telecommunications company stuff ups

[jmorgan1981]

So I thought this could do with its own thread.

I could talk about how I got charged twice for the same internet connection for 6 months even after about 5 phone calls but I will list the most recent.

So at the start of may I decided to shift my mobile over to a better plan with a company that has square eyes in a TV commercial. This made sense because my home internet was the a company owned by the square eye one, all my bills came from the square eyed one etc. This seemed to go fine they shifted all my services over the the parent company and it was business as usual.

Two weeks go past and I get a massive bill. I go over this and I seem to be getting charged for two services, this is also a direct debit bill so I chase it up. I ring up and they can see that they are charging me for my old service and the new and will fix it. So closer to the end of the month I get a bill the from them and in my shift work haze I pay it. The next day I think I shouldn't get a bill from them and go back over the accounts and see they are charging me again and this time I have a different customer number as well. I ring to see what the problem is and they have for some reason created a new account as part of a merger to fix my issues and it should be all sweet. I have now about $100 in credit and am thinking this is sorted.

Last Saturday at about 9am my internet goes down. This seems strange but I go through the process, modem off etc but no luck. I take the little one to dancing and come home still off. I ring up to see if there are any outages. Nope just me and they have my address as an old one from six months ago. They say they need to talk to the network owner (I'm in the ACT) but no one is in on a Saturday so they will call me tomorrow. No one rings me Sunday so I call them. No one is in on a Sunday so they will call me tomorrow. No one rings me Monday so I call them. I explain the whole thing again and they say a manager will call me. Manager calls me Monday arvo and he says no issue they can fix it and he will get back to me. No call Tuesday. Wednesday night right on dinner I get a call. He doesn't know why he is calling and reads the notes while on the phone to me. He said that for some reason I have been disconnected at my address and connected to my old address from six months before. It should be back on by 3pm Thursday. 4:30 Thursday I get a call. From the time I was disconnected till Thursday my port has been taken by a new customer and I need a technician to come out and reconnect me to a new port. 

I ask to speak to a manager. They say one will ring me back in 48hrs. I say now. They say an hr. Anyway manager rings me and I explain that when a technician comes they need a 4hr window and I work. I then ask if because this is not my fault will he pay me a days wage so I can be home. The manager say he will try and get it in today.

This morning I get a call from the Technician booking agent and they can't fit me in today they can Tuesday. I work Tuesday so Friday next week it is.

So 2 weeks without the internet because of a clerical error. 1st world problem I know. It is just the 4hr so far on the phone plus you pre pay a month out for the service. Not to mention the NETFLIX etc that I pay for that are internet based services. Lets just say they will be paying for my DATA usage this month.

[Azz]

Just jump onto the ombudsman website, file a complaint. Tell your story and that this is not be addressed in a timely manner.
I bet it gets fixed really fast.

[plusnq]

Just jump onto the ombudsman website, file a complaint. Tell your story and that this is not be addressed in a timely manner.
I bet it gets fixed really fast.

Good advice.

[edz]

Another vote for the communications ombudsman here too, days n days  of hassle with te company,  only took a day after the call and all fixed .

[jwb]

Just jump onto the ombudsman website, file a complaint. Tell your story and that this is not be addressed in a timely manner.
I bet it gets fixed really fast.

MMM Good luck with that one!

A mate living out near the Lions rd (Qld/Nsw border area) is/had having problems with his service provider.
after about 8 or so hrs on the phone over numerous calls he has all but given up & lodged a dispute with the Telecommunications Ombudsman.
at that time he said the backlog wait was looking @ 3 years? 
Hopefully you make some progress
cheers

[Azz]

WOW, we have used the OBM a few times now down here in Vic, always been sorted in days.

The last one we filed, all we wanted was a copy of the contract we were on, T_____a couldn't supply that, filed complaint, next day Phone Co rings and we get contracts cancelled for five mobile phones and five hundred credit.

Clean slate

[robbo1172]

When I had the phone put on at home 8 years ago no one showed up on the booked day. I rang and they rescheduled. No one showed up that day either. Rescheduled. Guess what. No one shows up. Turns out no ports left so they just don't show up. I spoke with someone in a very firm manner, mentioned the ombudsman and said I want 3 days wages credited for my lost time. Three days later I had the phone on and over $700 credit on my account.

Robbo...

[jmorgan1981]

Thanks guys. I spoke with the ombudsman yesterday for some information but didn't file a complaint. They said it is 10 business day turn around. The problem should be fixed by then (fingers crossed). The phone company called me today and I asked about the assurance that I won't get charged for the extra mobile data that I will use. They suggested I should go buy a wifi dongle and put some credit on it and they would reimburse me!!!! I asked why I can't just use my mobile as a wifi hotspot. They said this way was cheaper. I explained it wasn't for me. Anyway the girl said that she can't make that call. I told her to get her supervisor to call me.

He did and he wasn't keen on me using my mobile either.

Long story short I'm picking up a dongle from them tomorrow with 15g on it. The manager was going to txt me the ref number and details this arvo. Much to my surprise no txt
txt.

[Azz]

File the complaint, they will screw you over otherwise, they are bloody brilliant at it.

[oldmate]

Thanks guys. I spoke with the ombudsman yesterday for some information but didn't file a complaint. They said it is 10 business day turn around. The problem should be fixed by then (fingers crossed). The phone company called me today and I asked about the assurance that I won't get charged for the extra mobile data that I will use. They suggested I should go buy a wifi dongle and put some credit on it and they would reimburse me!!!! I asked why I can't just use my mobile as a wifi hotspot. They said this way was cheaper. I explained it wasn't for me. Anyway the girl said that she can't make that call. I told her to get her supervisor to call me.

He did and he wasn't keen on me using my mobile either.

Long story short I'm picking up a dongle from them tomorrow with 15g on it. The manager was going to txt me the ref number and details this arvo. Much to my surprise no txt
txt.

I would of made the manager deliver it

[BadSeed]

Just jump onto the ombudsman website, file a complaint. Tell your story and that this is not be addressed in a timely manner.
I bet it gets fixed really fast.

This ^  I have used them twice and both times my dispute was fixed within an hour.
The first time I called the ombudsman they gave me the number of someone at <telco name> and it was resolved immediatley. It was like a hotline to someone who gave a Shit.

[Moggy]

This is the exact reason i refuse to deal with companies that want direct debit.
Its my money & I'll keep control of it. Funny how fast things happen when you threaten to cut off the money

[Herks]

Yep same here, 2 1/2  months now and they still can't get it right. So I am now playing hard ball. Giving them some of their own back. Intend to cap it off with a TIO complaint. I still have service though but they want me to accept less for the same price.
So far a new NBN compatible modem, working on the credit.
Bottom line, don't accept crap, it's all from the Philippines anyway. Good Aussie jobs gone OS!!

[Kangaron]

Another vote for the ombudsman asap.
I thought I was forgiving by using 3 strikes.
2 phone calls then the ombudsman.
Works every time.

[evans52]

Another vote for the ombudsman asap.
I thought I was forgiving by using 3 strikes.
2 phone calls then the ombudsman.
Works every time.

Same for us. 3 years ago we moved to a Regional Town in SA from Adelaide. We were with a well known carrier and coverage was terrible. After 2 months we rang to cancel the 2 contracts as their coverage didn't meet the requirements as per any phone contract. Each contract had only been renewed 3 months prior at 24 months each with phone upgrades. First call we got the good old "Please don't leave us we'll give you this and that". That ended with we will have someone call you.
 
They did a couple of days later (which was all good). Fortunately I was with my Wife at the time and we put the call on speaker. We again pointed out that service coverage is a requirement of the contract and they advised us there issues with the towers -  we didn't care. This call was the "release us now or we go to the Ombudsman" call. It was met with "We will give you 3 free months of contract each if you stay". We declined. The person came back with "If you cancel you will need to payout the contracts for each phone". I said "Not going to happen. Cancel it now at now cost or we go to the Ombudsman. Your call?" - I intended that pun at the time. They didn't, so we hung up and got straight onto the Ombudsman. Gave them the times and names of who we spoke to and what we wanted to do. 4 days later we had a call from the Ombudsman advising to call a certain number and contracts will be cancelled then and there and we get to keep the phones which will be unlocked (so available to any other provider).

Two chances, then Ombudsman for me.

[Dion]

My home line has been out for 3 months (Since mid-March).  Break in the lead-in cable. 

Simple fix you would think but Telstra have stuffed around for 3 months.

Now they're wanting to run an aerial cable because it's too hard to fix the break (I find this ridiculous, as the break is just there in front of my house i.e. you can see it).

I lodged a complaint with the TIO in April.  They told me they were too busy to look at my problem.  LOL.

[tk421]

I was with vodamoan for a while. The contract they originally gave me was made out to someone else (Kind of sounded like my name but spelt phonetically). Sales guy was hungover, and so was I so never checked. I tried to rectify it but they wouldn't as I wasn't the named account holder apparently. So I gave up.  All good until the end of contract.

Couldn't cancel in person as I was not the person named on the contract, but after several calls helpful call centre girl  told me I could cancel via email as my correct email address was on the contract/agreement. So I did
Except I was in credit by $0.76. They wanted to reimburse the contract holder. For some reason they wouldn't do bank transfer...  You guessed it, the account names didn't match. Funny that when i was paying them from the same account that they never had an issue. And it was the same account used for the term of the contract to pay them.

Eventually I stopped answering emails. I secretly hope it drives the accountants barmy to have that amount sitting there. It's been 8 years.

[Bill]

Went into a Telstra shop at the mall a  couple years ago looking to up grade my mobile phone.
Salesperson popped on their computer and told me I still had a contract and it would cost me $1000.00 or so if I wanted to upgrade. Told them they were wrong and I didnt have any contract left. They were adament I was wrong.
I declined to upgrade.
2 minutes later swmbo made me stop into the shop 3 doors down that was a registered Telstra dealer, she told them I wanted to upgrade my mobile.
Salesperson took my info and looked at her computer. She then asked where a certain phone was as the one in my hand was not the one in my contract. I explained it had been a couple years since Id had that phone.
She said then she was making a call.
40 minutes later I had the new phone that I wanted, fully paid for, and over $500 in credit.
Seems Telstra had been chariging me for 2 phones and 2 contracts for over a year.
Funny the salesperson in the actual Telstra shop didnt catch this since she had all the same information.
Bill