Telstra sorry for ‘unacceptable delay’ after elderly woman dies in fall following three promises to fix her phone line
Telstra has apologised to a grieving family after an elderly woman fell over and died when she was unable to call anyone for help.
Great-grandmother Merl Roberts, who lived alone and had a history of heart and lung complications, made the switch to a new NBN Telstra phone in June.
The 75-year-old Peak Hill resident experienced immediate problems with her new service and despite technicians promising to come and fix the problem three times, nobody showed up.
Merl had an Oricom emergency bracelet that was set up through her landline phone in case of emergencies.
Tragically, when the country NSW resident fell down her back stairs, she was unable to call for help or activate the bracelet.
Her heartbroken son Quentin said his mother’s death was avoidale.
“It’s frustrating because it was preventable,” he told Today Tonight.
“It’s frustrating that we live in a society and we can’t get a phone fixed within three weeks for a 75-year-old old lady.
“We don’t know the time frame, how long she was unconscious.”
In a statement, Telstra told Today Tonight that it was “deeply saddened” by Mrs Roberts’ death.
“We recognise Mrs Roberts faced an unacceptable delay to having her phone service repaired,” the Telstra spokesperson said.
“We are treating this situation very seriously and we're undertaking a detailed investigation into how the repair was managed.”
NBN Co also issued its own advice for medical bracelet owners to register their details on the Medical Alarm Register.
