Telstra Warning

[jjjnettie]

A warning to you all.
Double check your bill!!!
I received mine today, and it was twice the usual amount.
When I rang to query, they told me that they want me to be one month in advance with my payments.
After slamming the phone in their ear, they called back and told me "Don't pay the bill" and to cancel my direct debit payment to them.
How many people will be just paying their bill without checking it first?
How much money will they be accumulating and how much interest will they be making on it?
Don't let the ****ers get away with it!

[AdrianF]

I know someone who is on a $30 plan with Telstra and each month she gets a bill for $30.01, and she pays. If Telstra does this to even 1/2 of their customers....

Adrian

[Phil]

I'm on oputs $99 cap and got a bill today for $380 didn't i flip out with i opened that bill.
I did ring then and they took $150 off for me.
Phil

[GeoffW1]

Hi,

Isn't that a classic in false advertising, calling these phone plans a "cap"? I'd love to see the ACCC stamp on it.

The only thing capped is what they undertake to give you in "free" credits.

Cheers

[jenchris]

So they still took twice what they're supposed to????

[Steffen]

Double sized bills should only happen when you take out a new contract. The contracted fee is always paid for the month ahead and any charges racked up during the past month go on top of that.

If you get a new contract your first bill will include the contract fee for the month ahead plus the overhang from the previous month, which is the contract fee for month 1. When you leave the contract they repay any overpaid amount.

Throw partial months into the mix and things can get confusing. Telstra bills can be a puzzle, but as often as I called them to complain it always turned out that the bill was correct and that I didn't understand it.

Cheers
Steffen.

[jjjnettie]

No Jen. I don't pay a cent until I actually owe them money.

[that_guy]

thats what i love about you jjj... you stand your ground and fight!!! Good luck jjj hope you show them whos boss..

[Hans Tucker]

Forget the ACCC...Why not lodge a complaint with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

http://www.tio.com.au/

[mswhin63]

You need to realise in very few circumstance they are wrong but their advertising is very well written and they manage to cover themselves very well.

[ballaratdragons]

Here's one we just noticed on our new phone bill!

We are being charged $6 per month to have the 'calling number display' on our phone.

I don't even read it. I just answer it.

[multiweb]

Yeah they do charge $6.00 for number display and also $6.00 for message bank on your landline. I had a long talk this arvo with one of the young blokes at the Telstra Business Team support enquiring about my nth miss-billing adventure ... :rolleyes: and after 10min he was the one bi|chin' about Telstra saying" Tell me about it! I send my mobile phone for repair and it took them (Telstra <his employer>) 3 months to send me a new one!!!..." :lol:

[hotspur]

Telstra use to have a $2 fee,for sending the bill in the mail,basically-they wanted every to get bills on line,but I think there was such a outcry they stopped it,and were supposed to refund that $2 they charged everyone,but I bet they did'nt-you tell'em jjj let them know you have had enough!

[rmcconachy]

There are plenty of liars and cheats working in the telecommunications industry but there are also some decent people there. The industry also utilizes many unfair practices, e.g., the use of the word "cap" to mean the minimum you will pay rather than the maximum as most people would expect, hiring outside contractors to lie and sign people up to plans that don't exist ("But no telco company employee lied directly...", no just the outsiders the company paid), adding unwarranted CID or handset rental charges to bills, etc.

However, slamming the phone down in somebody's ear is not the way to get things resolved unless it is yet another telemarketer in which case I say "Slam away!". Read any contract before you sign - all of it. Get all explanations and offers/promises in writing. Verbal agreements are usually impossible to prove in this situation and hence worthless regardless of the finer points of the law. Check your bills closely! At my last employer, I never received a correct bill. There were always mistakes, usually including ones that I'd pointed out before and had been promised would be fixed and refunded several bills back (generally there will be two billing periods before corrections show up on bills). Ring customer service (or your rep if you have one) and explain the problems and send a follow-up email or fax (and save it). Make notes of the results of your calls (who promised what and when) and ask for a follow-up email/fax containing the details as a reference (only realistic for businesses with reps). If you don't get satisfaction (i.e., an explanation of why you are wrong or the problem fixed) then ask to talk to the telco employee's boss. Don't rant, just move up the chain. If they don't resolve things then ask to speak to their boss, etc. Do not immediately run to the TIO because they will not be at all interested until you've gone at least a few rounds with your telco first. Be organized, have proof (paper trail) and be persistent and you will eventually get most or all of the errors fixed and refunded. I don't claim that it is fun or that you ought to have to do it (you shouldn't have to!) but realistically you have two choices - work to get things fixed or whinge and let them take advantage of you.

The above is based on plenty of experience in dealing with telco companies (and other suppliers but phone companies were the worst). It cost me plenty of time I could have put to better use but it also saved my employers tens of thousands of dollars. Am I happy that I don't have to deal with that as part of my job now - you bet!

I wish you the best of luck getting things fixed.

[multiweb]

I agree. Their bills are a puzzle. But trust me I've been with them over 13yrs and it works to their advantage. They hide their stuff-ups by saying you don't understand. I'm used to it now and I find myself explaining to them how their billing works until they go "oh, yeah, I see now. you're right". then I get re-credited.

[danielsun]

Don't get me started on Telstra!! They are a bunch of incompetent fools!!

[Jen]

:eyepop: yes im about to have one of those phone calls with them too, they must have to be one of the hardest bills to understand :screwy:

[erick]

Their bills are ridiculously complicated and their website is pathetic. And they are a "communications" company? :screwy:

[GrahamL]

gave up on them years ago , when my newly paid for internet service
wouldn't work , was told that my service had no limit on the minimum
speed I would recieve ,, which was entirely true :).. as It wouldn't load even the most basic website for many hours ,, Was advised to upgrade to therer premium service :)

[Shano592]

Recently, I rang them to complain that they were charging me for rental on a handset that had never been in the house. Further, I also remember distinctly advising the phone jockey of this, when I signed up.

After listening to them tell me that there was nothing that they could do about it, I just said that I would go to the TIO, and magically, there was something that they could do about it! The young lady was nice enough to offer half of the amount that I was due.

I just stuck to my guns, and said that if they thought they were keeping my money, then a call to the TIO would ensure that they were much worse off than when this call started (if the TIO intervenes, they charge the phone company a fee, which was easily more than I was wanting).

30 seconds later, I had assurances of a full credit, and on the next bill, there it was.

[Ric]

My phone bill is just about to arrive.

I think it will be receiving some extra scrutiny this time round.

[rowena]

lol I have 3 for my mobile phone and IINET for naked dsl service.
It basically means you do not need to have a phone line connected in order to get adsl internet. I just use my mobile for all my calls on a cap plan. Cheap as and i don't have to pay telstra $30 a month for "line fees", or be harrassed by call centres! :)

[GrahamL]

I used to enjoy having fun with telcos and telemarketers trying to sell me stuff but never all a level that some are capable of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s898wpcgcJM


Strangely though I've never put our name on a don't call registar or even hidden our phone number they just never call anymore:sadeyes:

To be honest regarding big puddle all the workers on the ground I;ve dealt with and know (who wern't sacked due to restructuring)are pretty switched on and genuinelty helpfull . the companys big problem .. imo .. is its corperate structure is to based on an upside down pyramid.. the few people at the bottom are the burdoned by
the many layers of middle management above who are never going to admit this companies biggest problem is THEM.

:)

[solissydney]

On three occasions after having renewed my contract, say for the amount of $30.00, they have charged another 10.00. Each time I have called them and disputed the amount. The next bill is the correct one. When I later on happen to have a look at the bill the amount is back up another $10.00. I am so weary that I can't be bothered to complain any more.
Ken

[TrevorW]

The Telescommunication industry is Australia is one of the biggest rip offs we comsumers put up with in this country, due to the lack of competition and weak government regulation.

Does anyone remember when your land line cost $12.95 a month to rent the same land line now costs $40, the line itself has'nt has been upgraded and no wonder Telstra share prices have not changed when from when they where first floated who'd deal with them.

[astroron]

I want to get a new mobile phone, But Telstra are the only one that works here, so I will have do with the one I have got as I don't want to deal with Telstra:mad2: