M2 Commander formally warned for slamming.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority watchdog is going after eleven smaller telcos for failing to adhere to strict consumer protection rules.

Of these, M2 Commander copped a formal warning from ACMA for transferring a customer from another telco, without the subscriber's consent, a practice known as slamming.

A further ten telcos were directed by ACMA to submit annual compliance statements to show that they are meeting their obligations under the Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code.

The telcos are CNS Group Australia, Exetel, Novel Telecom, Real Sim, Red Broadband, Simply NBN, Telco4U, Trikon, Uniti Wireless and Voiteck.

If they fail to submit compliance statements, the telcos could face fines and court proceedings, ACMA said.

SInce July last year, ACMA has issued 14 directions and seven formal warnings to telcos to comply with the TCP Code.

The watchdog's chair Nerida O'Loughlin said ACMA takes breaches of the TCP Code, strengthened this year, very seriously.

“These actions serve as a message to the wider industry that the ACMA will pursue failures to comply with consumer protection rules,” O'Loughlin aid.

More:
Onestream slammed for 'slamming' vulnerable and elderly folk: That's £35k to Ofcom, please
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/12/05/onestream_slamming_fine_ofcom/

Telco welcomes Slingshot convictions for “slamming” of Telecom customers
https://itbrief.co.nz/story/telco-welcomes-slingshot-convictions-for-slamming-of-telecom-customers

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By:Sol from SA, Australia on March 15, 2020 @ 10:53 am
Optus did this too in July 2019. Why are they not mentioned??

In a recent case TIO failed to mention or hold Optus accountable for such a practice referred to as SLAMMING. Namely when Optus transferred a service away from Telstra without consumer consent and notice given of the process. And Telstra too failed to restore the service when the consumer notified Telstra that no authority had been given. Hmmm... why was neither Optus nor Telstra held accountable??

Was it because TIO is compromised with having an Optus and Telstra member sitting on the TIO board? Namely Optus Andrew Sheridan, Acting Vice President of Corporate & Regulatory Affairs and Telstra Jane van Beelen, BEc LLB Grad Cert Management Compliance & Regulatory Affairs Executive.

Does the new TCP Code 2019, written by the Telco members for themselves, really have teeth on behalf of consumers or are protections the Code are supposed to offer really just fluff, merely providing the public with a false sense of security?

With TIO being funded by its Telco members how can such a body truly be impartial when such a conflict of interest exists?

With a huge turmoil raging about the effectiveness of TIO as a truly independent body, who is protecting consumer interests when a clear power imbalance exists in favour of the Telcos, particularly when members who represent the interests of Optus and Telstra sit on the TIO Board?

Can TIO truly be overhauled with such an inherent bias existing or should it be disbanded and rebuilt from scratch with more of a consumer presence on the Board, simply to prevent any further harm to consumers?

Consumers pay truckloads of tax into the Commonwealth Consolidated Revenue Fund and must be properly protected in return, against Telco Corporations and their protective shields such as the TIO.

As consumer trust and confidence falls, so will spending and taxes, leading our nation into a hard hitting recession if we are all not vigilant.

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