Well that’s about as honest as a Conservative Cabinet Minister.
I enrolled in their top-up program a few months ago and all was well until today when the phone wouldn’t allow me to make an outgoing call. So it’s on the phone and then through 10 layers of auto-attendant hell before finding a menu option that would connect me to a real live person in some third world country speaking passable English.
The conversation went something like this… getting increasingly heated over time.
Me: “Hi, there seems to be a problem with my phone.”
Bell: “Yes sir. I see your funds have expired.”
Me: “But I have the automatic top-up feature.”
Bell: “Yes sir, but the time expired today.”
Me: “Excuse me?”
Bell: “The time expired. Your last top-up was 60 days ago and it expired today.”
Me: “I thought the automatic top-up took care of that for me.”
Bell: “Yes sir. It will when they process the top-ups tonight. If you want I can process it for you now, but you’ve already lost your unused credit.”
Me: “WHAT?”
Bell: “Yes sir. You had $9.85 cents of unused credit that you lost when the time expired.”
Me: “But I have the automatic top-up so that won’t happen!”
Bell: “Yes sir, but when the time expires you lose your credits.”
Me: “APPARENTLY!”
Bell: “Yes sir.”
Me: “So let me get this straight. If I run out of money on the account, the automatic top-up kicks in another $25 and I’m good to go.”
Bell: “Yes sir. As soon as your balance goes below $5.00.”
Me: “But if my 60 days runs out before the funds do, I lose any unused money in the account.”
Bell: “Yes sir.”
Me: “AND, I lose the use of the phone for up to 24 hours between the time you steal my money and the time you top up the account with more of my money.”
Bell: “Yes sir, but it’s not usually 24 hours; it’s more like 6 to 12 hours.”
Me: “ARE YOU SERIOUS?”
Bell: “Oh yes sir. I’m sorry if you misunderstood our top-up program.”
Me: “YOU’RE SORRY?”
Bell: “Yes sir.”
Me: “Okay, here’s what you do. You cancel the top-up scheduled for tonight. I DO NOT WANT another cent going on that account.”
Bell: “Yes sir.”
Me: ”AND you can delete that number. I am cancelling your service.”
Bell: “Yes sir. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
CLICK!
The only way these morons will ever learn is when people take their business elsewhere – and I’m slowly but surely eliminating Bell Canada from my life as soon as other options come available.
