Oh ,by the way, all you telstra share holders,better ask mr CEO why they are outsourcing there prepaid help desk services to other countries,Telstra is no longer an Australian Company when you ring up for information or help and cant speak to an Australian representative,they flatley refuse to connect you to an Australian representative.This practice will move into all parts of telstra shortly,laying off 1000’s of Australian’s to be replaced by extremely cheap over seas workers.This is the worst move telstra can make,I for one ,along with many other Australians will not deal with telstra or any other company that continues this practice.Its obvious that Telstra does not care about Australians,there customers,only there bottom line,thats fine,but I signed on with an supposedly Australian Company,with a Australian representative,paid Australian dollars,then get some goose from another country (Philipines) that I cannot understand,has no customer service skills,does’nt know Darwin from Melbourne,and refuses to put me through to Australia.Wake up you people,I would be ashamed to own Telstra shares,you think its good for the Company,wrong.
You should of bought property,at least it cant be outsourced “yet”.

Bruno apart from my above reply, your rather agressive demands of a 5 line explanation from me, were actually met on the 19/11 – 3:40 pm. But with a much less aggressive reply than yours.

Strangely, while your question with expletive (BS) and that aggressive nature was deemed fine and posted, my right of reply was not granted and my reply has not been posted?

As a matter of interest

I sent the following E-mail to Senators: Brown, Fielding, Xenophon, Minchin and Barnaby Joyce today.

Dear

It is quite obvious that your support and amendments for a fair regulatory treatment of Telstra, along with the other independent Senators, had the desired effect of, possibly, shelving Conroy’s legislation pending the finalising of the current negotiations in the right atmosphere and spirit.

I am also delighted that our Senate resisted the pressure to rubber stamp important legislation for no apparent or justifiable reasons. Our Senate is an essential house of review and not a production line at the whim of the powers that be.

I now intend to close the book on this chapter and cease the E-mail barrage, secure in the knowledge you will continue to do the right thing by millions of Employees, Consumers and Investors who help keep our telecommunications industry in the forefront of technological advancements.

Enjoy the Festive Season. Your support staff have been wonderful, kindly pass my deepest appreciation to them.

Kind Regards

Vasso Masonic & Family.

Anthony, while not wishing to disagree with you, several of your references concerning Telstra must be challenged.

Your statement that “as things stand we all clearly see that we are being ripped off” is without fact. Having some experience with cost of related product, considering the superiority of Telstra services, most accept the cost projections that Telstra charge.

Anthony how you can know the charges that will result from a FTTH NBNCo build is puzzling and does bring your argument into disrepute or at least into serious question. We all desire cheaper services but paramount is for the company that supplies these services to be financially viable allowing further investment and system upgrade.

Your dire prediction that competition will destroy the Telstra “stranglehold” would seem to indicate a fantasy on your part or at least a desperate hope that your dream will become a reality.

Sydney Lawrence says:
“Anthony, while not wishing to disagree with you, several of your references concerning Telstra must be challenged.”

I have to agree actually, my statement was raw emotionally based frustration.
As a consumer I have stuck by Telstra for my whole life actually, I am 50. So as I may be prone to senseless emotional outbursts, rarely…

I do wish David Thodey success in what I see as the major communications problem affecting parents, Internet users, and Engineers like myself who rely on the Internet each day, that is cost, tied up with Bandwidth.

I’m embarrassed to be an Australian online, we really are the laughing stock of world Internet bandwith and online speed. People go out of their way to not use hefty resource applications when in communication with me to be kind. On the flip side, I’m not spending ridiculous amounts of money in excess data fees just to do what everyone else in the world does without a second thought.
I blame both the previous and current Governments, and the previous CEO of Telstra for the Tech hole we are in, and I’m not paying to bail you guy’s out, loose some points on your shares Telstra, so you can find some healthy gains in the future.
Have the guts to get out there and make things happen, people will support you, maybe not shareholders, but you may be pleasantly surprised who does support you holding together and driving your infrastructure forward. Splitting up Telstra today would be 10 years too late, I agree.
As far as reading political diatribe it will just be “Politics”, why bother, I’m a busy guy.

David Thodey, I wish you the best in your efforts to overwhelm Government policy and take Testra on to bigger and better things, to make Australians proud, and repay our loyalty to you. I was taught by Telstra Engineers and not a better bunch of people could you find, lets get things rolling on a world scale and stop stalling due to a Tech Challenged Government. Tell them what is to be done, and get one with it !

Sydney,

I’m delighted you like Exchange and that you were pleased with our new AGM format. I noticed you also asked some questions at the AGM.

As we said at the AGM, I can assure you that the Board and management will not agree to any proposals on the NBN or separation unless we are convinced that it will deliver fair value for the shareholders of Telstra.

Thanks for your comments and keep up the blogging.
All the best,
David

Renai,
I have really enjoyed reading the many views of the bloggers since launching the Telstra Exchange site and like you, I looking forward to some great debates.

All the best,
David

PRR I read with serious interest and total agreement, your expressions of concern that the Rudd Government may succeed with its intention, to the detriment of all Australians, to cause Telstra harm for the purpose to advantage their NBNCo.

While shareholders are in the process of becoming acquainted with the new Executives I am persuaded that David Thodey and Kathrine Livingstone have every quality that will ensure that Telstra’s, and Australia’s, interests are well protected.

It is true that Team Telstra is in the vanguard of the battle but it is incumbent on every stakeholder to stand-up and be counted and to express their objection and hostility should the outrageous blackmail of Telstra continue.

Sydney, I sincerely hope that David concludes an equitable deal with the Rudd Government. It’s in our national interest that an agreement be reached in the near future.

A point of some concern is the collection of Labour yes men taken on by NBN Co and in the, circumstances I hope that we do not participate in the ownership of that company.

Here’s the latest. Courtesy:

http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/NBN-Co-adds-Labor-Telstra-staffer/0,130061791,339299737,00.htm

I agree with most comments.
Apple and/or Telstra are really dragging on this topic.

I have been tethering on nokias (6120 and N82) for several years.

The other point is that there should not be an extra charge to use 3G data. Telstras data is already expensive (i know the network is the best blah blah) when compared with others. If you have 150mb or 5gb you should be able to use with the phone or tether to a laptop…. doesn’t cost telstra any extra but makes a lot better product.

Cant wait for tethering!!!

Tethering would actually make the prices Telstra charges for mobile data worthwhile. I’d pay for the 5GB package rather than 150mb on my iPhone and a separate mobile broadband provider.

That is, as soon as I can downgrade from this “Ultimate” plan which doesn’t include MMS or international SMS – features that are ironically standard in every other plan Telstra offers.

These are the facts relating to Telstra as I see them.

Firstly, the ‘prime mover’ driving all the following events is “the Labor Party want to make a large impression for Australian posterity”. Labor have taken it upon itself to build their own national broadband network.
To do it they have selected the option of building their own ‘Telstra’ by establishing a new company, NBN Co.

To build it themselves they will need an extraordinary amount of optical fibre.
They will need ducts to run the fibres in.
They will need nodes (or telephone exchanges) for their router/switches.
They will need customers.
When it is established they want to sell it off to the public.

To obtain all of the above their eyes are fixed firmly on Telstra. Telstra already has all of the above. Labor want it, and to get it they have drafted legislation to achieve their goals.

In that legislation they are to force a split of Telstra’s business into wholesale and retail (after their 2007 promise of not splitting the company). This makes it easy to ‘acquire’ all they want.
Labor have included in that legislation extraordinary powers for the ACCC to regulate telecommunications.

To get their way, Labor has added the big sticks of:
-Forcing Telstra to sell of its 50% share in Foxtel.
-Excluding Telstra from bidding for future 4G spectrum.

This situation is in play right at this moment. Labor have formed NBN Co. Thank goodness the legislation looks like being held over to next year which gives time for FTTH costings and further debate and negotiation.

Now those are the facts. How this plays out is yet to be decided.

My personal views on this situation are:
I think FTTH is a great thing for Australia (although it is a bit of over-engineering it may be ‘future proof’). But, technology is moving rapidly and may make FTTH ‘un-futureproof’! A current example of that is mobile broadband and satellite (Although I think that fibre in the ground will have a use for quite some time).

A great mystery to me is why Labor didn’t take the easy way out and get the experts to build the new network. Telstra, for example, is already well on the way to FTTH.

Telstra already have the ‘track record’, the ducts, a lot of the fibres, the buildings, the expertise, the workforce, the experience, the money, the customers, the company etc etc.
The road Labor have taken will upset a lot of voters, the
shareholders, the customers, the management and workforces of Telstra/Optus/Vodafone etc.

The road they have taken must have some bearing on the ‘sovereign risk’ of overseas companies investing in Australia.

I voted Labor last election because I thought they would give a fresh perspective on important issues such as infrastructure investment and Telstra and I have seen enough to feel very betrayed.

Because of the current standoff I know telco contractors who have been out of work for some time now waiting for the companies to get some certainty so they can invest in infrastructure.

As a shareholder in Telstra (via superannuation, the Future Fund and personal shares) and as a retiree, this issue has very far reaching consequences to me personally.

It has consequences for Australia, for Telstra and other telcos, for customers, for the telco workforce and for my family. And I believe that the current situation has not had enough airtime in the media which is a great tragedy in itself.

Oh Sydney, I think I covered the gist of your meaning well enough for all to see. But now I see you will even argue over the p’s and q’s? Oh the desperation.

So if you insist…

That does appear to be your actual wording and in reality, it is much more comprehensive in it’s criticism of Mr. Thodey and it’s unending praise of Sol, than I even remember, lol…

All you have achieved by highlighting your even more damning words (in some vain, pedantic attempt to finally get just one win over me, lol) is dig your hole even deeper, as you have just proven my point beyond doubt.

Thank you.

Oh and again, since you typically didn’t answer me, do you withdraw that comment then?

Yes or no?

Stewart your detailed, comprehensive and accurate exposure of the situation concerning the Telstra/NBNCo debate was very fair and balanced. It will be interesting to see how those who continually demonize Telstra answer it.

Hopefully, Senator Minchin will be returned to his Broadband portfolio as he did exhibit fairness in his dealings with Telstra. Never in Australia’s history has a Government used blackmail and threat to destroy an Australian company.

I am hopeful that Tony Abbot will pursue the 43 billion dollar wastage of Australian taxpayer money on a white elephant NBN. At the very least no Australian should allow Telstra to be the sacrificial lamb to ensure success for the Government monopoly NBN.

@Sydney 2 Dec 2009 at 8:45 am, It seems from the extract of my post below, the message is finally getting through:

Vasso Massonic says:
24 Nov 2009 at 5:44 pm

…….”This is perhaps why the council makes no comment on whether Telstra should be made to structurally separate in the article and… hello! the Minister is pushing for voluntary separation.”

Extract Courtesy, The Australian Financial Review 2 December 2009 page 64

“The NBN bill is a very complex one whose validity is complicated by the incorporation into it of various Telstra-thumping initiatives that seem designed purely to coerce the company into willingly co-operating rather than forcing the government to do anything that might trigger a compensation liability”….. continued

David
Any chance we can have visual voicemail enabled for the iphone on the next g network?

Cheers

Troy

Dear Mr Thodey,

The establishment of this Exchange blog facility is tremendous, to enable feedback from and discussion with your customers; a clear indication of the new direction you have set Telstra on.

Mr Thodey – it is tremedous to see Telstra embarking on an initative this weekend to clean up Telstra Exchange Buildings (despite the odd bit of union whinging); something long overdue, with many buildings left covered in graffiti and falling into a state of disrepair.

I would appreciate, Mr Thodey, if you could ensure that this initiative is not left as a once-off event, but rather to resource Telstra and your maintennace contractors to keep your assets in a reasonable state all year-round.

For some years now I have pleaded with your Property people and your maintenance contractor, Sentinar, to remove graffiti from various Telstra exchange buildings, yet on every occasion they have come back and said that it is not policy to remove graffiti unless it is extremely offensive. What sort of corporate citizen adopts that approach?

I hope that this may mark a turning point for Telstra, and under your leadership, Exchange assets will again be maintained rather than left to rot.

You may also be interested to see the typical state of Telstra exchanges in the Sydney metropolitan area: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11312189@N03/sets/72157618632930197

I look forward to these issues being addressed under your leadership, so that staff and customers alike can be proud of Telstra’s presence in our communities.

Thank you,

Adam Hardy

Well Telstra has followed through on tethering. It seems they are listening! I got the update this morning (5/12/09) as rumoured. Now if they can halve their data charges this will be a great Christmas present!

Just caught the end of an ABC Radio story where Telstra was calling for customers to report complaints. Could The Exchange update its readers as to the facts of the ABC story?

On 10 and 11 December the Australian government is bringing experts together from government, business and the community to discuss NBN applications and business models.

I respectfully suggest that Rudd should stop spending more taxpayer’s money and force Telstra to waste $1 billion on splitting the its operations and instead, First READ:

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/telstra-nbn-structural-separation-conroy-pd20091208-YHRMC?OpenDocument&src=sph

Following up on Sydney’s request, here’s one for you both to read Vasso… And it’s not from a “business article and therefore, not all about $”, as your posts/links predominantly are.

http://www.news.com.au/business/telstra-calls-on-customers-for-help/comments-e6frfm1i-1225807534727

Don’t forget to read all those comments too, which appear to be coming from (unlike the Telstra campaign of just 4 or 5 shareholders, lol) many, many disgruntled customers, but more importantly ex-customers.

I know, they are all simply disparaging Telstra bashers, looking out for their own financial agendas – yes that’s it [sic] lol…

Oh Vasso, we believe you – “the world is flat after all – there happy”!… Now, back to everyone else here in reality!

Telstra Exchange has been operational for over a month and hasn’t received anywhere near the same amount of comments in all of that time – even from its own predominantly sycophantic shareholders and employees – than this one article (refer to my link above – 8/12) did in just one day.

496 comments therein (in one day) of almost all, were critical of Telstra vs. 4 or 5 TLS shareholders here, who simply refuse to listen to anyone else, because their portfolios won’t allow it.

Are you feeling in the vast minority? Are you starting to see that, they (those of us without any financial agendas) are right and you (with a direct, blinding, financial interest) are wrong? Silly question of course you aren’t/don’t.

This is what this very site here is for, to highlight these issues so that Telstra can remedy. Not sugar coat and sweep under the rug, as you are doing A G A I N (as predicted – Telstra bashers, yawn) Vasso…

But anything Telstra does wrong you either brush over (like when they broke the access laws and all you could say was “it’s understandable under the circumstances”, OMG) or you just pretend it didn’t occur. Whilst anything any of Telstra’s competitors do wrong, you are the first to jump up and down. Worst part, even when these competitors aren’t doing wrong, you still say they are leeches, disgraceful – talking about Telstra (competitor) bashers/haters, lol…

You shareholders are on your own. Australians want better comms and are sick of Telstra (according to these comments – of which I didn’t make any) and their shareholders holding us back.

Not to say Telstra’s new management can’t come to an amicable and mutually beneficial agreement with the government!

But if it happens my prediction and what will be funny? When, you and Syd flip-flop again and will love not only David and forget Sol ever existed, but you’ll also be praising Conroy and Rudd for their foresight in dealing with Telstra. Whereas now, according to you, they are the lowest of low, lol…

Nota Bene to self:

WOW!!! 673

Now, what’s that in terms of reality:

673 alleged discontented souls. If one divides them by the 10 million Telstra customers, the reality is that there are potentially 9,999,327 satisfied clients.

This is well within, Pareto’s Principle – The 80-20 Rule

If they identify themselves, like my extended family and friends do. Telstra will solve their their problems is a jiffy, that’s what one calls – class.

Illegitimi non carborundum

Addendum Vasso – To clarify “no association” (before I receive a sarcastic reply) – apart from being a customer, of course -

I am a Telstra customer x 5 (Broadband, iPhone, 2 x HipTops and Landline).

And also an Optus customer x 1 (pre paid mobile used by me simply because my brother and sister -in – law, ironically TLS shareholders, have Optus mobiles and we ring each other, at no cost)!

So with this also in mind…. Nemo gratis mendax