A Wollongong man has been waiting for five weeks for an internet connection.
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And he could have to wait another four weeks before he can log on at home.
I have to go to my brother or see another friend so I can open my email there.
- Tullio Chiodo
Tullio Chiodo said his long wait began on March 16, when an NBN technician came to his apartment to install his connection.
“He said ‘you should be okay within 30 minutes, but 30 minutes later there was no connection,” Mr Chiodo said.
He then got in touch with his internet provider TPG to see what was the problem.
“He checked this and checked that and in the end he said ‘look there’s no internet connection whatsoever’," he said.
“I asked who was going to fix it and they said ‘leave it with us and we’ll see what we can do’.”
But Mr Chiodo didn’t leave it there – he kept calling TPG “almost every second day”, before opting to contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
“On April 3, I was told [by TPG] the problem was not with TPG but something with NBN,” Mr Chiodo said.
“They said they were all set to connect me to the internet but there was no internet. They could see from their office that my internet line was not available.
“So it’s an NBN problem, they said.”
Mr Chiodo said he later received a text message from TPG informing him that an NBN technician would not be able to get to his home until May 23.
He also received an email from TPG stating “there will be no estimated time frame in fixing this issue. We’ll need to wait for NBN to have it fixed”.
Calling the situation “ridiculous”, Mr Chiodo said he had to leave the house to read emails from TPG about his internet issues.
”I have to go to my brother or see another friend so I can open my email there,” he said.
“But in my own home I cannot use the internet. I had to print the mail out on someone else’s computer.
“I can’t use my own computer to print anything because I don’t have the line.”
Mr Chiodo was also concerned that the copper line running to his apartment block was due to be switched off on June 9.
If his broadband internet issue was not fixed by then, it would mean he would be without a landline telephone.
NBN said it apologised for the inconvenience suffered by Mr Chiodo.
”The equipment installed in the home is not communicating with the NBN network and requires a technician to attend the premise,” an NBN spokeswoman said.
“Regrettably, there have been technical issues preventing the scheduling of an appointment, therefore, delaying the fix. NBN would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
The spokeswoman said the appointment, initially planned for May 23, had been brought forward to May 15.
TPG was also contacted for comment on this story but did not reply by deadline.