Telecom - Bad Business

If you are thinking of going with Telecom for anything. My advice to you is ... Don't! I've had nothing but trouble for the last 7 months.

It started when I moved to the South Island 7 months ago. Moved into my brand new home. At the time I had only had a cellphone with them on a $30 a month plan for the last 6 months, as I had been housesitting since my home and telephone account had been closed when my house was sold.

When I moved into my new house, I contacted them about telephone and broadband. I took out a 20gb plan which enabled me free toll calls. I also cancelled my cellphone plan, and asked to go back to $10 for 500 free texts charged to my phone bill each month. So this should be approximately $140 to $150 each month.

My first phone bill I got was closer to $200. I looked only to find that they were charging me for toll calls around the country. A phone call and they credited me with the toll calls and told me they had adjusted my phone bill.

Never believe anything they say.

The following month the phone bill I got was again $200. Yes - they had put the credit through, but had forgotten to adjust the bill to the correct plan AGAIN. Another phone call, and another credit. They actually fixed that part.

Still my bill came up expensive. More phone calls but nothing was resolved. Finally I sat down with it and realised that I was still paying $30 for my cellphone plan, and they were charging me for all my texts when they should have been part of the $10.

Another phone call - they agreed to credit me $160, and adjusted my payment for that month to $18. My $18 payment duly went through. I got my next phone bill to find my $18 payment had gone through, but the $160 credit hadn't. Adding on yet another $191 bill meant my new amount to pay was $351.00.

Yes - you guessed it, not only thad they NOT put the $160 credit through, but they had ALSO NOT adjusted the cellphone plan back to $10, and I was still paying for all the texts.

I rang themn AGAIN. They ASSURED me that the $160 was going to go through, that they will change the bill, and I would be credited another $30, and I would pay on $170 when the money goes out of my account.

WRONG. The full $351.84 went out of my account which made me go overdrawn this time, which incurred a further $6 of bank charges.

WTF? I gather that this bill probably hasn't been adjusted either. I've sent an onine complaint and I have no idea when it will be seen to. I am absolutely sick of the inconvenience and the run around. I'm seriously thinking of changing providers.

So - DON'T USE TELECOM - they're are nothing but inconvenience and trouble, and are continually overcharging me. They need to get it right, and get it right the first time.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received as to how I can make them stand up and fix my problems!! It's bad enough having to ring them, but when your hearing isn't that good anyway - it's even worse.