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hows this for a con :(
A few months ago, we changed phone carriers.
The problem we had was that the old carrier did everything they could to stop us leaving. They refused to return our calls, they wouldn’t give the ‘codes’ to the new carrier to transfer our phones, and they wouldn’t discuss anything with us. All they kept saying is, what can we do to keep your business.
My dad was very civil and suggested that we wanted to change to another carrier because they were better represented in our part of australia for phone coverage.
End of the day, the new carrier threatened to take them to the telco ombudsman if they kept stalling. Our business was without phones for nearly a week.
That was enough to get them to release the codes.
Anyway, ever since we changed over, we have been getting two line rental charges. One from the old carrier, and one from the new one.
We complained to the new one that we were paying twice, and they couldn’t tell us why. Then, in conversation with their technical dept, they said that some carriers have a second code in the actual hand piece of the phone. They effectively keep control of your phone lines, and rely on people not paying attention to who is being billed, especially medium sized, understaffed companies, that just go on paying without really knowing what is going on.
My dad decided to ring the old carrier and call their bluff. He rang them and said ‘when is the code going to be removed from our hand piece?’ The woman on the other end of the phone answered straight away and said ‘when you pay the removal fee of $400’
My dad just about fell off his chair. No way was he going to pay anything, when we had already asked them to transfer the numbers to the new carrier.
Long story short, its in the very fine print apparently, although I can’t fnd any obvious reference, I’m assured my solicitor can interpret it for me for about the same money.
We rang all telco people we know, and no one had heard of a code in the hand piece before.
Our new carrier eventually got back to us and told us that they had rechecked the paperwork for the transfer, and the old carrier still had a hold over our Free Call Number, and that they refused to supply any more codes until the $400 was paid in advance. The new carrier reckons it would cost them $99 to have a technician come out and rewire the line to get around the code.
My dad got really stroppy and rang the old carrier and told them his next call would be to the telco ombudsman charging them with blackmail and fraud.
They immediately offered to renegotiate the price to $130.00. We decided to accept that price, and had to pay them 3 days in advance by direct debit, then they’d send a technician out to change the code.
The technician turned up yesterday at 3.30pm. As he walked in my door, he rang his office to get them to fax the code to my fax machine. By the time he got inside, the fax was coming through, he picked it from the machine, went to the phone and then dialled in a 4 digit number while it was off the hook. He put the phone back on the hook, and bid me farewell.
It took 75 seconds. I was gobsmacked.
To ask $400 initially was just fraudulent. Even so, if I were charging $130, I’d have taken my time and cleaned the phones or something.
I’ll never use these crooks ever again, they give criminals a bad name.
👿Rant over…. now I’m off to bed 😛
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6 Replies
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Out of curiosity Shane, Can you mention what company this was?
James
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quote James-x:Out of curiosity Shane, Can you mention what company this was?James
Queensland Communication sold us the phone system who are the Qld agents for the carrier Clear Telecoms in Western Australia.
We returned to Telstra because we got a better deal on our land lines, and we changed to 3 on our 7 mobiles as Clear Telecom are vodaphone agents, and their coverage aroung here is pathetic.
News here is that 3 and Vodaphone are about to amalgamate so it will be interesting what happens with the service now.
3’s head office is 20 minutes from here at Toowong though, which beats having to wait for the 3 hour time difference to ring Perth if we have an issue.
We’ve been told from 3 that Clear Telecom have a poor reputation for after sales service and shonky business practises, so I’m guessing my story is pretty common amongst their old clients.
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"News here is that 3 and Vodaphone are about to amalgamate so it will be interesting what happens with the service now"
I did not know this and as we are with 3 also it Will be interesting to see how it pans out in the future..
It is not good when a company screws around with an exceptionally vital part of your business ie your phone lines as it leads to a lot of fustration etc. Good for you and your old man for giving it to them and telling them where to go.. :lol1:
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3 & voda joining up… not heard that yet
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quote Dave Rowland:3 & voda joining up… not heard that yetIt only be an antipodean thing Dave.
The phone companies forge different alliances and partnerships in other regions.
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quote John Childs:quote Dave Rowland:3 & voda joining up… not heard that yet
It only be an antipodean thing Dave.
The phone companies forge different alliances and partnerships in other regions.
That is correct John, if you leave the 3G (from 3) network in most states in Australia, you default to the Telstra (our National Carrier) 2G network.
If you have a Telstra 3G phone, they actually use the 3 Network because they own the technology here in Oz.
However, the Vodaphone and 3 situation is going to be a physical merger.
Read below;
Vodafone and 3 to merge Aussie operations
Suzanne Tindal, ZDNet.com.au09 February 2009 10:36 AM
Tags: vodafone, dews, merger, joint venture, mobile, 3, hutchison, cent
Vodafone and Hutchison Telecommunications, which delivers 3 mobile services, have today announced that they will merge their Australian operations in a 50:50 joint venture.
The new venture, still subject to shareholder vote to be taken by April, will be named VHA Pty Limited. The products of the venture will be marketed under the Vodafone brand and will be chaired by Vodafone’s CEO Asia-Pacific and Middle East region Nick Read. Hutchison Australia CEO Nigel Dews will become the venture’s CEO.
The venture would make a "stronger" mobile operator according to the companies, with around 6 million customers and combined revenues of approximately $4 billion for the 12 months ended 30 June 2008.
The combined network will reach at least 95 per cent of the population, 63 per cent with 3G. Additional roll outs would bring the 3G coverage to 95 per cent.
"Customers can look forward to a wider portfolio of voice and data services, delivered under the Vodafone brand over a high quality network, which through ongoing investment will bring 3G coverage to around 95 per cent of the population," Vodafone’s chief executive Vittorio Colao said in a statement.
The companies hoped to achieve cost savings in excess of $2 billion across procurement, product development, IT, network, commercial operations and administration.
Due to the difference in value between the two businesses, Vodafone would receive $500 million as a deferred payment from the joint venture. It will also be paid a brand licensing fee of 1 per cent of service revenues.
3 also has an agreement in place with Telstra to share a 2,100MHz mobile network. A spokesperson said that from 3’s perspective this agreement would still go ahead.
The Hutchison Telecommunications Australia board has recommended that shareholders vote in favour of the transaction which is expected to close by the middle of this year.
This has not been the first time that Hutchison and Vodafone have looked to enter into an agreement, with the two companies circling each other in 2001.
We not long changed from Vodaphone because the servicem coverage and support were crap. We went to 3 because they had the best deal, and so far the coverage is excellent. That said, the cover is almost nonexistentt in the bush. Telstra have that well and truly covered.
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