Telecom troubles, part two
September 3 2009 by Ellen Roseman
The complaints keep coming about telecom providers, so I’m starting a new section. The earlier version appeared a few months ago.
The main issues are as follows, although I’m sure I’ll miss a few:
– Unexpected charges, higher than what was advertised or promised by a salesperson.
– Recurring billing errors, which seem impossible to correct.
– Being forced to give 30 days’ notice of cancellation, while being able to sign up for service the same day.
– Lousy service by call centre staff, who follow scripts, can’t find information on your previous calls and cut you off.
– Lousy service by technicians, who miss appointments, fail to diagnose problems when they do show up or damage property.
– Quick assignment of overdue accounts to a collection agency, without checking to see if there’s a legitimate dispute that leads to non-payment.
Guess that’s a long enough list. I’ll post a few comments below to get started.
AF
Sep 3 2009
My ongoing experience with Bell to have satellite TV installed has been, without doubt, one of the most horrible, frustrating experiences of my life.
Let me first say that I am a 65 year old recent widow and living on a very fixed income. Unfortunately, due to illness after my husband’s death, I had to give up my job, although I had planned to continue working for another two or three years.
As part of my revision of my now limited financial situation, I decided to switch from one satellite provider to Bell TV. I have my phones and internet with Bell and up until this time had enjoyed relatively good service.
However, right from the get-go, the satellite TV was a disaster and remains ongoing. My complaint is not with the rate - I am now paying $36 a month less than with my previous satellite provider. My problem is with the service.
Things went bad immediately. At the end of June, I called Bell to order satellite TV. I had two conversations with a Bell rep who seemed to be processing the order properly - we went over all the details several times and I was satisfied that everything was in order.
I was given an order, or mech note, number and verified it with the rep to be sure I had taken it down correctly.
The installation date was scheduled for July 29th as I was required to give Shaw Direct 30 days’ notice to terminate their service. I did so the same day.
I was told by the Bell rep I would receive an e-mail confirmation of the installation date, order number, within a couple of days. After two weeks, I had not received a confirmation and I called Bell.
The person at the call centre said they had attempted to email me several times but it had not gone through. It was a problem at their end, not mine, and not to worry “as the guy who comes to do the installation will have all the information.”
I was also told I would receive a call on July 28th, the day before the installation, to confirm. I received no such call.
Beginning to think that something was amiss, I called Bell on the morning of July 29th only to be told, to my great distress, that they had no record of my order or order/mech note number - nothing whatsoever - and therefore there was no installation scheduled.
After having to make half a dozen calls and speak to various call centre reps, I still was given many insincere and meaningless apologies, but no answer. I was only told that it would have to be rescheduled to Aug. 7th, some nine days later. In the meantime, Shaw disconnected my service on July 29th.
The installation was done on Aug. 7th, but unfortunately, that isn’t the end of it. I am still having problems with reception and programming and have had to make four phone calls to Bell.
I am able to get reception on only one of my two TVs and not all of the programs on my other TV.
Dealing with the tech support is, as I’m sure many of your other readers who have had to deal with Bell can tell you, one of the most frustrating and demoralizing experiences.
In each instance, I have been told to do something different and nothing has really worked or worked for long. The possibility that it might be faulty installation or equipment has not been raised.
To say that I am incensed at the shoddy, inefficient and incompetent treatment I have been given, and continue to receive, by Bell is probably the understatement of the century.
You are correct when you write in your column that Bell and Rogers are waging war. Unfortunately, the customers are the casualties of that war.
It’s all about sales and billing and not at all about customer service. Once they’ve got you, you’re just another account.
Bell - not too big to fail but certainly too big to care.
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Thank you for your assistance in resolving some issues I had been having with Bell regarding my satellite TV.
I wrote you on Aug. 8th detailing and received an email from customer relations on the same day, responding to your inquiry and proposing a solution.
However, in the interim, my satellite TV has been installed and is now functioning satisfactorily.
I received apologies and assurances from Bell that this would not happen again - but unfortunately this is an all too common occurence with Bell and Rogers.
Again, thank you - it was much appreciated.
CN
Sep 3 2009
I moved recently to a new address. I would have liked to switch my Cogeco package to the new address, but it wasn’t available at my new address. So, I cancelled the service, along with my other utilities (electric, gas. etc.).
The other utilities were straightforward cancellations, with only a few days to August 1st it was no problem. Cogeco, on the other hand, was a big problem. They require a ridiculous 31 days notice to cancel service.
Given it was July 30th, I would therefore have to pay another month of full service (shy of $200 for phone, internet and cable).
I know that if the service could have been transferred to the new address, they would have waived this, as I would have had some leverage. But, in this case, they had me by their Article 14 where you have to provide the month’s notice.
I phoned and very assertively argued with a representative, then with two supervisors after that (the first supervisor hung up on me after I used the broken record technique, demanding to speak with her superior).
I called back, immediately asked the representative to talk with a senior supervisor, and got through right away. Upon speaking to the supervisor, I stayed focused and assertive, did not allow her her “talking points” (e.g., well it’s very clearly stated in our contract.. blah blah blah) and exclaimed that I would not be hearing that script.
I went on about bona fide (good faith) contracts, etc. She finally asked me why I took so long to cancel. I replied that it only took me about 10 minutes to phone and upgrade my digital service, so the natural conclusion was that it would take much the same time to downgrade or cancel service.
She tried to invoke a reference to Article 14 again, to which I answered something to the effect of “well, I didn’t have to refer to article 14 or article 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. in order to add a service, so I find it curious that I would have to be so aware of it in order to cancel… moreover, you don’t have this article on your bills, and it is not in the customer’s conscience… what is in the customer’s conscience is that Cogeco is only a phone call away to upgrade service, so the natural inference is you must be only a phone call away to cancel…just like any other utility…regardless of your obscure contract I think I have a point here….and I wonder if small claims court would see this point too.”
On this, she said they have a very sophisticated legal department, but cut the bill in half - from 30 days to 15 days. I pressed further, and she downgraded the cable service to basic cable…getting a total of $92 taken off of a $162 bill, including taxes.
Why does Cogeco do this? The answer is simple: the bean counters cleverly surmised that a 30 day cancellation policy will do two things — keep people who would otherwise cancel their services when they move as Cogeco customers; and, in my case, gouge them for one last payment before they head out in the wild blue yonder.
I’ll obviously never be a customer of Cogeco again. But I want to make Cogeco take some bad press for this way that they treat customers. And I also wonder if there is any hope in taking them on in small claims court (for the argument I gave above. I would love to do it, just to make the point, even if I lost, so that other customers wouldn’t get screwed.
TZ
Sep 3 2009
My parents and I have had a runaround with Bell. It started about a year ago when we decided to move into a new house.
We called Bell to say we would be moving but staying with them as customers for our television, phone and internet, but we wanted everything transferred to our new house and to be cancelled at our old address. They said that would be fine and everything was all ready to go for our new house.
When we finally moved in, we were receiving two bills for these services, one for our previous address, and one for our new address.
We called them and and they said they would take care of the problem. Little did we know that this would go on for around 10 months.
Month after month, these bills would keep ariving. We were constantly on the phone with Bell and they kept telling us to pay the bill, but we were not using these services in a place we did not live!
So we did not pay the bill and it added up every month. When it finally totalled $700, they got the collections agency calling our house 6-7 times a day and night, harassing us and calling us names.
They told us that if we did not pay, they would put a lien on our house, give us bad credit and start taking money out of my father’s work cheques. So to shut them up, we paid them $700.
I cannot believe the bad customer service they gave us. We lost $700 for something that we never owed or used.
Now they call us daily, asking for us back as customers. If we were such bad customers who didn’t pay our bills, why would they so desperatley keep calling us back every day?
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From Julie Smithers, Bell spokeswoman:
Our records indicate that the account from the Z’s original residence was indeed closed on October 30, 2007 as per their request.
As indicated by Ms Z, the $700 bill was the result of non-payment from September 2007 until October 2008.
However, at no time were the clients being charged for services at two locations, and the amount billed is accurate.
GC
Sep 3 2009
I have been fighting with Bell Canada about an error that they made when I agreed to a new long distance plan. As a result, I was charged hundreds of dollars for long distance that they have refused to credit me for.
I just read a few of the postings from your “Bell Blues” item that was posted on your website in March of 2007. It’s amazing how familiar some of those posts are to my current experience, so it seems their practices have not changed! Any advice on how to deal with these guys?
Someone told me that there is supposed to be an Ombudsman that you can report issues to and that might be effective. Do you know if this is true?
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I had no idea that you would forward an email to Bell. Thank you so much for doing that.
Shortly afterward, a Bell representative contacted me. I have now been fully credited for my disputed charges!
It’s disappointing that it had to come to this before I got a satisfactory response, but I’m very appreciative of your assistance!
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The short version of the story is that Bell called to thank me for being a loyal customer and asked if there were any other services I was interested in.
I asked about long distance packages because we have family in Australia that we call regularly. They told me about an unlimited plan they had and I said yes.
The new plan was to take effect immediately and I was told we could start making unlimited calls to Australia the next day.
What actually happened was that Bell discontinued our current long distance plan and never initiated the new long distance plan, so the rates skyrocketed.
Because the change happened at the end of a billing period and we continued to use calling cards for a period of time until we changed our calling habits, we didn’t pick up on the error until the third billing period when the bill was huge.
At that time, I called Bell and they said they would process a credit for me. I thought they would be crediting me back to the date I was supposed to start the new service, but instead they credited me only a small portion of the total long distance charges.
They then told me that because I didn’t notice the error on my bill sooner, they could not give me a credit for any more than 30 days and the charges that had accumulated were in fact legitimate charges that had to be paid.
By that time, the accumulated charges over the three billing periods amounted to over $700.
I called back and asked to be escalated and was told that someone would contact me in no more than 36 hours. I never heard from anyone.
I called again and asked to elevate the call again. This person said he had all the authority that was required to deal with the matter and there was nothing further to discuss and actually hung up on me.
I just could not accept that any senior manager at Bell would think that this is an acceptable resolution to the error that Bell initiated, so I thought I would try sending an email to customer service. I did get a response, but it was the same as what I had been told over the phone.
At one point, the Bell representative suggested that my complaint was very interesting and would be used as a case study for future training sessions. He also explained that Bell has so many customers that they have to rely on the customers reviewing the bills to address errors.
I have to say that I found the response a bit insulting given the circumstance and it only infuriated me more.
I believe that the terms of my contract changed when I spoke to the Bell representative and agreed to start the new long distance plan. The fact that the new plan was not initiated and charges were accumulated was a Bell mistake and a billing error.
However, they kept referring to a 30 day policy for adjustments to the bill. I have never (to my knowledge) seen anything indicating that such a policy exists. It’s not on the bill and no one made me aware of it when I changed my services. I couldn’t find it on the website either.
So it appeared to me that this was the way Bell had instructed employees to deal with these types of disputes.
They wouldn’t allow me to escalate the issue by phone or email and effectively stonewalled me. I imagine a lot of people probably just give up at this point.
So what is your recourse? If you don’t pay the bill, they cut off service and eventually put a collection agency on the file, which will have a negative impact on your credit rating. It really is an unfair business practice and that’s why I kept pursuing it.
How can they keep money that is charged to their customers in error? It really bothers me that they are allowed to operate this way. What can we do?
TJ
Sep 3 2009
We have an unauthorized account set up by Bell Internet.
We have been Bell Canada customers for many years and have declined the services of their competitors. It might just end because of this issue.
The unauthorized account has incurred a bill of about $65 for the July and August billings.
Though the amount charged so far is minimal, the so-called supervisors did not give heed to the corroborating information I provided and just relied on the erroneous information they had to justify the charge.
(There could be other consumers that are erroneously billed in an identical manner, but are not aggressive enough to have it rectified or are not aware of their options.)
I confirmed that 3Web has been billing me from July 25, 2008, to the present. There can only be one server (3Web) for a consumer at any one time.
The present server (3 Web) cannot be replaced by a different server (Bell Internet) without the present server being notified by the user.
There can only be one user name and password on my computer and it belongs to 3Web.
With this information, I sent an e-mail to executive.office@bell.ca. This is supposef to be the highest office to escalate unsolved issues.
An email response from Bell’s executive office was received the same day, saying to expect a reply in the next two business days. I never did receive an email or a phone call from this “executive office”.
Last week, I called this “executive office” (1-866-317-3382) and spoke with supervisor Alex.
When I gave him the corroborating information mentioned in this email, he reverted to the same position as before, apparently looking at a monitor that showed that I had been and was currently utilizing the Bell server.
We are disconcerted with the service so far and the apathetic attitude shown by their offices and personnel.
We were hoping to escalate this matter to the attention of either George Cope, President & CEO, or Kevin W. Crull, President – Residential Services (are they still the current officers?), but none of the employees we spoke to were willing to provide any information.
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Thanks to you, Ellen, the issue with Bell Internet has been resolved through the efforts of Joel in their Executive Office. He called this morning after getting an email from you.
The Bell Internet account will be closed, a credit will be issued for the erroneous charge already paid and he will ensure that the August charge will be blocked or credited.
We were never able to resolve how the Bell Internet account was opened, nor how two servers could be active simultaneously for one computer.
The conversation was concluded on amicable conditions.
NI
Sep 3 2009
Last December, I phoned Bell Canada asking if I could gift a Canada long distance plan to someone in Guelph, Ont.
This was for the benefit of two orphaned siblings who lived with their uncle and were using calling cards to talk to their sister in Montreal, who had lost her husband of one week in a tragedy.
As the siblings were going to join their sister in Montreal in a few months, I asked for the plan to be effective from Dec. 19, 2008 until March 22, 2009. Bell agreed to this and gave me a confirmation number.
On Dec. 23, the same Bell rep left me a voice message saying she had agreed to my request in error and Bell does not allow gifting of long distance plans.
I did not hear her message for a couple of days because of the holidays and then I called back to say the siblings had already started using the plan.
I had long conversations with ‘sympathetic’ representatives who kept assuring me that they would look after the matter and agreed that it would not make a good Christmas story if they went back on their word.
Finally on Jan. 6, 2009, Bell took a payment of $53.19 over the phone from my Visa for three months of long distance. The Bell rep assured me it would be effective Dec. 19, 2008, and they would put it on my Bell bill every month.
I then found out from the uncle of the siblings that he had been charged an exorbitant amount for long distance. Bell said the plan was effective Jan. 6, 2009 and so they were charging full rate for the period Dec. 19 – Jan. 6, 2009.
My calls to Bell continued and each time they reassured me and said they would go back to their records. They promised to call within 3 days, 5 days and 10 days, but nothing came of it.
After that, the Bell customer service reps started to get short with me and denied having records.
Finally, one of them said there was a credit balance on the Guelph family’s phone bill and everything had been taken care of. He would not give details and just said to wait for the statement to arrive.
No credit had been given to the family and in my next call I was given the telephone number and email address of the Bell Executive office.
I wrote to them in detail and they did get back to me in a few days, but we could not connect with the Guelph family to authorise me to be on their Bell account.
It took a couple of weeks and phone messages and emails from me before I got a response.
Bell would give a credit for the long distance calls made between Dec. 19 and Jan. 6, for the maximum of 1,000 minutes allowed. A charge of $71 would remain on the account for the 700 minutes they went over. That meant a credit of $136.64 going to the Guelph family’s account.
This seemed fair and what I had been making all the calls for. If this had been done back in January, I would have been fine with it.
I had insisted on reimbursing the family in Guelph much earlier, but they refused to taking anything from me. They felt it was Bell’s fault and I should not be penalised.
Moreover, I have been very embarrassed that the small matter has caused them so much consternation – receiving large bills from Bell, having to call them on the phone all the time when I was talking to Bell, etc.
When I heard the paltry sum that Bell was going to reimburse the family, I asked for a goodwill gesture for all the time and aggravation the matter had taken. The Bell executive offered me $20 for going back on its word and wasting hours of my time.
I feel disgusted. In hindsight, I should have made it up to the Guelph family in some other way and not bothered following up with Bell. All I can do now is share my story.
GD
Sep 3 2009
I received my monthly bill from Rogers Wireless a few days ago. I noticed on the one billing page the following note:
“The local calling area for the cities above will be changing effective the dates above to align with standard boundaries across the industry.
“Your local calling area is the area in which you can make or receive calls without incurring long distance charges. These changes will provide you with clear boundaries of our local calling areas and may make your bill easier to understand.
“The changes may result in some of your calls to be rated as long distance calls, which would first appear on your next invoice after the effective date. All other aspects of your service will remain the same.”
I went to the rogers website with the following links:
https://www.rogers.com/web/content/wireless-plans/wp_long_dist_local_calling
What I’ve discovered is that because I live in Newmarket and my cell phone is a Toronto number, starting Oct. 15th, Newmarket will be long distance for outgoing calls. Aurora is not long distance, but Newmarket would be.
I’ve had my cell number for more than 10 years and Newmarket has never been long distance on the wireless network (another story is why Newmarket is still long distance to Toronto for Bell Canada land lines).
Based on the new Local calling area maps for Toronto, other areas affected will be Pickering, Ajax and Whitby. When placing calls to a Toronto exchange from all these areas, they will now be considered long distance calls. This is just a pure cash grab from Rogers.
I’ve spent the last 2 hours on the phone with Rogers and I was not able to get a satisfactory answer as to why this is suddenly changing.
Most of the call centre representatives had no clue that this was happening. And the ones that did were trying to sell me a long distance package for my phone.
I think this would make a great story as why we need more compitition in the wireless markets here in Ontario.
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From Ashleigh Blackmore, Rogers Wireless spokeswoman:
Happy to provide you with an explanation of Rogers’ Local Calling Area (LCA) changes for Rogers Wireless and Fido.
Rogers is constantly looking at our business to ensure we’re aligned with customer needs and trends, as well as staying on top of the industry practices. We also need to ensure better clarity for our customers.
An area of confusion is caused by LCAs that are inconsistent with incoming and outgoing calls.
Alignment is currently under way in various cities across Canada. We anticipate more clarity and better defined LCAs for customers through this process.
As per our contract terms and conditions with customers, all customers are being notified (bill inserts/letters) advising them of the change 30 days before it takes effect.
Further details can be found at http://www.rogers.com/callingareas or http://www.fido.ca/callingareas
Best,
Ashleigh
PK
Sep 3 2009
About 6 months ago, I installed a home phone through Rogers. When I signed on, there was an offer advertising a $50 gas card with a new installation.
Six months later and after about 5 calls (where I’ve called for other reasons, incorrect billing, etc. and then asked about the card), they have “checked with that department” to see where my card was, and it was supposed to be mailed out with my next bill.
Not surprisingly, I have received numerous bills since then, but sure enough - no gas card.
Second and more disconcertingly, last week my husband purchased a Blackberry with Rogers.
As a new immigrant, he was informed that he would have to put down an additional $50 deposit (this is on top of the $150 for the phone, a $50 monthly plan, a $35 installation fee, and all the “other” fees like the monthly service charge, 911 charge, etc., etc., etc.).
When we asked why there was a deposit, we were told that it was simply due to being a new immigrant. I find that to be highly discriminatory.
Why should a new immigrant (permanent resident) be forced to shell out more than any other customer?
As if marginalized communities including new immigrants don’t face enough systemic barriers in their day-to-day lives…now even purchasing a cell phone has to be oppressive and discriminatory?
After about 15 minutes, we finally got around this issue by adding my husband’s phone to my already existing Rogers account. However, I feel that had I, a Canadian-born, articulate, professional woman, not been present to advocate for my husband (who, like many new immigrants, does not have a strong command over the English language nor the skills/comfort-level to engage in self-advocating), I don’t think we’d have been able to avoid the deposit.
While the $50 gas card and $50 deposit aren’t extremely big deals to me in and of themselves, the fact of the matter is that fair is fair.
If I sign up for a phone service which promises a $50 gas card, with my travel expenses and current gas prices, $50 in free gas is pretty darn nice. If it’s offered at a time when the competition offers nothing of the sort, it might just sway my vote.
The $50 deposit is concerning mostly as an equity issue. Knowing that Rogers offers me one rate while my partner pays an additional $50 due to being a new immigrant, I think I’m ready to “make the switch”.
At a time when Rogers and Bell are duking it out, this seems like a good opportunity to hold them accountable and put on the pressure to see some improvements in service.
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Nancy Cottenden, Rogers spokeswoman:
We have connected with Ms K and this one has been resolved.
CK
Sep 3 2009
I’m 17 and really, really upset with FIDO Solutions Inc. (A.K.A. ROGERS Communications).
I have an iPhone 3GS with a monthly plan consisting of the following:
– $25/month for 100 anytime minutes with unlimited text and unlimited talk after 7pm
– $30/month for 6GB of Data (Promotional Price)
– $7/month for caller ID
For a total of $62/month before tax.
When I first got the phone in June 2009, I had a 289 area code. I was told when I bought the phone that it’s the same as a 905 number.
I have two houses, the first is in North Pickering (Claremont, ON) and the second is 15 minutes north of that in Uxbridge ON, which is also a local calling area with 905 numbers.
It is important to note that on my last Blackberry with Bell, there were no long distance charges with my old 905 cell number.
On my first bill, FIDO charged me over $35 in long distance (LD) charges.
I phoned them and they said I should switch to a Toronto number, in this case a 647 number (same as a 416), and then they waived the fees for that month’s LD charges. The next month was great!
Everything worked like it should have from day one. Then I get this notice on my bill that FIDO and Rogers are shrinking their Local Calling Areas for most major cities in Canada.
The map for Toronto came out a few days ago. After Oct. 15, I am no longer within the Local Calling Area (LCA) for Toronto.
So I call again to ask about it. They said they can change my number again to a 289 (or 905 equivalent). I said I had a problem with that area code before!
They said the following: For me to receive a call from Pickering while in Uxbridge would be LD, but for me to call Pickering from Uxbridge would not be LD.
At this point, I’m confused. On my old provider Bell, there was no LD charge at all, nor is there a charge with my parents’ 416 Telus phones…
Then she tried to sell me a $20/month unlimited LD add-on. Which I would have taken if they waived the fees for at least 18 months…
Nope. So am I stuck in a position where they can change my service in a way that they do not change my contract, but put me in a position that forces me to increase the cost of my plan, so I avoid higher LD fees?
I need your help. I’m only 17 and I can feel a heart attack looming…
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Hi Ellen,
Just to follow up, FIDO tried very hard to get in contact with me! It was telephone tag for a few days. They did, however, understand my concern. They were very helpful and added services to my account to solve the problem, of course at no cost.
I have decided to keep the exact details private. This is in no way by request of FIDO. I chose to do this myself. They have solved my problem without having to modify my number!
I tried to get a little something extra from them, you know for my troubles (50% off a value pack) only a $2 savings for me, but no bite.
So due to that, I’m only 70% satisfied. Please let it be noted I do NOT recommend FIDO or its parent Rogers. But at the same time, my contact was very professional, and tried hard to help.
Thank you so much for your help! If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me. I cannot thank you enough.
LD
Sep 4 2009
I got a shock 2 days ago. I discovered that the deal I had with Virgin Mobile had been changed and I did not know it.
When I complained, they told me that everyone got a text message — what’s that?
I was paying $25 every 90 days on an automatic top-up. Last September (probably when Bell bought out Virgin), they changed it to 60 days — a 50% increase.
I noticed it when I discovered my balance was soaring. Balances on both my wife’s and my phones are well north of $100.
The problem is I don’t come close to using even $25 every 90 days. Probably closer to $10 or $15.
All of this is times two because my wife has the same deal, and she uses it much less than I.
I always thought of it as $8.50 per month each. But this treatment angers me.
It also sounds like the very friendly Virgin customer service is gone and now there is the classic Bell “who gives a damn for customers?” in place.
I joined Virgin because of the deplorable treatment I got from Bell. Now here I am back at the same dreadful place. These guys really know how to alienate a customer. This ought to be a teaching case for Harvard Business School.
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Thanks for your help, Ellen. I just got an email from Virgin. I told them they had nearly lost me and why.
They really want to keep me and they extended my current balance for ONE YEAR. So our north of $100 balances will probably last that long.
Wow!
Lynn
Sep 6 2009
Bell overcharges me an amount every month for the past 2 years. Every month I call to have this reversed.
I get one weekday off a month and on this day I telephone Bell. I have to do this because it can take up to 2 hours to get the charge reversed.
I have to completely explain the problem and why I am being overcharged. I then have to listen to why they can’t do it. I have to argue to speak to a manager. I have to wait about 20 minutes to speak to the manager.
Half the time, I get “accidentally” cut off. I have to call back, wait in the cue, and go through it all again. Once I speak to the manager I have to explain everything once again. I have to argue with the manager about the charge.
Almost cry to get them to look at previous charges to see it has been reversed for the past 2 years. They say they have (mostly not).
But then they say they set something up to credit my account automatically every month. It never does.
I have sent emails to different “executives” and nothing ever happens. Sigh.
Deva
Sep 7 2009
My experience with Rogers is a nightmare.
I have a wireless plan with Rogers. Sometime last year, I added the “Canadian LD Anytime Option” that would give me 1,000 LD minutes within Canada.
Although the plan shows up in my statements, they never applied it against my LD usage.
I have talked to Rogers many times during last few months about it. Every time, they would admit the mistake and promise me they would fix it, but they wouldn’t bother to fix it. I talked to at least 3 CSRs about it.
I always thought that this kind of legalized fraud would only happen in third world countries and not in Canada. If Rogers really cares about its customers, I demand all those CSRs who looked into this matter for me to apologize to me for not fixing the issue. Until they do that, I’d assume that they are just after our money and they never really care about the customers.
I wonder if Rogers expects responsibility and ownership from its CSRs. They should really fire the HR director who hired those stupid HR managers.
If my calculation is right, Rogers owes me at least $1,000. Isn’t that a shame?
PS
Sep 11 2009
Perhaps you’ve heard that Rogers, in addition to providing multicultural channels to its customers in more than 20 different languages, has also become adept at determining their customers’ specific country of origin.
Today our household received a letter announcing the new “Russian Value Package”. Not only was the letter in English, it was also “conveniently” translated for us into Russian as well (on the flip side).
Roger says it is making “it easier to connect back home with news, entertainment” etc., and again at the end of the letter urges us to “stay connected to back home”.
While our surname does have ancestral ties to a European country, that country is not Russia. The only “back home” I know is Canada.
My parents’ “back home” is also, surprisingly, Canada.
Has Rogers sent you your letter yet with the “package” that pertains to your country of origin?
The letter is signed by Phil Hartling, Vice President, Consumer Services. I wonder what “package” letter the Hartling household will receive?
I wholeheartedly support all multicultural channels, but it must have been some “gem” at Rogers who came up with this idea. I guess it would just make too much sense to advise all customers about services that are available to all customers, rather than compartmentalizing customers by their perceived ethnicity.
Way to go Rogers!
DA
Sep 17 2009
I moved all my business to Rogers about two years ago, but called Bell to see if it had a better bundle offer than my Rogers plan.
I called 1-866-778-5525 at 7:20 pm on Sept. 16, 2009 and I was waiting in priority sequence to speak with a representative. But after 60 minutes and still holding, something tells me Bell does not have all their stuff together!
Bell certainly needs to bought out or blown up in order to make a significant change.
I work down the road from Bell’s new corporate offices in Missisauga (Eglinton and Creekbank). Good to see Bell can afford new office space, but it might be worthwhile to invest in customer service representatives.
Even if I do find out that Bell can offer a better priced “bundle” than Rogers, the long wait times may not be worth the savings!
P.S. I currently spend over $250 per month with Rogers, for high speed internet, home phone, cable tv (HD) and movie channel pack, and Blackberry phone and data plan, so it is a shame I cannot even speak to anyone at Bell about my business!
Lior
Sep 28 2009
As someone who had to deal with Bell’s erroneous billing system on several occasions, I too have been caught in the “wait a few months for your credit to apply” game.
I mean, if I don’t pay my bill in full and on time, Bell charges a late payment fee of 2% per month. And yet, when they actually owe me credit, they’ve asked me at times to wait 3 billing cycles!
There’s no free lunch here: if Bell owes money to a customer, unless they refund or credit the amount on the same billing cycle, it’s only fair that they too pay a late payment fee to the customer - at the same rate they charge the customer for late payments!
It’s only fair and maybe that’ll get things moving faster beyond the Punjabi call centre. Of course, some exceptions can be made, such as when a balance is in dispute and under investigation. But in all my dealings with them, my credits were straight-forward and delayed because of their billing system. That doesn’t mean I should be lending them money for free.
JC
Oct 5 2009
I started having problems with Bell Canada on Sept. 28, 2009. I would like to add the following contact info for people having problems with Bell Canada:
Solution Centre of Bell
Executive Office
FAX: 1-877-874-0414
This is a toll-free FAX, which gets results in 5 business days. I got action the next business day.
1 800 789-7723: This number gets you to a Canadian call centre, where they do not read scripts. Ask to speak to a senior agent at the escalation desk. If they ask why, tell them you want to terminate your Bell Telephone service.
Make sure to take down the name of the people that you are speaking to. They have to give you their first and last name. Ask for their title (i.e. senior agent, escalation desk). Ask for their employee ID, as they must give this to you also.
While these people still do not get everything straight, there is only about 50 of them, and they do get back to you, usually the same day.
Also, if they give you a deal that sounds too good to be true, then it isn’t. After they give you the deal, but before you say yes, ask to speak with their supervisor to verify the offer. I didn’t and now my Bell services are all screwed up.
HYJ
Oct 14 2009
I must calm down as my blood pressure is just about to blow…. Here’s another tale about how Rogers continuously misleads its customers. I would use stronger language but won’t as this is in print. We are desperate for more competition in Canada!
I recently acquired the Rogers Rocket to access the internet on a laptop at our cottage. The salesman convinced me to contact Rogers to consolidate my accounts as I would get a 10% discount, since I have more than 3 services with them (cable TV, my husband’s cell, internet at home, my Blackberry and now the Rocket).
Never was I told there were conditions, restrictions, etc.
As with most consumers, I am interested in lowering our household communications expenses, which are taking on a life of their own. I therefore called Rogers today to initiate the consolidation.
I spoke with a fellow named Brian for probably 30 minutes, as he was having all sorts of difficulty implementing the consolidation. I made it clear to him several times that the only reason for my call was to obtain the 10% discount.
As one of the accounts is in my husband’s name, I eventually had to reach him on another line and have him give his date of birth and authorize Brian to do the consolidation.
At one point, there was some question as to whether the cable service counted for the discount, as we have Basic Cable. Brian checked and advised it was OK as we have another package with it.
Finally, after being placed on hold so many times with him while he checked various matters, Brian said he would have to transfer me to another department to implement the consolidation. He could not do so.
I was told that I should give the new department the number of my Blackberry account, as he had written all his notes about what he had done and what still needed to be done on that account.
The transfer was made to a new guy. He checked the file and then advised he would have to transfer me to another department for the consolidation.
Now I was speaking with a woman whose name I did not ask. She informed me that I had to have an “oral agreement” (strange for Rogers, as they usually get you to sign in blood) to keep these services for 2 years!
I was very incensed. I would not have initiated this had I been told up front about this condition.
In the past, I’ve tried to get out of my Blackberry account with them when I found out that I was paying more than anyone I know for a very limited data plan. I was told I had to pay a penalty of $20/month for early termination of my 3 year plan (which ends January 2010 - Amen!). I then resolved I would never again commit to long terms with Rogers.
I advised the woman that I had spent all this time on the phone today and that neither gentleman had mentioned this restriction/condition - that it should have been mentioned at the beginning of the conversations, as this is a very restrictive and disgusting condition.
She agreed that the 2 year contract should have been mentioned to me. I replied that as it had not, the internal training of Rogers staff is grossly deficient!
There is certainly no way I want my 5 current services with Rogers to be tied to 2 year contracts with them.
Now I understand their little bundling discount ruse. It’s obviously intended to tie you to them for a new two year period! I hate to think how close I came to having this happen….
Anyway, I hope you warn your readers about this little scheme. I’m off to call my husband to inform him how close I came to being ensnared again by Rogers - and how much time we wasted!
KL
Oct 15 2009
Here’s a letter I recently wrote to Primus about switching to its home phone service:
My basic home phone plan was with Bell Canada. But when Primus offered a cheaper basic home plan and no extra charge for touch-tone, I agreed to subscribe.
I was told that I must stay with Primus for one year and that I could no longer have the long distance plan that I previously had. I agreed.
I was not asked what kind of phones I had, nor was I told that I could not use rotary or older model cordless phones. Therefore, when my service switched over, I could no longer use my telephone.
After a full day of problems, I finally figured out that if I pressed the star button first, then I could dial out on my cordless phones.
I could not use my rotary phone. This was a problem for me as I cannot afford at this time to buy new phones.
Again, I impress upon you that I was not told when I signed up that I would have to purchase three new phones.
I have spent many, many minutes trying to solve this problem. The first gentleman that I spoke with obviously did not know that your system does not work with rotary and older models of cordless phones.
I finally got hold of a manager who told me it was my problem, not his, that it was the 21st Century and that I should upgrade my phones. I could not withdraw from the program without a penalty fee. I think this is outrageous!
I certainly understand that this situation does not often occur. I am old-fashioned and I like it that way. The manager, Dennis, told me he had only come across two situations like it.
Well, in my mind, if only two customers in eight years had a problem with it, well, firstly, it’s not going to mean a huge loss for Primus if you forgive the penalty fees.
And secondly, he should have been alerted to the fact that a few of us out here still have the old-fashioned phones and are not wanting to trash perfectly good phones for the sake of the more modern technology.
Thank goodness there are a few of us because, as you know, piled-up obsolete technological devices are causing a huge problem for the environment.
Anyway, I digress. I am a very basic customer. I only signed up for the very basic phone service with no extras. I spend very little on long-distance calls. You really do not need me as a customer.
I am sorry it didn’t work out as I have been totally satisfied till now. I’m sure that your company will understand the problem and release me from this arrangement without cost so I can continue to use my telephones easily!
Thank you kindly for your attention to this matter.
Rob Warden, Primus spokesman
Oct 16 2009
We are adding to our web pages/materials the information that relevant services are only available with touch-tone phones to help in these rare instances.
KL’s service hasn’t left us yet and we will not hold her to a cancellation fee, given the issue.
I’m hoping we can convince her to stay by offering her a free new cordless phone if she’s willing.
————————————————————
We spoke to KL yesterday and today and she has accepted the offer of a free cordless phone, so we are couriering to her for Monday.
MG
Oct 17 2009
I have an issue with a Bell Home Phone Installation. The apartment that we moved into has 3 phone jacks and only one works.
We asked the tech why he didn’t check the other three phone jacks and he said it wasn’t on his work order.
The previous tenants had Rogers and from what management can tell me, all the jacks worked. I figure Bell didn’t set up the move work order correctly!!!
Ellen, if you could help out, it would be awesome…thanks.
DM
Nov 13 2009
I recently upgraded to the new Blackberry Tour edition because we were going to be travelling abroad and the global roaming feature was attractive.
They should have called it the Blackberry RIDE because when you use it outside the country, they take you for a ride!
When we returned, I was faced with a bill for $498 for roaming charges with no details. Here is what I found out.
You can get a detailed breakdown of roaming changes if you call Bell Mobility customer service, but good luck trying to read it.
The key lines are the date, time (GMT, not local time), data volume and rate. There is also a column for min/sec which has no billing usage, nor does the time shown have any relation to reality.
The rate you are billed is $51.20 per megabyte for international roaming. This compares to $8 per megabyte for US roaming and about $0.50 per megabyte for usage in Canada. (My plan charges $25 per month for data usage and includes 500 megabytes. I would never use this much – last month I used 19 megabytes so the cost was $1.30 per megabyte).
There is no apparent rationale for such rates, other than that is what the international phone companies have agreed to charge (price fixing?).
The amount of data used and billed is apparently much higher than the email size. For example, I am able to confirm at least one line item which charged me $15.50 (303 KB) for an email which, according to my computer, is only 8 kilobytes in size. Bell Mobility is unable to explain the difference.
You are charged for attachments even if not opened. A friend was kind enough to forward an email with about 1MB of pictures attached – you know, one of those that circulate the net all of the time - $69!
When you use that handy camera in your phone to take and email a picture home - $50. You would think the Blackberry would have compressed the picture before sending, but that would have resulted in lower charges.
Blackberry constantly checks to see if you have emails. Each time your device checks, you are charged 50 cents. So my Blackberry charged me 120 times over the 10 days – it is a good thing the device only worked sporadically!
I am writing to you to raise awareness of this issue. Your readers may be attracted by the convenience of international roaming, but watch out when you return home.
DM again
Nov 13 2009
Here’s a letter I wrote to the president of Bell Mobility. I have yet to receive a response.
Wade Oosterman
President, Bell Mobility
Bell Canada
Building A
1 Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell
Verdun, Quebec
H3E 3B3
Dear Mr. Oosterman,
I regret having to write to you directly on this matter; however, your call centre is not empowered to address the issue (or chose not to). The issue is roaming charges.
My wife and I recently returned from a 10 day Baltic Cruise to find that we have been charged $564 (so far) in data roaming charges for Blackberry data usage during the cruise.
This was not the first time that we utilized your international roaming service, so we already knew that it was enormously expensive, so we took actions to minimize the costs:
· We switched our personal email to Bell.net to eliminate ad mail and spam
· We used the telephone feature only once to check voice mail
· We limited use to priority communications.
We expected charges of about $200 at most, so you can imagine our shock when we got the bill.
Our first challenge was to understand the bill. The monthly statement only had a single line summary for roaming charges. This is grossly inadequate, considering this is the largest single item on any of our bills.
Your call centre kindly printed the detailed report and sent it to us in the mail. I now understand why you do not provide detailed usage data – the report is virtually irreconcilable.
Consider:
· The date and time stamps do not correspond to those recorded by the Blackberry.
· The min/sec column shows huge amounts of time that could not have been possible (key reason why your charges lack credibility). However, we understand that this has no role in billing.
· The data/volume column appears to charge much more than the size of the email would suggest.
· There is no coding for type of data usage – push email, pull email, internet etc.
In the absence of a direct reconciliation, we listed all of the emails sent and received and their size to calculate what email usage costs should have been. Our total was $212.94, if you do not include attachments, or $322.87 if you do include attachments.
I mention the attachment issue because I remember being told that we would not be charged for email attachments received if they were not opened. It appears that your billing system charges for attachments whether they are opened or not.
Your customer service centre tried their best, but they were unable to reconcile our usage either. They had a lot of “maybes” to suggest.
It could have been the Blackberry searching for emails every 5 minutes (I am charged for this!), or we may have left a website open and it kept refreshing the data.
What they were unable to accept was that your billing system was overcharging me – which I believe to be the case. Thus, they were unwilling to make an adjustment.
Here is what I expect of Bell Mobility:
· To levy roaming charges that reflect fair value for the service provided. You charge $51.20 per megabyte of data. This compares to $8 for US roaming and as little as $.20 per MB for usage in Canada.
How can you possibly justify rates up to 250 times higher than domestic rates? I believe about $5 per MB to be reasonable.
· To provide detailed usage statements as clear as your long distance charges statements. The date and time should reconcile directly to the Blackberry, as should message size. The statement should detail push emails, received emails and internet usage as distinct components. And while I believe there should be no charge outside of those categories, you should at least detail the amount of charges relating to automated services such as checking for emails.
· To provide your customers with clear communication about roaming costs. Today, we are told roaming is $.05 per KB. Ask a thousand customers and I believe there would be few who would be able to translate this into how much their daily usage would cost.
Consumers should be warned that international usage is extremely expensive – even minimal usage could add up to $50 a day. The device should only be used for essential communications.
Sending pictures via email cost $50 per picture. You should turn off data services except when needed as automated services could cost $20 a day. I can understand why you fail to communicate clearly – it appears so usurious!
· And I expect Bell Mobility to refund my excess charges (about $300).
I believe a fair approach to roaming charges, statements and communications would be a positive differentiator for Bell Mobility, building customer loyalty and a positive brand. It would encourage international roaming, adding value to the device and service.
Right now, I feel I have been very poorly served.
Sincerely,
DM
VB
Nov 24 2009
First thing: People who are thinking of signing up with Comwave…their name should read “Conwave”…think twice.
I recently complained to a PR manager at Roger’s Head Office. Where does it state in the Terms and Conditions that you have the right to break a contract if you’re unhappy with the service? The service some companies provide (we all know what I mean, with all the fine print, contractual obligations), it doesn’t take them long before they actually screw you.
The problem with having an agency like the CRTC sitting where they are, they are paid puppets, more than likely in the back pockets of Rogers and Bell.
The time has to come where we as a buying public stand-up and tell these morons where to go. Niice thought, but will probably never happen…too bad, so sad.
Ave
Dec 15 2009
http://comwave.goodinfocopy.com/comwave.htm
Following is a very typical complaint about Comwave iPhone (now Comwave Home Phone), the VOIP internet phone:
Mary signed a 2 years long contract just for a cheaper price with Comwave for the Comwave iPhone Voice over IP (VOIP) internet phone. For some reason, she was tired of Comwave and decided to switch to another company.
Earlier this year, she phoned up Comwave and knew that her contract would expire in July. So she just waited for the contract to expire and expected that her August invoice of the Comwave VOIP internet phone would show the regular price, since her contract would have already expired in July.
She was totally wrong. The invoice of her Comwave VOIP internet phone kept showing the contract price. It seemed that her internet phone contract with Comwave would never expire.
So she phoned up Comwave again, only to be told that Comwave had automatically renewed her contract for another year, WITHOUT her permission OR any notification email or letter to her, because she did not tell Comwave to terminate her contract in July. Comwave’s reason: that is under the terms and conditions of the contract.
She was also warned that an early cancellation of her one-year unauthorized contract would cost her $200 in total for the 10 unexpired months, i.e. $20 for every unfufilled month of the new unauthorized contract.
After arguing for a long time to no avail, Mary finally gave up:
“OK. But please make a note in my account: do NOT make another unauthorized renewal when this unauthorized contract is expired.”
Comwave’s answer:
“No. You have to call us again next July. It is your responsibility, not ours, according to the terms and conditions.”
“I have a hard time to even remember the anniversary date of my marriage. Could you please send me an email or letter to remind me when it is going to be expired ?”
“No. We cannot do that.”
“OK then, I am notifying you now: just cancel and stop my account when the contract is expired.”
“No. We cannot do that.”
“I would like to file a complaint, please give me your contact email address or mailing address for my letter.”
“No. We do not provide this kind of information.”
For now, Mary has to stick with Comwave. She would not be able to switch to another internet VOIP phone company for at least another 10 months.
Mary now only hopes that she will remember to call Comwave in the next anniversary month of her new unauthorized contract.
Think again before you sign any contract with Comwave for the Voice over IP (VOIP) internet phone.
Jennifer A. Temple
Feb 26 2010
I just switched from Bell Canada because I told them I wanted them to match the deal Rogers was offering me. Instead, for the advantage of not disrupting service, I agreed to stay with Bell FOR A HIGHER MONTHLY CHARGE but an end to long distance gouging.
I would pay through the nose for 4-5 minutes long distance in North America. The change was promised in October and was to be 1,500 LD any time minutes, 2 smart touch services and a bottom line tax included.
It was not on my November bill. Bell said that was because it was a transition problem but would be reflected on my December bill. It was not.
I called again and was given more promises of correction, but December’s bill was even higher. I called and said they had not honoured my contract and I was leaving.
On the way out, they hit me with numerous minor charges but I let it go. They even put my final bill up for collection on Feb. 5 and it had a due date of the 9th. I paid that same hour.
The last straw was on Feb. 25. To my shock, a bill from Bell for a $150 DEACTIVATION FEE. I am going to the CRTC with this one!
Bell has charged our business for 8 years for a modem we never rented from them. They insisted we had, so I asked for the serial #. “Oh, you don’t have a Bell modem!” RIGHT!!! But they would not credit even one month of those rental fees, much less the 8 years they were stealing from us.
I just changed over at our business and now know an other whopper from Bell will hit us there.
IF you are considering switching service, talk to Bell about contract requirements and deactivation fees!!! Then, tell Rogers or whomever, you will let them install only after you personally end your relationship with Bell.
Rogers knows about this. That is why they say, “don’t call Bell, we will arrange the changeover.” RIGHT!! AND IT WILL COST YOU $150.!! BE CAREFUL.
Jennifer A. Temple
Feb 27 2010
P.S. I just want to add, if the CRTC or CCTS does nothing on this issue, I will let it go to a court collections action and fight them there.
They are absolutely wrong to charge me this deactivation fee! I gave them two full months to make good and to make the corrections and honour our “contract” They did not do so and that was the condition on which I agreed to stay after serving notice.
I WILL FIGHT THEM! I will never pay this fee!
Jennifer A. Temple
Feb 27 2010
Protecting Yourself From Service Providers:
Have a note pad and pen before you call! Write everything down, starting with the name and ID number of any and every company rep.
Your city, time, date of communication (all calls are recorded these days).
Is there a contract? How long is the contract?
Are there any contract conditions you have not told me about? Tell me!
Is there an installation fee? How much?
Is there an activation fee? How much?
Are there any fees you have not mentioned?
What kind of tax is applied? How much?
Is your present equipment compatible with the service? (Know beforehand the details of your equipment (modems, phones, OS.)
Do they supply the equipment needed and at what cost? Is it rental or purchase?
What are the penalties and fees associated with early termination?
What happens if you default on payments? (This could be an out if they terminate service.)
What kind of usage is included in the contract (text, gigs, minutes, etc.)?
What, if any, are extra usage costs?
Is the contract automatically renewed?
EXACTLY when and how do I notify you if I do not want to renew?
GET IT ALL IN WRITING BEFORE INSTALLATION!!
(Bell Canada’s basic terms and conditions are in the Bell phone book, but you must still ask about costs and specifics on a contract by contract basis.)
Kirk
Mar 3 2010
I just spent 50 minutes today (plus two episodes of 15 to 30 minutes yesterday) trying without success to get information from Bell. I may blow a fuse before this is concluded.
Option 1: Bell does not have a telephone number other than 1-877-877-2426, plus whatever international prefixes need to be dialled. You may be connected or you may not. If you are connected, you will be charged long distance fees.
Option 2: Bell has to call me to arrange a time so I can coordinate a teleconference call with Bell technical support and maybe they can resolve my issues.
I asked them to provide detailed questions they will ask, so I could do research and be prepared with the answers. Other than “Are you using a turbo stick?” they cannot provide me with additional questions.
Every time I call, I make specific requests that Bell records my conversation, but it never changes their action or the result.
I need to complete an online survey to send Bell a copy of this email, so this is all I can do for now.
I am copying the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, a Canadian communications ombudsman and Ellen Roseman of the Toronto Star and CBC fame, not only because of this issue.
It’s also because every time our office communicates with Bell, every time I communicate with Bell personally, and every time anybody I know tells me about trying to communicate with Bell, we all express the same sentiments –rage, frustration and exhaustion.
I have never met anyone who has expressed satisfaction.
Dealing with this organization is beyond frustrating and akin to self-inflicted torture. Why bother? Nothing ever changes. The service will not improve and the misrepresentation will persist.
Bell’s customer service is polite, but their ability to resolve problems or suggest a solution is virtually nonexistent.
The technical support is marginal at best and the public relations department exists in name only.
Not everything about Bell is poor. Their TV advertisements are ok, but with the number of poor results we all experience, I don’t think anyone believes them anyway. Their lawyers and ad agencies must make big bucks.