I know you small businesses get harrassed to change phone companies on a daily basis, but if you do have a small business, then you cant afford the hassles of dealing with Optus. I recently agreed to transfer our 2 mobile phones to Optus (as well as our other services) and they agreed to send 2 new Apple iPhone handsets. One handset failed to arrive and the other didnt work properly, so having activating it with Optus we had no mobile service.

The Optus sales guy’s number was permanently directed to an answering machine and he was not phoning back. When I phoned customer service and eventually got through, I was told it would be referred to the sales guy who was not calling back.

I then tried other numbers and when I finally got throught their system (designed to block enquiries), I was eventually told that I had to send the phone back and wait till they assess it and send a new one (and to start by ringing a cetain number for Claims on faulty equipment).

This number has a message saying the line is so busy that you had better ring back later. However when you have no service on a business number you need to get started on what seemed like it was going to be a major hassle.

After about 30 minutes of waiting to try to find out how to get a handset that works, I put that line on hold and used the other to call the local Optus branches to see if I could arrange to give their faulty new phone back there and collect a new one. Both Optus branches advised that if it was bought over the phone from Optus I need to deal with that source and that If I had collected it from them in the first place, I would still have to get them to mail it back to Apple anyway.

So after 4 days without service and the prospect of at least another 4, when I find out where to send the $%$#@%(65 Apple Iphone to, I asked one local Optus branch can I buy a new handset direct from them. She advised I can, but that they are not allowed to pre-test the Apple Iphones and that if I opened it there in the store and it would not work I would have to wait to have it sent back to Apple and I couldnt be just replaced. When I then asked if I could cancell the deal and go back to Vodaphone I was advised that I would have to pay the early cancellation fees.

Optus say they have a special system for Apple iPhones only. It appears that there are lot of problems with the Apple IPhones.

 When after 45 minutes on hold I got through to the “Claims on faulty equipment” number for Optus and explained in great details the problems with these mobile accounts and having no service, as well as the ADSL accounts that have not been set up, I was eventually told that he was going to send an email to the same guy in sales that never calls back, and that he would get back to me within 2 days!

You would think that these phone companies that spend so much money trying to get customers, could spend some trying to service new customers properly in stead of agravating the hell out of them when there is a problem.

Do yourself a favor.  Keep away from Apple iPhone untill they iron out all of the faults, and keep right away from Optus period.