Thursday, February 25, 2010

Annoyance and irritation

Last month I made a really good purchase. An iPhone capped at $50/month, and my land phone, which I need for my internet access, reduced to $20/month. What a great deal. MDFD has an iPhone so she can help me with it. There was a $0 cost for the phone itself. Yahoo.

Well, there was. Until I received the first account. They charged me for the phone, and some for WAP. They didn't tell me about the WAP, and I purchased the phone and plan on the understanding it was a $0 for the handset.

Phoned the big T and spoke with someone abou the bill. Sorry, but there is a charge for the pohne... we can split it over the 2 year contract @ $10/month... when I complained about WAP charge ($15.85 for about 1.5 months), and explained that I hadn't been told about that extra charge, and I didn't even use the WAP feature (not yet, anyway), and would rathe not pay for it. The T enquiries person said he'd change that $10 WAP charge to be the first payment on the handset.

Speaking with MDFD a day or so later I complained about the bill and having to pay. She said "Phone the TIO*!" She'd had trouble with a disputed contract cancellation fee, it was waived in the end, after a call to the TIO and an explanation of the circumstances of the sale of the phone replacing the old handset.

Well, I finally got around to phoning the magic T number given to me by the TIO (complained via email).

Handset fee waived, $15.85 WAP fee waived. Bills combined as they should have been in the first place, and I'm smiling.

Woohoo.

*Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman

6 comments:

Steve at the Pub said...

Luck you! I phoned the TIO when my email was cut off, the worst part being the email address went into 7 year's quarantine.

The big T said it was cut off at "customer request". Except I hadn't been in contact with the big T for months & months.

TIO sent me a long email, basically telling me to get back in touch with my Telstra rep & "sort it out". GREAT HELP

Still, better than the BIO, when I contacted them after my bank manager provided to my competitors all details of my loan, assets, loan to equity ration, & details of commercial contracts included as part of a loan application, they said "We don't handle bank misconduct, you'll have to sort it out yourself"

1735099 said...

I involved the TIO in a dispute with Vodaphone and got a result. See - http://1735099.blogspot.com/2009/04/vodafone-blues.html

kae said...

Hi SATP.
How long ago was that? My dealings with TIO were I sent an email using their form detailing my issue with T.
They replied within a day or two with a step by step list of what I should do - which included a special magic number at T to phone and explain my issue.
I phoned and it was sorted, before I phoned apparently the phone charge had been waived.
It's only if you get no satisfaction from the comms co that you call back the TIO and complain again, then they go into bat for you.
Years ago, when Dad died, the phone was in his name, had been since I left home 'cos while I worked for T I received discounts off the phone service, as it was my phone as well as Mum and Dad's.
Anyhoo, when he died Mum phoned T to get the phone in her name. They changed the name but in doing so had to create a whole new account, which is a pain in the bum as all the history and terminal equipment and exchange settings are on the old account and they don't cross to the new one. She lost a major discount she'd had for years and when she got her first account after about three months after Dad died (it took her a while to change the phone, to simply have the time to sit and phone them and sort it out), she nearly had a fit at the charges, no discounts at all! She complained to me but was too busy/depressed?/cranky/over it to phone the TIO herself. I emailed them and, with Mum's authority, I got them to give her a $100 discount off the account (which was for about $300), and give her some discounts. She was knocked around by Dad's death, though she'd never admit it.

kae said...

17
My ex MIL (Mother In Law) had a moving/transport company with her b/f (later husband, now deceased), they had two way radio for around town, but it didn't work out of town. They decided to get mobiles. This was in the early 90s I think. They ended up with V. They were assured that they'd have service wherever they needed it with V. V's rep lied.
I recommended that she go to the TIO and complain as they were paying for a service which didn't do what it had been sold to them to do. And they were paying a shitload for the "service". I don't remember the outcome, but I hope she did something about it. V was, as many carriers are, noted for their "not our problem/your fault" attitude to service issues of their products and services.

I had a similar problem with Austar, satellite pay tv. When the ex was here he bought it, but after a while realised that it was a huge waste of money, same programs hashed for over a month and sport, sport, sport, which we weren't interested in.
After he left I thought I'd like pay TV. It was a special offer. No installation fee as I already had the thing on the roof. Discounted movies and no first month rent. The installer came and attached the box to the TV and wall jack for the dish, he was in a rush as was I, so I signed the paper without reading the back, light grey, fine print.
When I got the account I hit the roof. I was charged for everything that they said I wouldn't be. And full price, too.
I called them and told them to sort it. It was fixed up pretty quick smart.
A few months later I realised the same thing as we had before, the pay tv was a waste as it was just the same old same old over and over during the month, and as I was working in Brisbane I didn't have time to watch pay TV.
I called A and asked to cease the service. Apparently I had signed a 2 year contract. I had checked when I spoke with the sales person that there would be no cancellation penalty because of my situation, mortgage and only contract work. I was told then that there would be no cancellation penalty.
Lie.
When I spoke with the first A rep I was basically called an idiot for not reading the fine print. "You signed the contract didn't you?" I explained the rush and that I thought that "the contract" was the installation paperwork. Finally I exploded and said I wanted to speak with a supervisor. The spiv on the line said "Can't do". I said that they could whistle for their money, they'd lied to me and signed me up under false pretenses and I would NOT pay.
Next day a supervisor phoned me. The supervisor said that they could cut my contract back to six months and I'd only need to pay for two months and I might as well keep the set top box until I stopped paying for it. I was agreeable to that. But I told them and have told anyone and everyone who speaks to me about Austar since then that they are not to be trusted and I'd/I'll never have any dealings with them again.
And I especially delight in telling the same to their phone canvassers when they used to annoy me with their calls.

I was surprised when MDFD had trouble with her mobile phone charges and T. I've not had trouble before, well, disputes yes, but they were usually sorted out to my satisfaction.

stackja1945 said...

I use this
"Send us an email via our online complaint form"
http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/commitments/telstra-complaints-policy/"
They ring me, they fix the problem.

kae said...

Hi Stacks
They won't do anything, I had to go to the Ombudsman... twice!!