I don’t usually use this blog to vent, but the 39 minute conversation I just had with Telstra about my internet bill belies belief. It went something like this:
Me: “I have a reconnection fee of $40 on my bill and I don’t know why.”
Telstra: “It’s because your account has been suspended.”
Me: “No, it hasn’t. I’m online looking at my bill at the moment.”
Telstra: “Yes it has. It was suspended on the 4th August.”
Me: “It really hasn’t been suspended. I have had consistent access. I am online everyday and have never had a problem with the internet.”
Telstra: “You’re account has been suspended and the $40 is for it to be reconnected.”
Me: “Okay, if my account has been suspended, how am I online right now as we speak?”
Telstra: “You’re not.”
At this point in the conversation I started laughing. How could I not? I was sitting at my computer, surfing between facebook and twitter. I had already checked my emails and various websites I own. I’d even paid my Telstra bill using internet banking (without paying the reconnection fee), which the operator had acknowledged.
I spent another fifteen or so minutes trying to convince her that my account had not had any service disruptions at all, and if it had done I would’ve noticed in seconds and been on the phone. She did not believe me. She said all that she could do was put me through to the credit department to address the reconnection fee.
After nearly ten minutes on hold someone else came on the line, but rather than communicate the purpose of the call, the operator had merely switched it through to the general line. Aaaaargh! I had to relay the whole story again. And surprise surprise, a similar conversation ensued, though with one minor concession toward the end.
Telstra: “Your account was suspended on the 4th. The fee was a reconnection fee for when it was reconnected on the 12th.”
Me: “So you’re telling me that I was a whole week without internet access.”
Telstra: “Yes.”
Me: “Don’t you think I would’ve noticed that? Given that I work from home and am online everyday? [insert nervous telstra laughter here] I have not had a disruption to my service. It was never disconnected.”
Telstra: “Yes it was.”
Me: “I have skype records of hour long calls made during that week that can prove I had no disruption to the service. Should I email them to you?.”
Telstra: “I have in front of me records that say your service was disconnected on the 4th and then reconnected on the 12th.”
Me (reaching the point of total frustration): “Okay, this sounds like a job for the Telecommunications Ombudsman.”
Telstra: “Okay, well I can waive the $40 reconnection fee for reconnecting the service on the 12th after it was disconnected on the 4th.”
Monty Python eat your heart out!
City Observationist 