Sydney ISP hits back at regulators

SoleNet has gone on to accuse the industry Ombudsman of wasting money by taking the company to court.

SoleNet alleged that the TIO carried out "a process solely for our company outside of the normal and fair process experienced by other telecommunications companies".

The ISP also claimed the Ombudsman charged "fines for complaints made by consumers that are not associated with SoleNet".

"After requesting removal of the fines charged without cause, the TIO strangely denied the request without consideration of their own rules and regulations," stated SoleNet.

A TIO spokesperson told CRN that the Ombudsman levies telco providers with a "complaint handling fee" per complaint to pay for the dispute resolution.

"The TIO has commenced legal action against SoleNet to recover unpaid charges billed by the TIO for its handling of consumer complaints against SoleNet, after providing several opportunities for payment, and that matter is currently before the courts," said the spokesperson.

SoleNet claimed the Ombudsman has refused to meet with the company about the dispute and questioned the expense of taking the dispute to court.

"We have now been forced to take the matter up through court, which unfortunately the TIO members, being the retail service providers, will be paying the TIO litigation expenses through their cost-sharing scheme."

The spokesperson said that since late last year, the TIO has received "a number of complaints from consumers about SoleNet", including from those affected by transfers from Sure Telecom.

"The TIO continues to receive complaints about a number of issues regarding SoleNet, including unauthorised transfers of accounts, and deals with these consistent with [the Ombudsman's] published complaint handling procedures," said the Ombudsman spokesperson.