment and I just thought I'd reiterate what I said before .... DODO SUCK!

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Cecil:

Gotta laugh....DoDo means "big bottom"! ("plump-arse" if you look at wikipedia)
so.... to all those girls who've been in the DoDo advertisments........LOL
Seriously though, I've heard they are a pretty ordinary ISP, I mean naming your company after an extinct bird and claiming your "internet flies" is a bit sus to start with....

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

jamus:

And added to the fact that dodo's in reality cannot fly....

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

twerp son:

dodo is do do

29 February 2008, 8:50 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Bryan:

There's a very good reason that it is nicknamed Dodo, the internet that dies.....
I've tried several ISPs, and at the moment, Westnet seems to be one of the better... One of the main reasons is the 24/7 helpdesk.

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

DazzaJ:

I was with Dodo until mid last year when they changed their plans and pricing. They went the bigpond way , with hidden costs and expensive plans with excess charges in the $100's of dollars per megabyte.
Their service prior to this was good. I was paying $40 per month for 30Gig download at 1500kps. (Now you paying 70 with penalty rates - still cheaper than Telstra :( )
At the same time their reliability dropped significantly, and their support is next to zero!
Realistically ISPs like Dodo, Telstra, Optus , are just a rip off. And its good to see something being done.
Next they should go after bigpond and explain that unlimited access doesn't mean 10Gig, and half their pricing to make it comparable to others.
I'm now with adam internet, with true support, no excess fees, $50 for 40Gig, no lock in contracts - much better!

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Brett2010:

I have had several ISPs, Midcoast, TPG, Optusnet, plus a couple of others I do not instantly recall, and now Dodo. In my opinion Optus was worst of the lot. Dodo support has helped me out 3-4 times and I have never waited more than a few minutes.

After joining with them 18 months ago I couldn't wait to change ISPs when the 2 years was up. Now, I'm not so sure I'll change.

I haven't had the experiences others seem to have.

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

carolyn :

In June last year, it launched "free broadband !". The only catch: you had to pay $32.90 line rental fee, and once you used the broadband at full speed for more than 50 seconds, you could be hit with another fee of up to $29.00, and soon after, your broadband speed would drop to dial-up speeds.

THIS IS WHAT I HAD
DODO YOU TOOK MORE THAN YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO AND CAUSED ME TO GO TO FINIANCIAL HARD SHIP

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

muhucks:

You do get what you pay for. But I get 1.5m/b with unlimited download and no throttle for $49/month. Service is bad, had to wait days to get a tech on the phone and they have changed my log in with out telling me. I use Telstra NextG at work and it's worse though.

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Sk8er_Square (New user):

We had such a terrible time with dodo - it got to the point they were capping us during peak times on a 1.5mbit unlimited plan. When we churned to another provider and called to cancel our account (after the contract ended) they would actually hang up on us so we couldn't cancel for 2 months!!! So still paying whilst we werent even using their service!!!

10 April 2008, 5:11 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Greg Byrne (New user):

I've had some problems with Dodo but I think that they have a lot to do with an off-shore call centre. I wanted to direct debit but they had so many problems with that I had to go to my AMEX card. I contacted the NAB but they couldn't see why Dodo couldn't debit my account. These might be related to communications problems. However even allowing for that I believe that Dodo should sort out its problems and I think that they need to improve their act in this area.
More recently I found that they had improved support when I had a problem with my modem connecting to the Internet. I found from my own investigations that it was due to a faulty socket in the wall but I must say that Dodo went to great lengths to help me and continued phoning me to ensure that I wasn't in trouble with it.

29 April 2008, 3:32 PM (5 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

jenni (New user):

We are averaging about 12 calls a day from dodo despite telling them we are suing them over a service we do not have any one interested in starting a class action i will be the first one there.

23 June 2008, 9:27 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

ihatedodo (New user):

Dodo is the worst provider ive been with.in my first month ive had issues with over billing.not understanding anyone ive spoken to in customer service.when you can understand an indian person say they will do it and weeks later still nothing.dodo is just wasting my time
ive never been so angry about anything .THEY SUCK BIGTIME

30 July 2008, 4:15 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

djhunt (New user):

i signed up with dodo 10gig 39.95$ month plan 0.10c meg after that to a total of 590 meg = 59.00$ the biggest rip off i have ever had i only asked for 39$ month plan , i got charged 59$ on top of my plan for 590 meg
thats almost double the cost of my plan with them

39$ 10gig + 59$ for 590 meg tell me if that is ok

17 August 2011, 4:29 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Not signed in
	Anonymous user
Login here
Sign up now!

Comms regulator cracks down on Dodo

Cut-price ISP Dodo, the subject of ongoing controversy over customer service and billing issues, has been directed to clean up its act by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Related stories

Read more stories about

Comments

tin:

Ozzy:

Anonymous1:

Norm:

John from Pine Rivers:

Sydney Lawrence:

James:

Me:

Rod:

raindog:

Craig:

tin:

fluffy:

Slowgunjoe:

Me:

Anonymou5:

Bill:

Bob T:

Bil:

Cecil:

jamus:

twerp son:

Bryan:

DazzaJ:

Brett2010:

carolyn :

muhucks:

Sk8er_Square (New user):

Greg Byrne (New user):

jenni (New user):

ihatedodo (New user):

djhunt (New user):