Good old Telstra.

BilliGoatsGruff (Billi) · #1 12-06-2015, 02:27 PM

So once again, Telstra is up to no good. A month ago my fiancé got a call from one of their telemarketers saying that we could upgrade our package from 100gb of internet and the Tbox to 500gb (

) and Foxtel without any extra charge for being "loyal customers". We got our bill today and what do you know? Our bill has mysteriously doubled! Seemed a bit too good to be true. So now I get the joyful task of finding out what happened.

multiweb (Marc) · #2 12-06-2015, 02:37 PM

I got that dreaded call last month and said no thanks. In the 15 yrs or so that I've been with Telstra I've learnt to leave the plans alone when they're working and not change anything. If you change you always end up paying a little more.

BilliGoatsGruff (Billi) · #3 12-06-2015, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by multiweb

I got that dreaded call last month and said no thanks. In the 15 yrs or so that I've been with Telstra I've learnt to leave the plans alone when they're working and not change anything. If you change you always end up paying a little more.

They're definitely money hungry. I even found stuff they've been charging us for that we didn't know about.

multiweb (Marc) · #4 12-06-2015, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BilliGoatsGruff

They're definitely money hungry. I even found stuff they've been charging us for that we didn't know about.

Yes, a lot of people don't check their bills. I can predict mine to within a couple of dollars as I always fit everything within the allocated quota, but they still try every 6 months or so.

RB (Andrew) · #5 12-06-2015, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by multiweb

I got that dreaded call last month and said no thanks. In the 15 yrs or so that I've been with Telstra I've learnt to leave the plans alone when they're working and not change anything. If you change you always end up paying a little more.

Spot on!

LewisM · #6 12-06-2015, 03:39 PM

Try Westnet.... for SERIOUSLY GOOD service.

3 months ago they sent us an email telling us we got an additional 50GB per month gratis because they had restructured the plans. So, now we have 250GB a month for $79 (old plan, probably no longer available). No gimmick - the bills all check out.

When we moved from or old house to the new temporary flat, they gave free disconnection and reconnection. They also then dropped our plan from the $99 a month we used to pay to the $79 we pay now for the same data allowance (now 50GB added as mentioned above).

AND it is true ADSL 2+ here, so it is rather fast... just a wee bit fast - like 500000 of Renato's lasers combined into one pipe

BilliGoatsGruff (Billi) · #7 12-06-2015, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LewisM

Try Westnet.... for SERIOUSLY GOOD service.

3 months ago they sent us an email telling us we got an additional 50GB per month gratis because they had restructured the plans. So, now we have 250GB a month for $79 (old plan, probably no longer available). No gimmick - the bills all check out.

When we moved from or old house to the new temporary flat, they gave free disconnection and reconnection. They also then dropped our plan from the $99 a month we used to pay to the $79 we pay now for the same data allowance (now 50GB added as mentioned above).

AND it is true ADSL 2+ here, so it is rather fast... just a wee bit fast - like 500000 of Renato's lasers combined into one pipe

We had Westnet before and loved their customer service. The only downer was that our internet kept dropping out, hence the switch to Telstra. We hadn't thought about changing back, I guess we just got used to what we have now.

FlashDrive (Poppy) · #8 12-06-2015, 03:57 PM

I've heard so many stories about Telstra and it's ' grubby ' tactics with people...especially this one...

( 1 ) .. phone numbers that show on your bill that you do not recognize nor even dialed.... but they say you have.....your wrong...their right.

Haven't been near them for over 2 decades....and never will.

Col....

Larryp (Laurie) · #9 12-06-2015, 03:59 PM

I had the phone call to upgrade my internet/phone bundle for less than I was already paying.
I took it up, but Telstra didn't cancel my old internet plan so I was being charged for 2 plans-took me 4 months before somebody finally fixed it and in the meantime I had to pay both plans as they told me I would be charged late fees if I didn't pay-apparently they couldn't override the computer billing system.
When it was sorted out, I was well in credit with them so I wasn't out of pocket-just very annoying that their call centre would tell me every month that they would sort it out and then do nothing.

SkyWatch (Dean) · #10 12-06-2015, 04:30 PM

This all sounds very familiar! I have spent around 24 hours(!!!) on the phone to Telstra over the last few months because of problems they caused. And my internet connection broke down over 20 times in the first month of their new cable connection, as opposed to 3 times in 10 years with my old ADSL2 with Adam...
They don't pass on their information to each other, their technicians are constrained by their nonsensical "protocols", they can't over-ride their computer-billing, and one operator will offer a deal that the next one denies. Plus you have the joy of trying to talk to their deaf robot when you ring them.
Unfortunately they are the only company that has coverage to a number of relatively remote towns that I have to visit...

Gotta love giant corporations!

tlgerdes (Trevor) · #11 12-06-2015, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LewisM

Try Westnet.... for SERIOUSLY GOOD service.

3 months ago they sent us an email telling us we got an additional 50GB per month gratis because they had restructured the plans. So, now we have 250GB a month for $79 (old plan, probably no longer available). No gimmick - the bills all check out.

When we moved from or old house to the new temporary flat, they gave free disconnection and reconnection. They also then dropped our plan from the $99 a month we used to pay to the $79 we pay now for the same data allowance (now 50GB added as mentioned above).

AND it is true ADSL 2+ here, so it is rather fast... just a wee bit fast - like 500000 of Renato's lasers combined into one pipe

I get 300 for $10 less with iiNet their parent. Maybe you should renegotiate

clive milne · #12 12-06-2015, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyWatch

Gotta love giant corporations!

Like pretty much every other organisation that has been privatised, the focus has shifted from providing a public service to .... ummm,,, well, I can't actually think what Telstra stands for now. (other than fellating Satan)

I'm hoping we see how successful that was and sell our education and public health infrastructure to either Monsanto, Nestle or Serco...

what could possibly go wrong?

GrahamL · #13 12-06-2015, 09:49 PM

..you could be given a work phone that sometimes runs optus...or

BilliGoatsGruff (Billi) · #14 13-06-2015, 03:04 AM

They ended up chucking us in the "too hard" basket. Apparently we're supposed to get a call from the case manager next week, but I'm not going to hold my breath for a good outcome. They're all pretty useless when it comes to resolving problems that they created.

multiweb (Marc) · #15 13-06-2015, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BilliGoatsGruff

They ended up chucking us in the "too hard" basket. Apparently we're supposed to get a call from the case manager next week, but I'm not going to hold my breath for a good outcome. They're all pretty useless when it comes to resolving problems that they created.

Courtesy and persistence are the key when dealing with them. Eventually you find somebody who will sort it out for you. Make a log of every phone call with time and Telstra Employee ID. Also ask for a case# so you can pick up where you left. Good luck.

AndrewJ · #16 13-06-2015, 12:07 PM

I have a prepaid USB/WIFI dongle and the currently advertised offer is $50 for 5Gig but more importantly, it lasts 1 year, which is what i wanted, as i only use it sparingly when i go interstate where my folks dont have the net.
Well on activating the recharge, it came up and said i only had 4Gig and it expired in 1 month ??? WT
I just walked into their shop when out shopping and asked what was up.
The rep told me that the current ads dont apply as when i bought the dongle ( at Xmas ), it was on a different plan ?????
I suggested that as it was prepaid, i didnt have a plan, ( and didnt sign up for a plan), but thats not aparrently how it works.
To get the $50/1year, i would need to get a new sim on a new plan, and would forgo the $50 i had just loaded.
I suggested i wasnt going to be real happy with that solution, so the rep rang the backroom people who effectively changed my SIM plan over to the new one and reset the time limits and allowance. All quite painless and efficient in the end. Far easier than the last time i "rang" and tried to get any sense from a call centre.
Maybe if a rep rings the call centre, they get believed??????
Who would have thought BricksnMortar would end up more efficient :-)
Andrew

OzStarGazer · #17 13-06-2015, 12:23 PM

I blocked phone calls from my Internet provider altogether some time ago

(they had my email too anyway), and now they don't even have my phone number! When something is too good to be true, it probably is.

mswhin63 (Malcolm) · #18 13-06-2015, 05:25 PM

I have never received a call from Telstra, I believe these are not Telstra direct but instead other companies that will act on behalf of others. I never accept calls though from any ISP and as a result never had a problem.

On the other hand a contractor had cut some cables down the road and lost the Internet for about 5 days. Telstra couldn't provide service for at least 5 days so they gave me a free 4G with 12G data access and said I can keep the unit. That was impressive. They did make a billing mistake and on the first phone call cleared the billing issue. In all they did well.

So far in my place on a RIM Telstra is the only provider that can give me ADSL2+ speeds and other provider charge way more than Telstra so I am quite happy with them so far on this count.

Just an alternate experience.

Exfso (Peter) · #19 16-06-2015, 01:28 AM

Billi, I had similar issues a couple of years ago with these clowns, did not stuff around, got the Telecommunications Ombudsman onto them, that made them jump. I had their big wigs ringing me within 24 hrs wanting to know what they could do to make up for their stuff-ups, my reply was to cancel the contracts and never call me again. They really are blatant liars, should be keelhauled!!!

BilliGoatsGruff (Billi) · #20 16-06-2015, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exfso

Billi, I had similar issues a couple of years ago with these clowns, did not stuff around, got the Telecommunications Ombudsman onto them, that made them jump. I had their big wigs ringing me within 24 hrs wanting to know what they could do to make up for their stuff-ups, my reply was to cancel the contracts and never call me again. They really are blatant liars, should be keelhauled!!!

The Ombudsman is the consumers best friend

if they don't sort things out for us this week Braydon said that's what he'll do.