Eileen Brice, of Aberdare near Cessnock, said she would no longer allow companies to direct debit her bank account, except for life insurance and funeral cover.

"Optus just took the money out of my account," Mrs Brice said, adding they sent no bill or receipt.

Mrs Brice had been trying to get the money back since October.

"They said they sent me a cheque, but no cheque came," she said. "Every time I tried to ring them, they tried to avoid the issue."

Ivor Brice, 74, said other people should be aware of "what can happen to anybody through no fault of their own". "Australians shouldn't have to put up with this sort of shit," said Mr Brice, who is Eileen's carer.

The incident happened after she accepted an Optus offer for a new mobile phone at a cost of $1 a month on a plan. When she saw the Optus charge of $369 on her bank statement, she had no idea why they charged that amount.

"I'm a pensioner, I still have my marbles. I think they're a bloody disgrace," she said.

An Optus spokesperson said its specialist care team had "contacted the customer to apologise about her recent experience and offer a full refund".

"We regret that on this occasion a customer's experience hasn't met the usual high standards that Optus prides itself on," the spokesperson said.

"Optus values every customer and makes every effort to ensure that everyone has a good customer experience."

Optus initially sent the phone to the post office.

"Even though I have power of attorney, the post office wouldn't let me pick it up. Eileen couldn't pick the phone up because she was bedridden," Mr Brice said.

"I went to the local MP and got a declaration form for the post office. We filled it in and got it signed, but they still wouldn't let me pick it up."

The post office returned the phone to Optus. Mr Brice said Optus then disconnected Eileen's mobile number on her existing phone.

"Why they did that I'm not sure. It took me ages to get that back on," he said.

At the time, Eileen's landline was down and she was trying to get it fixed. "I was worried if she couldn't get the mobile number back up and I was out, something could happen to her. And who would take responsibility for that?" Mr Brice said.

Optus said when orders were ready to ship, "customers receive an SMS and email on how to track and collect their handsets".

"However if a delivery is unsuccessful, it is taken to the closest post office," the spokesperson said.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority [ACMA] manages the country's phone number system. It says telcos must follow rules around surrendering numbers.