Telstra Daylight Saving rip-off

Failure by Telstra to adjust billings to account for daylight saving is costing its customers dearly, warns Candidate for Lord Mayor, Dr Peter Sexton.

Dr Sexton recently received an account for a new mobile phone service which includes a Mobile Bonus Option – My Hour Option which allows for the first 20 minutes of calls between 6pm and 7pm to be made free of charge.

“I chose this option so that I can call my daughter, Kristiina, who is working as a deputy Associate in the Federal Magistrates Court in Melbourne. Catching up with Kristiina is always difficult due to her busy social agenda and the option of phoning between 6pm and 7pm allows me to keep in touch when she is on her way home from work”, he said.

“The first occasion that I used this option was on 2nd October 2011, when I phoned Kristiina at 6:16pm daylight saving time and spoke for 15 minutes, in part to ensure that her partner Ben, a Collingwood supporter, was not too distraught after the AFL Grand Final”.

“When my Telstra account was emailed to me on the 7th October, it included a charge of $13.91 for the 15 minute call”, Alderman Sexton said.

“I did not notice the incorrect charge but my wife, Tiina-Liisa, a chartered accountant and candidate for the Hobart Council elections scrutinised the account and found that the time recorded by Telstra for the call was 5:16pm, rather than 6:16pm, thus incurring a hefty charge”.

“The failure of Telstra to adjust for daylight saving in their billing system was confirmed by a customer service officer on the 9th October who adjusted both my account and my time-zone. I was particularly puzzled as the time and time-zone on my mobile phone was corrected automatically when daylight saving started,” Dr Sexton said.

“My concern now is how many thousands of other Telstra customers are also paying extra call fees due to Telstra’s failure to adjust for daylight saving”.

• While not fully supported by every alderman, the decision of the Hobart City Council to facilitate the redevelopment of Myer in the CBD was one of the most important decisions that we have made to ensure the survival and economic viability of our city.

This decision was made in the best interest of Hobart, and we wish to place on record that we fully supported the proposal.

Aldermen: Ron Christie, Eric Hayes, Peter Sexton, Damon Thomas, & Marti Zucco