TPG Internet PSTN Nightmare. HELP

UPDATE: The issue has been resolved for the 6th time by TPG. I have lodged a case with TIO stating I am seeking a permanent fix to this issue. TPG have come back and have clearly stated that they cannot give me any assurances that the call routing issue will not happen again with my ported number. Also, they cannot confirm or deny (Through advise given to them by Optus) that if I elect to port back into Exetel (The provider I acquired the phone number from in the first place) the routing issue will be resolved. The only solution TPG has offered to fix the call routing issue is to change my number.. Obviously that is not a solution whatsoever. I informed them that to do that it will cost approximately 1-2 thousand dollars to change all the advertising associated to the small business.. They refused to even consider paying that (No surprise there).

I've reach out and advised TIO of all the above.. I must however wait till 28th of October for them to furhter intervene as TPG are given 10 days to resolve it directly with me. I don't consider changing my number as a viable solution as that leaves me in alot worse situation than I was prior to joining TPG as a customer. Also, given the fact there is a chance going back to Exetel may not resolve the call routing issue makes that hardly a great option either..

Will see what happens next week with TIO.. I will update as more progresses.




Between July 2018 up till now I’ve had nothing but issues with my PSTN phone service through TPG. Over that period there has been ongoing call routing issues to my ported number. 6 times a routing issue has occurred where anyone calling my number from the Optus or Vodafone network are unable to get through. It either rings out, and yet my phone doesn’t actually ring or it reports to the calling party that the phone service has been disconnected. Every time this occurs, I have rung TPG and literally have to wait at least 48 hours for them to finally send the ticket to there Voip Engineering team who finally send it to Optus to address the call routing issue inside there network. This occurs approximately every 2 months. After the initial 2 times this occurred I keep pleading to the TPG staff member on the other end to please refer to previous accounts of when this occurred so that it can be sent to Optus to address it in more responsive manner & yet they simply just feed you lip service & make you wait for the ticket to go through the motions for it to finally get to the right team who can then lodge a ticket to Optus.. On the 5th time it happened, TPG allegedly sent a detailed synopsis to Optus of what has transpired in the past with my issue & Optus apparently advised they have fixed the issue permanently & that the issue should be resolved once and for all. Low and behold last week it happened again. I am still waiting for the issue to be rectified.

Normally I would not care less about a home PSTN number having an issue like this, however, this number is tied to a small business where incoming calls are critical for the business’s survival. I’ve contemplated porting out to another provider but there is significant downtime potentially associated to that (5 plus days approx). The worst thing is that when it occurs it doesn’t just stop all incoming calls. Usually (As mentioned above & for simplification) it effects all Vodafone and Optus calling parties.. On other occasions its effected just some of the resellers of Optus and Vodafone. Basically this means that the only time my partners small business gets wind of the issue is when it seems quieter than usual. The Net result is that I would approximate she’s lost quite a few thousand dollars to this whole nightmare & reoccurring problem that TPG are unable to address properly with Optus.

Some further background on this. I originally acquired my PSTN phone number through Exetel. The reason why I ported away from Exetel to TPG was simply because Exetel were having horrific congestion issues with there backhaul through Optus with an ongoing undetermined timeframe to when that issue was to be addressed.. I waited 3 months & then pulled the plug in favour of TPG.

Can someone please please offer some advice on how to best handle this? I’ve pleaded on multiple accounts to TPG to literally pick up the phone and ring Optus to fix this issue once and for all. But basically Im just getting more Lip service from then & I am almost certain in approximately 2 months time (After they fix the issue yet again) I will be in the same situation leaving me pulling my hair our and my partner in tears.

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Comments

  • If you have a stable fast internet port the number over to a voip company like mynetfone maxotel I'm sure they can lock a DID to an account with no problems. I rarely use voip still have account with MNF would recommend using them for sure never had any problems with them clear calls on csip app.

    • -2

      Hey there,

      I would love to do that.. But the issue there is downtime in making the port. Plus I think my root cause is with Optus and this number. There is a 50/50 chance I "might" have the same issue when I port out. If I do then I would think a company like mynetfone might be even harder to work with than TPG (If thats even possible).

      Probably the most logical thing to do is to port back into Exetel. But I am reading horror stories on the Exetel thread in whirlpool just now that it can take literally a month to port a number across to them (in my case back into them).

      • +3

        So you would rather have this intermittent fault continue indefinitely, rather than have 5 days of downtime ? Sounds like you have your priorities in order.

  • I'd ring MNF tomorrow they could have you up and running in hours as long as you can edit your own ATA's sip settings then again maybe not.
    Or just ring the TIO and get them to sort it but that will take a week or so for a response.

    • I think TIO might be an option. I will ring them tomorrow to see what they can do.

  • +2

    Optus has nothing to do with routing on PSTN. Australia's Public Switched Telephone Network is owned and operated by Telstra. Only Telstra can investigate and solve routing problems on PSTN.

    • Optus has nothing to do with routing on PSTN. Australia's Public Switched Telephone Network(whirlpool.net.au) is owned and operated by Telstra. Only Telstra can investigate and solve routing problems on PSTN.

      Thanks for this insite.. The service from TPG is handed to me over the PSTN network, however, from what you are suggesting it appears It is likely voip gateways between Optus and TPG where the root of this issue is at.

  • Port the number to Telstra, let the issues settle down, and then port it out to a VoIP provider.

  • So you cant have your phone out for 5 days, then you cant wait for the TIO. Plus as you say right now it takes 48Hours (2 days) to get thru to TPG, then time to have then fix it - really unless mistaken there's at least 3-4 days lost already)

    How about having a redirection through your voip number to your mobile while you set up a change to Mynetfone if TPG offer this. (Mynetfone or Maxo offer this service) redirections based at their site to mobile, other number etc etc You can even have calls ringing two numbers at the same time, mobile or landlines.

    You say your pstn line is a home based voip service, but its a business line, TPG doesnt show Voip as a home service, only business

    Other factors to consider.

    Porting out while it may take 5 days as you say, most of that is in processing time by the providers, paperwork etc. The line should still stay active until the port.

    Also you shoulld publish your mobile number as well as the voip/pstn number for your business. Many people including oldies now use mobile phones anyway. That way if they cant reach you on your landline, they can ring on the mobile. Not 100% ideal, but better than no number to get you.

    • Hey RockyRaccoon:

      Porting out while it may take 5 days as you say, most of that is in processing time by the providers, paperwork etc. The line should still stay active until the port. - From Experience, the line does indeed stay active until the port, but its when its actually being ported it takes around 5 or so days. That was the case when I ported out form Exetel to TPG

      How about having a redirection through your voip number to your mobile while you set up a change to Mynetfone if TPG offer this - The issue is that calls are not actually even reaching TPG network to redirect. This same issue has the potential to also happen if I switch to Mynetfone.

      Also you shoulld publish your mobile number as well as the voip/pstn number for your business. Many people including oldies now use mobile phones anyway. That way if they cant reach you on your landline, they can ring on the mobile. Not 100% ideal, but better than no number to get you. I definitely agree with this.. The rationale for not including a mobile number on advertising was that it looks less professional than an actual business Lan line. That is a small concern considering all the hell TPG has put my partner through though

      • This same issue has the potential to also happen if I switch to Mynetfone.

        Of course but I havent had any issues with MNF in this regard, neither has my son who uses Maxo(tel) plus both have internet access to redirect calls so if its your end that is causing the trouble (which I doubt based on some (Telstra) calls getting thru), this gives you some control.

        Maxo are a smaller outfit, but run by some real tech guys who maybe better equipped to handle strange issues like you have.

        Good luck

  • I had issues with my ADSL2 internet 5 years ago. In was a new connection which they could not provide without disruption. Because it was a 2-year contract they wanted to keep it to get my money. Worst customer service I have ever had. Complained to TIO and only after that, they appointed a case officer and wanter to sort this matter. Finally got out of contact, went to Telstra. I will never look back at TPG or associated companies again.

    • I will never look back at TPG or associated companies again. - I can fully understand why you feel like that. I would never recommended TPG to anyone after this saga

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