RE: Case Numbers 22451620 & 488159

I have had a mobile phone service provided by Optus for several years now, with the latest being on a Lease Plan. Currently, I am just over 12 months into this lease plan, and I understand the lease plan is no longer on offer by Optus.
On 05/03/2020, I contacted Optus in order to advise them of the nil network coverage I have for some days (just over 1 week at that stage) at my place of residence. It was working relatively well until then. At this point, I was a few days away from giving birth, and being outside of my residence to get reception was something I wasn’t prepared to do given the position I was in. Pointing the obvious out, I wanted to not only get the service I was paying for, but also be able to call/ text people (not via Wi-Fi which I had been doing) as required.
Optus advised me to troubleshoot (switch to 3G, phone software update etc.) to which I had undertaken all, and this did not rectify the issue. They then confirmed the ‘network team’ would be in touch within 2 working days – I did not receive any contact from them, at all. Before I could call them back to follow up, I was in hospital giving birth, however received nil calls during this time.
When I got released from hospital on 12/03/2020, I called Optus to follow up on the position as I hadn’t heard anything. After a 2-hour conversation whilst attempting to feed a newborn, it was confirmed that this is in fact a network issue, and that it wouldn’t be resolved until the tower is upgraded (nil timeframe). At conclusion of that conversation, it was agreed that an email of our discussion would be sent to me and a case manager call me to rectify the issue as no mutually agreed solution could be reached.
The two options at that time provided to me were that: 1. Optus would waive the cancellation fee and I’d keep the phone and pay out the remaining cost of the phone, or 2. Optus waiving the cancellation fees and me giving the phone back, meaning I would be forfeiting the already paid 50+% of the phone (several hundreds of dollars’ worth). Both options would leave me financially disadvantaged – this was highlighted to the Optus team member. The lease plan contract provided for the option of me keeping the phone at the end of the lease period – which is what I intended on doing when signing up to it.
Hearing nothing from Optus, I followed up yet again on 13/03/2020, to nil resolve with advice the case manager would contact me by lunchtime Monday 16/03/2020.
As of late afternoon, 16/03/2020, they have not issued the email as agreed, nor had a case manager contacted me. I contacted them, once again, to find out when someone would be calling me, and the representative (Kriss) was completely dismissive of the fact that no case manager contacted me as yet and that I have basically no service with a new born in the house. They further told me to start the troubleshoot my phone again, and then stated that they thought the matter was closed “given the comments” on my file. When I advised that I would not be going through the same process again and that the issue was far from finalised, I was then informed that a case manager would be emailed and Kriss wanted to further discuss the matter with me. I flatly refused to speak to anyone apart from a case manager, especially as one was already supposed to have to called me hours prior to this conversation taking place with Kriss.
I explained that I am not going to further waste more of my time and energy in repeating the same things with a newborn child in the house and Kriss assured me that my case has now been ‘escalated’ to a case manager. This just left me totally dumbfounded as to why only now and not days ago when I was assured that it would be.
It astounds me that I have had to continually follow this up with Optus and endlessly repeat my position especially while dealing with the stresses and requirements of being a first-time mum.
As of close of business today 16/03/2020 I have still not been contacted by an Optus case manager. How incredibly shameful that you would leave a first-time mum with a newborn without service and resolve.