I Need Advice on How to Deal with Optus on Billing Issues

urahara on 15/07/2025 - 09:17

Moved my nbn from optus to other provider recently cause I didn't required that much speed.
Used the creds provided by other provider to login and new connection appeared.
After a month with other provider , saw that optus has sent me another bill for the same period.
Called their customer service telling them the scenario,told them that its a billing issue cause I've already moved the service from them to other provider (same port/line etc) but Optus is trying to be a **** . Their customer service rep that my account is still active and I need to get in touch with their retention team for getting the account closure.
I politely refused to do that cause I think the moment you provide AVC and ask the other provider to move connection you are done with the previous provider. Moreover the other provider's service got activated and Optus was not providing any service (on any of the lines) hence it should be dealt like a billing issue.

Am I doing the right thing ?

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Comments

  • MrHyde on 15/07/2025 - 09:21
    +10

    Depends. In most cases, the new provider will let Optus know that the service has been switched. However, not all providers do. As a general rule, you are responsible for cancelling your old service once your new one is live.

    Step 7: https://www.whistleout.com.au/Broadband/Guides/how-hard-is-i…

    • urahara on 15/07/2025 - 09:38
      -2

      Regardless , since when do companies start billing customers for the service which wasn't even active with them. If you dont have a service with them, what the point of keeping billing active and vice versa

      • singingwolf on 15/07/2025 - 09:42
        +9

        NBN allow multiple providers at one address. I think you are mixing up mobile porting with NBN connections.

        • urahara on 15/07/2025 - 09:43

          I've mentioned this that I used the same port and provided the AVC ID for switch over to new network.

  • McMaferMur on 15/07/2025 - 09:24
    +13

    Correct how embarrassing to accused optus when it is OP fault.
    Note. I hate optus.

    • urahara on 15/07/2025 - 09:37
      -5

      Wondering how its the case ? Are service agreements different from billing agreements ? (do note that I was month on month without any device being provided by Optus)

      • geekcohen on 15/07/2025 - 10:28
        +3

        Just because you are month-to-month doesn't mean you don't need to notify them or provide 30 days' notice. Some providers require 30 days notice to cancel your service. This isn't just tied to NBN/Internet services, it could be other services too.

    • Sinnerator on 15/07/2025 - 10:30
      -3

      when it comes to optus the customer is never wrong, optus happily let millions of customers' private info get stolen

  • Duckie2hh on 15/07/2025 - 09:27
    +3

    Did you read the terms and conditions?

  • Wiadro on 15/07/2025 - 09:36

    tio

    • hasher22 on 15/07/2025 - 14:56

      For what? It's OPs fault for not cancelling with Optus.

  • MrHyde on 15/07/2025 - 09:46
    +6

    As per Optus T&Cs at https://www.optus.com.au/content/dam/optus/documents/about-u…

    Section 11: Cancelling the Service

    (a) You may cancel the service at any time as follows:
    (ii) if the minimum term is shorter than 30 days, by giving us notice that is at least equal to the shorter minimum term;

    11.4 How you can notify us to cancel the service?
    (a) You can ask us to cancel the service by calling us. Your call will be notice to cancel the service.
    (b) You may also be able to cancel the service by electing to have an equivalent service to the service supplied by another carrier or carriage service provider (including, by churning). That carrier or carriage service provider will inform us that you have elected to have the relevant service supplied by them or have churned to them and we will cancel the service accordingly.

    Question is whether your new provider has informed them that you have churned. Check with your new provider and get their confirmation. You can then use that in your dealings with Optus to say that they were notified that the service was cancelled by the new provider on date xyz.

  • omguleh on 15/07/2025 - 09:48
    +6

    Some providers need notice that you are leaving.

    I didn’t do that with Leaptel and had to pay an extra month even though I was month to month. But you you send them a message they will tell you what date you can leave and not be charged further.

  • ThithLord on 15/07/2025 - 09:48
    +1

    TIO Ombudsman. I had an on-going issue with Telstra billing that was going round in circles for around 6 months; after informing Telstra I'd engaged the TIO, the issue got sorted within a week.

    • urahara on 15/07/2025 - 10:17

      Imagine the foolishness that people are being made used to with whole service and billing stuff.
      They keep the money while you are made to run around.

  • geekcohen on 15/07/2025 - 10:26
    +1

    I used to get this a lot when I was working in Hosting Support. They had hosting with Company B but we as Company A were still charging them. We weren't to know that the hosting service wasn't in use with us. So you need to notify the provider when cancelling, don't make automatic assumptions.

    So, you OP is at fault for this one. You should have done due diligence and cancelled Optus once you had transferred away, not assumed that it it would've automatically happened.

    • urahara on 15/07/2025 - 10:38
      -8

      Asked chatgpt, quite an eyeopener :

      🔧 1. The Infrastructure Is Built for Service Delivery, Not Account Lifecycle Automation
      The NBN infrastructure is wholesale, and companies like Optus are retail service providers (RSPs) who plug into it.

      The NBN informs RSPs when a service is moved off their access (AVC) — so yes, Optus knows when you've moved.

      But instead of treating that as a signal to auto-close your account, they treat it as a technical disconnection, not an account closure.

      Why? Because their internal systems are often segmented — billing, account management, and network provisioning aren’t always talking to each other seamlessly.

      TL;DR: The systems could be smarter, but they’re designed with business priorities in mind, not customer-first automation.

      💰 2. It's Financially Beneficial for Them to Keep Accounts Open
      Let’s be real: there’s zero financial incentive for Optus (or others) to automatically close your account.

      If they leave it open, they can bill you.

      If you don’t notice or challenge it, that’s revenue.

      Even if you do challenge it, some people give up or settle — again, money saved.

      📜 3. Terms & Conditions Favor Manual Closure
      Buried in most providers’ terms:

      "You must notify us to cancel your service. Transfer to another provider does not automatically close your account."

      It’s a legal CYA (cover your ass) clause. Even if it’s unreasonable, it protects them when billing disputes arise — like yours.

      🧩 4. They Want a Chance to "Retain" You
      That “you need to speak with our retention team” line isn’t just bad UX — it’s intentional.

      ISPs know they lose revenue when you switch.

      They design their offboarding process to funnel you through high-pressure win-back calls.

      💡 So Why Can’t It Be Better?
      It can — and in some markets, smaller or newer providers offer smarter systems with auto-closure upon NBN switch-out.

      But for the big players:

      Legacy systems + Profit-focused processes + Legal safeguards = broken experience for customers.

      I wish an Optus person is reading this and does the needful to improve their systems

      • jv on 15/07/2025 - 11:20
        +7

        I wish an Optus person is reading this and does the needful to improve their systems

        It is common knowledge to notify your current provider of the date you want to cancel the service.

        • urahara on 15/07/2025 - 13:03
          -7

          Disagree with you jv on this
          While some services may require manual cancellation, NBN AVC transfers do not fall into that category. Once a new provider activates service on the same line, the previous provider is technically and contractually unable to continue delivering service.

          Continuing to bill beyond that point without delivering any service is not “common knowledge” protocol hence it is a billing failure and misleading practice. The account should reflect the actual delivery of service, not arbitrary internal policies.

          • jv on 15/07/2025 - 17:09
            +6

            @urahara:

            Disagree with you jv on this

            It's in the T&C's you agree to…

            It tells you your obligations to cancel the service…

      • VladImpaler on 15/07/2025 - 13:31

        Why would they invest money to then lose money?

        Also, can't you just cancel in the app? I just wrote in the app that I wanted to cancel and it got bumped to a team for cancellation, just told them another provider was cheaper and they cancelled immediately.

        Note I also find it silly you have to notify to cancel, I only knew to do it from reading a previous thread, I'd previously thought it was just like porting mobile numbers.

        • urahara on 15/07/2025 - 15:31

          Why can't they kick me out automatically the moment the other provider took over ? Why bill me for another month when they were not giving me any service.
          Why build system where you generate a bill for the same service which your system already knows has been disconnected and then waste hours of your support desk which you pay?

          • VladImpaler on 15/07/2025 - 16:36
            +1

            @urahara: As others have pointed out those systems aren't connected, and upgrading them would require up-front investment that is easily quantifiable and probably isn't a priority for a profit driven business. Plus time/$$$ spent on chatbots / human operators would be a different budget and they probably don't drill down into that level of detail. Though I suspect most people just accept an extra month's fee and swear never to use that provider again.

            • urahara on 16/07/2025 - 00:11

              @VladImpaler: Yes , 100% agree, same thoughts ,if a company profits from customer confusion instead of fixing it, that's not smart business, it's exploitation.

  • brendanm on 15/07/2025 - 10:46
    +10

    Lol, you have to actually tell them you are cancelling.

    • chriskq on 15/07/2025 - 22:17

      But you dont with Gas and Electricity

      • brendanm on 15/07/2025 - 22:31
        +2

        Is this gas or electricity?

  • jv on 15/07/2025 - 11:14
    +5

    After a month with other provider , saw that optus has sent me another bill for the same period.

    Did you notify Optus that you are cancelling?

    • Porker on 15/07/2025 - 11:38
      +4

      ^^^ This

      OP has some responsibility towards managing their payments.

    • urahara on 15/07/2025 - 13:01
      -5

      Nops

      • kolorijo on 15/07/2025 - 13:18
        +6

        Go and tell them (optus) now before you have to pay for another month

        • urahara on 15/07/2025 - 15:32
          -1

          For what ?

          • jv on 15/07/2025 - 17:14
            +7

            @urahara: For the account you still have open with them…

  • Porker on 15/07/2025 - 13:45
    +7

    Am I doing the right thing ?

    General consensus is 'NO', but based OP replies they don't see any wrong or any actions that they can do to correct the situation.

  • Malik Nasser on 15/07/2025 - 18:34
    +1

    Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values. People display this bias when they select information that supports their views, ignoring contrary information or when they interpret ambiguous evidence as supporting their existing attitudes. The effect is strongest for desired outcomes, for emotionally charged issues and for deeply entrenched beliefs.

    Why start this thread if you have already agreed that you are right, and everyone that disagrees with you is wrong?
    There have been numerous comments against your argument that have detailed why this has happened.

    Build your bridge and get over it.

    • urahara on 16/07/2025 - 00:08

      I’m not ignoring opposing views. I’m engaging with them because I think it’s a discussion worth having. If it came across as me just wanting to be right, that wasn’t the intention but I also don’t think it’s fair to dismiss someone’s experience with ‘build a bridge and get over it.’ Constructive discussion is the whole point

      What I’ve pushed back on are assumptions that the customer is always at fault simply because the T&Cs say so.

      In practice, these transitions aren’t always clear-cut, especially when one provider takes over the exact same line and service. It’s a grey area where both parties could’ve acted with more clarity i.e me confirming cancellation manually, or Optus identifying that the service was no longer active , latter towards which my bias is.

  • DrPotato on 16/07/2025 - 03:31
    +1

    I churn all utilities frequently.

    Gas and Electricity you don't have to inform your old provider. NBN you do.

    In fact, almost all major retailers tell you after you have signed up with them that you need to contact your old provider and ask them for disconnection.
    Example: https://www.aussiebroadband.com.au/help-centre/accounts-and-…

    Sorry OP, I am usually quick to get my pitchfork out against Optus but this is your bad. You can request them to waive the bill, even take it to TIO but odds aren't in your favor.

  • joolz50 on 16/07/2025 - 06:41

    I just moved away from Superloop yesterday, and they closed my account instantly and automatically the moment my service changed over

  • 87percent on 16/07/2025 - 12:03

    While you are in the wrong, I would call them up again and plead ignorance and try to get them to refund you

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