75-year-old great-grandmother dies after Telstra NBN phone didn’t work
Great-grandmother Merl Roberts, 75, tragically passed away after her newly-installed Telstra NBN phone failed to work. Merl, who lived alone and had a history of heart and lung conditions, attempted to call for help using her Oricom emergency bracelet, only to find the new landline wasn’t working.
Tragically, the Peak Hill resident had called Telstra to send a technician to help fix the issue, which she had been experiencing since its installation in June, three times before the fall. Nobody showed up.
“It’s frustrating because it was preventable,” Merl’s son Quentin 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 response, Telstra issued a statement to the Channel 9 program, saying they were “deeply saddened” by the incident.
“We recognise Mrs Roberts faced an unacceptable delay to having her phone service repaired,” a spokesperson said. “We are treating this situation very seriously and we're undertaking a detailed investigation into how the repair was managed.”
Meanwhile, NBN Co have advised owners of medical bracelets to register their details on the Medical Alarm Register.
Image credit: Today Tonight.