Vodafone responds to the Commerce Commission’s discussion document calling for views on retail service quality

It’s very pleasing to see 78% of respondents in the Research NZ survey were satisfied with their telco provider and 72% would recommend them, indicating overall that telco retail services are not only keeping Aotearoa connected during Covid, they are improving every year, and delivering world-class services by global standards.

We’ve been working very constructively with the new Telecommunications Commissioner on the common goal of better outcomes for consumers, and will continue to do so.

We’re continuously investing in new ways to improve our customer service, such as bringing world-class technology into our call centres, prioritising IT transformation including improving billing systems, and investing into our mobile and fixed networks. Now Vodafone customers choose a self-service, technology-enabled option in 86% of interactions – such as using our website, app, chatbot, or interactive voice response service when they call us. Our customers are telling us our recent service improvements are working, with customer satisfaction scores the highest they’ve ever been, however we know there is a lot more improvement to come.

We believe the Telecommunications Disputes Resolution (TDR) service is working well among the currently-limited number of providers that are part of the scheme, and we consistently resolve almost 99% of customer issues that go through this process. We continue to encourage the Commerce Commission to widen the scheme - both to include all internet retailers, as the TDR currently only covers customers using the biggest providers so we are held to different standards and some consumers lack protection, as well as Aotearoa’s local fibre companies (LFCs), who are often pivotal to the service quality consumers receive.

It’s also worth highlighting that different consumers have different needs – be it having retail stores to visit, a range of online self-service options, speedy installation, internet speed, reliability or cost. Any additional regulation can impact on the cost of services, and we want to ensure internet access is as affordable as possible for Kiwi consumers, so they’re not choosing between buying bread or broadband. Not everyone can afford a Tesla, so a Toyota Corolla will suit many New Zealanders’ needs and budget.

We support measures to improve greater transparency around marketing for all industry players, and welcome ongoing attempts to hold all retailers and wholesalers to the same standard of retail service quality for the benefit of telco consumers.”

More information about the Telecommunications retail service quality can be found on the Commerce Commission website here.

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