FAIRTEL is the
Communications Law Centre’s
public education and awareness campaign about consumers’ rights and benefits
when selecting and transferring mobile, internet and fixed-line telephone
services.
The Fairtel campaign aims to:
- inform consumers about their rights and benefits when they select or
transfer telecommunications services
- help consumers – particularly vulnerable consumers – avoid being a
victim of unfair selling practices
- assist consumers who are subject to unfair selling practices to seek
redress and minimise any detriment they may suffer.
Within the limits of our budget, it also aims to:
- provide the most useful information possible to consumers
- reach the widest audience possible and for the longest period possible.
VULNERABLE CONSUMERS AND THE PROBLEMS THEY FACE
While all consumers can have a bad experience or get caught out when buying a
telecommunications service, some groups are particularly at risk of falling
victim to unfair selling practices and contracts. Our research conducted for the
FairTel campaign has identified these groups to be:
- CALD consumers: people from culturally and linguistically diverse
backgrounds, including those for whom English is new language, people with
literacy challenges, Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders
- people with judgement related challenges, including those with
intellectual, cognitive impairment or mental illness
- young people
- seniors
- rural and regional consumers.
The FairTel materials deal with many issues consumers face. Some of these are
more common to particular groups of consumers. To find out which FairTel
materials are relevant to the vulnerable groups we’ve identified go to
www.fairtel.org.au/materials.asp. Remember that some vulnerable consumers
may feel overwhelmed by too much information.
SHARING FAIRTEL
The FairTel copyright license allows any
organisation to reproduce and freely translate FairTel materials to educate
consumers. This will allow, for example, ethnic community organisations to
translate the FairTel training toolkit. Community organisations can also print
FairTel brochures for consumers who do not have
internet access.
We would like other organisations to join us in
posting their material on the site and allowing others to translate or reproduce
it. This will create a “one-stop shop” for consumer information, and give
consumers the freedom to choose how they can best use that information.
You can also help FairTel by promoting the
campaign to consumers. For information on how to place FairTel banners on your
website, go to
www.fairtel.org.au/banners.asp.
HOW DID IT ALL COME ABOUT?
FairTel is funded by the TPA Consumer Trust. The trust was established from the
money obtained in regulatory action taken against two telecommunications
companies. These companies were transferring customers’ telephone services
without their informed consent – a practice known as 'slamming'.
Typically, slamming is carried out by door-to-door and telephone sales people
who mislead consumers into changing their telephone service providers –
consumers only realise that they have changed providers when they receive a bill
from a different company. The case against the telecommunications companies
showed that their agents were misleadingly obtaining transfer authorisation from
customers, including consumers with limited understanding of English. The
door-to-door sellers also gained signatures of consumers that clearly did not
understand the effect or meaning of what they were signing. This extended to
taking unfair advantage of elderly and vulnerable members of the community.
ABOUT THE COMMUNICATIONS LAW CENTRE
The Communications Law Centre is an independent, not-for-profit public
interest organisation specialising in media, communications and online law and
policy. The Centre works in four main areas: research, teaching, public
education and legal advice. You can learn more about us at
www.comslaw.org.au.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Communications Law Centre acknowledges the funds provided by the TPA
Consumer Trust for this project.
The Communications Law Centre’s FairTel campaign was developed thanks to:
Elizabeth Beal – project director
Laura Sigal – project director
Nick Moustakas – project manager
Maree Davenport – campaign development officer
Ginger Briggs – campaign writer and editor
Catherine Casey – campaign graphic designer
Ben Clemson – website designer
Claire Reaburn – script editor
Paulette Trevena - print design co-ordinator
Cummins & Partners – print design developer
For their work on the FairTel multimedia presentation the Communications Law
Centre wishes to thank:
Roslyn Oades - voice-over actor
Ben Clemson - sound engineer
Speedwell eBusiness Solutions
www.speedwell.com.au –
multimedia developer
A special thanks to Victoria
University for its assistance, support and contribution to this campaign.
