Pennytel
- pennytel.com.au
- ✓ Verified company
1,315 reviews · Statistics
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- Pre-Paid Sim Only (307)
- Post-Paid Sim Only (548)
- Post-Paid with Phone (87)
Reviews
Mostly reliable phone service and customer support.
I have been on Pennytel's (now discontinued) 1GB postpaid plan for a few months now and the overall phone service has been sufficient, in that I have noticed no signal issues when using it. Customer service has also been timely and helpful with most phone calls being answered within 10 minutes. The automated message on the customer service line also informs you of your position in the queue, which I find much more transparent than phone lines without them.
For the exceptions: recently I experienced a sudden service outage for 2-3 days where I
... Read morewas unable to receive any texts. If it was planned then I did not receive any notice of it. Fortunately it did not severely disrupt my daily activities but it had the potential to if the outage extended for a further period of time. There have also been exceptions to the customer service line where phone calls have had a wait time of more than 10 minutes, extending up to half an hour as an estimate. Fortunately these are rare. In terms of improvements I'd like to see, I would like for the customer portal to be modernised and for it to be hosted under Pennytel's own domain. It doesn't seem very professional to have it hosted on a different domain. I also would like for the 1GB postpaid plan to return as it was one of the cheapest wholesale Telstra plans out there at the time. Customers seeking wholesale Telstra plans must search elsewhere for value. Overall: the 1GB plan is fine for someone who is a light data user and has a preference for the wholesale Telstra network. People who fall outside of this category should seek other plans.
WHAT HAS GONE WRONG
*Don't send out invoices any more? Raise the price without informing the customer?
Something has changed, can no longer use the web site? Not the same old Pennytel.
The absolute WORST!
Pennytel was great for a little while...BUT NOW THEY ARE THE WORST! The absolute epitome of dodgy telco
They double billed me twice! . ..then they didn't charge the direct debit that was set up and charged me.$10 late fee three times!!
They have changed their platform which is now something out if the 80s that is clunky and analogue type...you can't change your plan on your account..
So I changed provider and port was delayed...so pennytel charged me for a full month!! I spoke to them and they said they would pro rata the bill ( for 4 days)
Cheap rates, exploitative fees
Just another one of ProductReview's paid-for 4-star telecom companies full of hidden fees and apathetic support.
Pennytel is, on the surface, a simple and straightforward service. However, the hidden fears appear quietly, and increase exponentially - I've had to pay at least double the cost of my actual plan, in the years I've been with Pennytel.
The company frequently changes bill cycles, which help cause missed payments (which are always met with fees). They ignore requests to close accounts, and continue charging; They routinely provide mi
... Read moresleading and incorrect bill information, and false payment reports. Pennytel has also ignored three separate requests to close my account, over multiple weeks, and instead kept billing me. I managed to succeed a fourth time after sending a page full of profanities. If you are a pensioner, stay well away: There is no better example of a company that would prey on older folks. If you ignore this advice, you'll soon see what I mean. Don't buy into the paid reviews - There's more to Pennytel than first appears.
Good afternoon could you please private message us your mobile number or account number with is so we can look into further for you.
How about you shut your company down?
There's plenty more I could say on here about your company's scumbag behaviour.
Hi. Pennytel has only changed their billing cycle one due to the migration and change over of billing platforms, invoices do provide detailed information of all charges along with stipulating payment
... Read moreoptions and any applicable payment processing fees. All information is also available on our website. Due to added security measures to protect account holders, Pennytel authenticates all callers, for those that contact us via email we must also authenticate to ensure it is the account holder requesting an action to take place. We would like to be able to reach out to you, to discuss and work through your concerns and assistance with any issue that remains outstanding. This product review was not entered under your personal name in order for us to obtain your contact details through our system. We would really appreciate the opportunity to assist you, please provide your contact number as a private message through product review
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The best I ever had
Friendly and reliable service. I have even recommended to friends.
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Excellent technical support
6.30am yesterday found that we had no landline connection to the internet. Tried the usual "fixes" with no luck. Used my mobile to check NBN and nothing was reported for my area. Rang Pennytel Technical section and got through straight away. Took them 3-4 minutes to check the line and informed me that there was a NBN technical issue in my area and gave me an estimated fix time. The NBN was not back up when I went to bed but I had received 2 calls during the day to see how things were progressing. This morning the service was back up. At approximately 10.30am I received a call from Joe, Technician, to see if everything was ok. Thats service!
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NO COVERAGE,NO CUSTOMER SERVICE
For past 6 weeks had no coverage but they still charge us for no service and no coverage. When I called them they couldn’t get it through there thick heads that it was a coverage problem not a phone problem like they were saying.No Customer Service. Had to go to another provider that can give us coverage and had no problems . Would not recommend this company to anyone
Changed billing cycle and ignore my request for a pro rated refund and would not entertain my request
- They changed the billing cycle and did not communicate to customer upfront-customer service is really bad now
- Would not let me terminate with pro rata rate when they can charge us pro rated rate
- Porting to another service now
Hi Jen so we can look into this further for you please provide your account or mobile number. Thanks Pennytel
Takes your money without asking you, billed hundreds of dollars at a time
At any point there could be a "System malfunction error" that will charge you upwards of $200 out of your account, putting you into the negatives through direct debit. I've experienced this error nearly 5 times, no compensation, I am only a student and I go into negatives every single time. They do not care whatsoever. One point they held my $219 for over a week, and after I called nearly 15 times demanding it back (since it wasn't my fault) they called me on a private number and told me the money was transferred, then hung up. Despite saying m
... Read morey account was taken off "Direct Debit", they still continued to take money out of my account. I can't imagine how many elderly people are losing hundreds of dollars without their knowledge due to this ridiculous "error" that clearly seems like they are getting away with it. It isn't uncommon like they say either, I've met plenty of people that have had the same thing. Their customer service is useless, I mean it is unbearable to talk to anyone there as they degrade you and talk down to you. Stay as far away from this piece of trash service provider.Hi Freddy I apologise for the experience you had with Pennytel. Please provide us with contact number and we'll have our head of client experience contact you to discuss it further.
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Garbage
Called them up to cancel a plan i didnt want and got a new one but they cancelled my plan randomly ran by people with little to NO experience. Absolute SCAM
Show detailsHi Thomas please provide your contact number or account number and we'll give you a call to discuss it as we can't find an account under your name.
Excellent Product
The product meets all my requirements and there have been no problems with the service.
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Professionalism to the Highest Standard
Thank you very much to all for your professional communication and help during my phone problem over the past 2-3 weeks.
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Same price as 12 months ago love it!
Added on an extra phone, 3 now and still same price plans no secret changes to gb allowance and no extra data charges been really happy with service as we’re rural and we get good reception thanks.
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Billing
Send account payments out 3 weeks before it is due
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Good Value .. Helpful Support
Had a Rockey Start signing up phones for family use. Ensure when first signing up and asked who is using the phone, they mean who is responsible for the phone. Once signed up you can manage multiple phones on the account.
After a few iterations of support I found a helpful agent and sorted our account out.
I find the plans and coverage to be superb, and even better with Wifi Calling now working with the Telstra network.
Show detailsQuestions & Answers
The Pennytel Mobile Ph service is backed by Telstra but is it the same as the Telstra service for 4g we do country trips and wonder if we will have the same service as say a Telstra Customer.
Hi Larry yes we use 98.8% of the Telstra network, We do not have the full coverage that Telstra offers. I would suggest you have a look at our coverage map to see if we have coverage in the areas you'd like to travel to. I have attached the link for your convenience https://pennytel.com.au/coverage/
Thanks Pennytel
How much short of the Telstra network coverage are you?
Hi Larry I have attached another link for you that shows the difference in coverage between Telstra retail and Telstra wholesale which is what we are.
https://www.whistleout.com.au/MobilePhones/Guides/Telstra-network-coverage-vs-ALDI-Woolworths-Belong-Boost
Thanks Pennytel
Thanks for your response. I am currently with Optus and have been caught up in the hacking last year and again thew outage recently and no real feedback from Optus, there have been other issues as well. Anyway, I am over it (Optus) but have never really had any issues with actual mobile service and I want assurance that if I am going to change providers I am not going to have any less coverage as we move around a bit travelling.
I understand Larry we cannot guarantee that you will have the same coverage as we are a wholesaler of Telstra and do have the full coverage that they offer.
If you would like to chat more please call us on 1300 232 888.
I have been with Pennytel since it’s inception. Referred many friends. I refuse to give them my credit card for direct debit of my account but instead pay directly to their bank account. It costs them nothing to accept my payment but they have now decided to charge me $2 a month for my trouble. I won’t give them a card because I have had services in the past who help themselves to money they are not entitled to and then I have to spend hours of my time getting refunds. If this tax is not refunded and scrapped very soon, I will take my business elsewhere and recommend to all who will listen the reason why.
We use direct debit for Pennytel for the Internet and two mobiles. Initially we paid on the invoice but after 2-3 months went over to direct debit. We pay most accounts this way, and honestly, we have had no issues.
Hi Mal , Please private message us your mobile or account number so we can look into this for you.
Hi Geoff
Do those other accounts you pay charge $2 each time as Pennytel do.
Does pennytel rollover unused data, and can i use apps?
Yes they use data banking
Your plan will now include data banking. A feature which allows you to rollover any data you don’t use into the next month, up to a maximum of 500GB*.
But I believe it depends on your plan
Thans for your reply.
I'm interested in the10GB Mobile plan
Hi Maria thanks for your question. Yes Thomas is correct we do have data banking any unused data now rolls over and you can back up to 500GB of data. If you change your plan however this data is lost. We don't have a Pennytel App at the moment but we are hoping to have a new App in the very near future. If we can be of further assistance please call us on 1300 232 888.
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Details
About Pennytel
Pennytel is a mobile and NBN service provider that has been in operation since 2007 and has been offering low data plans in all Australian regions since 2013. Their mission is to give Australians mobile and NBN services that are simple to use, represent great value, and have great coverage.
Some features of Pennytel mobile plans include:
- SIM-only plans on the Telstra network.
- No lock-in contracts.
- Plans ranging from $10.99 to $69 a month, where you can choose between 1GB and 100GB of data.
Internet plans don’t have lock-in contracts either, and range from $39.99 a month for 100GB to $99 a month for unlimited data, large file sharing, and a typical evening speed of 100Mbps.
You can also bundle mobile and Internet plans for a discount.
Points of praise:
- Most reviewers found that changing to Pennytel from a different provider was a seamless, fuss-free experience.
- They also found that the network coverage and connection was reliable and didn’t drop out, with speeds meeting their needs and expectations.
- Reviewers appreciated the competitive prices of the plans available, saying that they represented great value for money. A few reviewers also noted that the lack of hidden costs made the plans even more appealing.
| Category | Mobile Phone Service Providers |
|---|---|
| Network Used | Telstra |
| International Roaming Offered | Yes |
Contact info for Pennytel
| Mon | 8:00 am - 8:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Tue | 8:00 am - 8:00 pm |
| Wed | 8:00 am - 8:00 pm |
| Thu | 8:00 am - 8:00 pm |
| Fri | 8:00 am - 8:00 pm |
| Sat | 9:00 am - 7:00 pm |
| Sun | 9:00 am - 7:00 pm |
- ABN: 92633474076
Extra Information
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Hi Phillip, Could you please send through your account number or mobile number so we can look into this for you? Thanks Pennytel