Warragul Telstra customer quoted $30 for help to download COVIDSafe app
Telstra has admitted it “missed the mark” after an elderly Victorian who went to his local store for help downloading the federal government’s COVIDSafe app was told to pay $30. Now another Victorian has revealed she was asked to pay.
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A second person has spoken out about Telstra staff trying to charge them to download the federal government’s COVIDSafe app.
After news emerged on Wednesday of a customer in Warragul being asked to pay $30 to have the app installed, 79-year-old Lyn contacted the Herald Sun to describe a similar experience at her local Telstra store in Traralgon.
Lyn, who asked for her surname not to be used, said she visited the store in Franklin St on Monday and was told it would cost her between $35 and $40 to get the app downloaded onto her iPhone.
The employee told her she would have to come back in 45 minutes before they could do the installation.
She said she left but did not return.
The grandmother said she was unimpressed with the service.
“I was trying to do this community thing downloading the app. Telstra should be the sort of place that should be able to help you, surely. But this store is capitalising off it. How many people are they sucking in? It’s clearly not a one-off.”
She said when she told her family about the cost they were “disgusted.”
Eventually, she got her 22-year-old granddaughter to download it for her.
As payment, she gave her a pair of woolen socks.
She said she wanted the telco to review their policy, or ask for a small charity donation for each download instead.
Garry Allen, 79, from Darnum, said a staff member at the Warragul Telstra store told him it would cost $30 for assistance to install the federal government’s app on his phone, 3AW’s Rumour File revealed.
“I had a go myself first and I got three quarters of the way and then ran around in circles,” he said.
“I went in and they said ‘yes sir, how can I help you’ and I said I’d like help to install the COVID-19 app.”
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Mr Allen said the staff member was happy to help but told him there would be a cost.
“Knowing these things and these young blokes I thought he’d do it in two minutes so it’ll probably be $5, which I didn’t mind,” he said.
“But $30, it’s just ridiculous.
“It’s the fight against the virus, I thought they might help us older people out by doing it for nothing.
“A lot of people my age haven’t got the technological smarts (to do it).”
Mr Allen, whose son is former pro golfer and current 3AW presenter Mark Allen, said the app was a terrific idea to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
But he said he still hadn’t been able to download it.
“I get halfway through and I end up going around in circles so I gave up, that’s why I went to the shop,” he said.
Mr Allen is a Telstra customer and bought his phone from the Warragul shop.
Telstra has admitted their staff shouldn’t have asked for payment to help to install the COVIDSafe app.
Telstra Regional General Manager Loretta Willaton said she was visiting Mr Allen personally today to help him install the app and ensure it was up and running.
“We’ve missed the mark here and we’re sorry for the experience this customer’s had in-store,” she said.
“The store shouldn’t have asked for payment to help the customer install the app on their phone.
“While it’s the first time we’ve heard of this happening, we’ve made it clear to store managers they’re there to help customers who may come in seeking help with downloading the app.”
Telstra said in this case the customer required additional set up to download the COVIDSafe app, including setting up a Google Play account.
The company said they had potentially helped thousands of customers in-store download the app without charge since it was released by the Australian Government.
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