Highlanders Bob and Beverley Crawford are in their 80s and they just want their phone to work. 

On June 19 this year, they made the switch to the NBN. 

Since then, they have had four different modems, four different phones – including a satellite phone – and have spent hours on the phone to NBN co and their service provider, Telstra. 

After five months and eight different devices, the Crawfords finally have a functioning phone and internet service. 

But they are now in a dispute over their bills. 

Telstra is insisting they pay for the past five months of phone and internet service that has been dysfunctional. 

In protest, the Crawfords refused to pay their latest bill and have now been issued with a late fee. 

Ms Crawford has reached her limit. 

“They say they have supplied you with a new interim [device], but then you get things that don’t work,” she said. 

“They say they’ll be here at 10am to fix [the problem] but then there’s no one.

“It’s just frustrating.”

Telstra recently announced that it will reimburse 42,000 customers who bought home broadband plans over the NBN, after admitting that it sold thousands of customers plans with unattainable speeds.

Optus has said it will do the same. 

But Whitlam MP Stephen Jones said the compensation plan only addresses internet customers and does not account for people like the Crawfords whose phone did not work for five months. 

“What I’ll be saying to Telstra is that rather than [the Crawfords] owing them money, they owe [the Crawfords] money,” Mr Jones said. 

Have you struggled with the NBN? We want to hear from you. Let us know at charlishield@fairfaxmedia.com.au