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telephone companies suck
Feb. 3rd, 2010 01:12 pmWhat sucks about phone companies, and utility companies in general is that they escape accountability. Even though you signed your contract at a shop (incidentally, full of fine print), no single person is responsible to keep their side of the deal, or to maintain a standard of reasonableness. You are always dealing with a different person. This impersonal relationship is the source of much frustration for the customer.
Anyway, because I have been good at paying my bills, Bell "rewarded" me by lifting my spending cap. This is the last thing I'd want, so I call them to try to fix it. Customer Service guy talks to me like I'm crazy:
- Why would you wanna do that?
G - I won't want to be stuck with a large bill.
- you can check your balance at any time.
G - I want to get a warning automatically, without calling them myself.
G - Besides, say I lend my phone to somebody...
- oh, I would never do that!
Then he tells me he can't do it himself, so he speaks to Accounts Receivable for me. He comes back and tells me:
- They won't put you back on it. Once you're off, you're off. That's just how our system works.
G - well then, next time I won't pay my bills on time! [I say rhetorically]
- you don't wanna do that, you'll get late fees.
G - ok, well, I would at least like to get a real letter with somebody's name on it, telling me that they won't do it.
- What's your email address?
G - XXX
- Ok, I'll see what I can do.
After making me hold, he comes back without addressing my request:
- You cannot have it put back on. There's no way of notifying you when the bill gets too high. You have to keep track of it yourself.
G - I understand everything you're saying. But I would like to see this in written form.
- ok, then you can send a fax to 1-800-818-7449 Accounts Receivable, include your account number and phone number.
G - and how will they reply?
- You can request that they reply by fax or by email
There is clearly an incentive for them to let me get screwed with a big bill, explaining why this policy remains, and this is clearly evil: they are rewarding people who make late payments (assuming they prefer to have a spending cap).
Time wasted: 25 minutes
Anyway, because I have been good at paying my bills, Bell "rewarded" me by lifting my spending cap. This is the last thing I'd want, so I call them to try to fix it. Customer Service guy talks to me like I'm crazy:
- Why would you wanna do that?
G - I won't want to be stuck with a large bill.
- you can check your balance at any time.
G - I want to get a warning automatically, without calling them myself.
G - Besides, say I lend my phone to somebody...
- oh, I would never do that!
Then he tells me he can't do it himself, so he speaks to Accounts Receivable for me. He comes back and tells me:
- They won't put you back on it. Once you're off, you're off. That's just how our system works.
G - well then, next time I won't pay my bills on time! [I say rhetorically]
- you don't wanna do that, you'll get late fees.
G - ok, well, I would at least like to get a real letter with somebody's name on it, telling me that they won't do it.
- What's your email address?
G - XXX
- Ok, I'll see what I can do.
After making me hold, he comes back without addressing my request:
- You cannot have it put back on. There's no way of notifying you when the bill gets too high. You have to keep track of it yourself.
G - I understand everything you're saying. But I would like to see this in written form.
- ok, then you can send a fax to 1-800-818-7449 Accounts Receivable, include your account number and phone number.
G - and how will they reply?
- You can request that they reply by fax or by email
There is clearly an incentive for them to let me get screwed with a big bill, explaining why this policy remains, and this is clearly evil: they are rewarding people who make late payments (assuming they prefer to have a spending cap).
Time wasted: 25 minutes