After posting last week that Telstra seemed to have changed its ways, that must have been an aberration.
Received a call from a friend whose husband has just died, re can I help her sort out her phone plan with Telstra.
My friend had just paid the phone bill and informed Telsta that her husband had died and can the account and plan be transferred. No says Telstra that plan no longer exists for new customers, but you can go on this new more expensive plan with less features, she said no, want the old plan, no says Telstra absolutely not possible. Thats when I became involved, rang Telstra and was told there is a plan for pensioners, almost the same as old plan,good says I sign her up, but no this is a plan only for new customers that come from other providers, you are not a new customer even though the phone account was in your husbands name.
All this went on for over a couple of days,during which time her service was disconnected for not having re signed, then the next door neighbour got involved, told them that this attitude was completely unacceptable and was connected to a section within Telsta that deals with bereavements,this section immediately fixed things up, the old phone plan was reinstated, no 24 month contract had to be signed and after a week of hassles all is now well once more.
But why must a long standing customer suffering the loss of her partner be put through this, unfortunately where we live there is no alternative to Telstra so they tried very hard to extract more dollars for less service just because they can, unless you fight hard and most people at this point just give in as it is too emotionally draining after just losing their partner
So the main reason I have posted this is that if you or someone you know experiences the same situation there is a section within Telsta that handles bereavements in sympathetic manner, but for the rest of Telstra its a big thumbs down.
They do it because they think they can, you have to be smart enough to beat them at their game.
I also gave them a read hot serve for when they will offer a very good deal to a new customer BUT never offer it to existing customer, seems you have to find it via the grape vine & then try to get it for your self.
Power companies are the same, had about three here just lately & same applies, dont offer you any better deal until you make a move to go elswhere.
JC.
__________________
Be your self; there's no body better qualified ! "I came into this world with nothing , I still have most of it"
Telstra are only as good as we make them be - keep pestering them - if I get on the phone to them, I tell them I have a hearing problem (which I do), and cannot follow the "sing'song" up and down tone of some of the operators - please bear with me, or put me on to someone who speaks without an accent - usually pretty good.
__________________
jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
I'm glad the problem eventually got solved David, thats an outrageous way to treat a newly bereaved widow of a customer!
I found recently to keep repeatedly phoning them, each time you get a different call-centre worker, eventually you get one who knows how to do their job properly. The technician who came to fix our line was much sooner than expected, helpful and courteous, all fixed very quickly.
Before I left Telstra for 'others', I found the only reliable method to get some timely customer service was to
1. find out the name and contact details of the relevant Telstra Area Manager
2. contact said TAM person (tell all others that try to intercept that this is a private telstra matter for the TAM only),....be firm here BTW
3. specifically discuss your concern and state your expected (reasonable) outcome when you talk to said TAM.
This method never failed (me) and I used it on a few occasions, over quite a time period and at different addresses.
BTW, I still have a rural homebase and am now 'lucky' enough to have Optus wireless coverage here ... so the rest was a shoparound, a great Optus reseller package found (talk/text/data) and an immediate Telstra landline termination. (Happy to provide more info, but not the point of my post here).
__________________
A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving. ~ Lao Tzu
I have a mobile phone with telstra for which we need when on the road , And an Optus for all other times we have found we are now geting coverage in more place with Optus , Our optus coverage is through TPG Sim only account no contract $17.95 per month for $550 worth of calls and unlimited calls at no cost anytime of the day to other TPG phones you can check it out on TPG website
