Badly out of service
> We can actually commiserate with that disgruntled customer who went to the extent of pelting eggs at a telco for its disservice
Then I found out that I had actually gotten famous with that telco as I was in its blacklist. A lot of people are getting blacklisted these days and so I should be in fine company!
I decided to end the matter once and for all, and went to its outlet on the ground floor of a mall in Jalan Genting Kelang near the Wardieburn army camp.
I paid up all the RM236.79 although I was advised just three days earlier via a phone call that my bill was only RM178.49. I was told that the new billing cycle had set in. I had to pay for something I hadn’t actually used.
Not wanting to prolong my misery, I paid up.
But three hours later, I got a call from someone from the same telco asking if I had settled the arrears and whether it was to reactivate my account!
That caused me to blow my top. I asked the person why she needed to ask those silly questions when I had specifically directed that the account be terminated?
With internet connections these days, why can’t telcos be seamless and up-to-date?
To safeguard my interests, I decided to call up the telco’s helpline to ensure that I’ve nothing owed.
To my horror, I was told by someone at the helpline that I still have three days in the new billing cycle and I’d still have to pay some money when the next bill comes.
No wonder there’s so much de-forestation with paper bills.
I’m perplexed as to why the telco outlet that effected the account termination could not get everything settled at one go?
That would have saved the billing merry-go-round, wouldn’t it?
I decided to talk to people willing to lend me their ears on the matter. I found out that my plight isn’t confined to me alone. Many are entrapped by such underhand tactics and low service standards.
I’m currently scouting for yellow paint and a heavy-duty drone should that telco strike a raw nerve in me again.
Jeff Yong, after making his mark in the twisty maze of mainstream journalism, has finally decided to enjoy what he does best – observing the unusual and recounting the gleeful. He can be contacted at lifestyle.borak@gmail.com.