I would like to hear current and past experiences on how easy or how it was more like a nightmare - disconnecting services back in your old home country .
this is just one story with Bell - Please stay on the line....your call is important to us - PML
Mine/ours all started due (our old home phone) to Bell Aliant billing us $40.17 for Dec 1-9th. We had arranged for the home phone to be canceled Nov 24th, knowing we had to pay up to the end of Nov..30 days notice BS. We paid the bill in advance...thinking great this is taken care of....WRONG!
Bell (rest of Canada) and Bell Aliant (New Brunswick division) - all they have 1-888 or 1-800 numbers (plastered on their web page), well they do not work from NZ. Was only by some miracle I was able to find a Bell Mobility 1-514 number that actually worked (they must have forgotten to remove this number off their web page). I know it is an Ontario number...but it is all I had in order to contact the monster company of Bell.
So...I called the 514 number and would tell them the situation and asked to be transferred over to NB (it worked previously). Thinking I was on the phone with Bell Aliant for our old home phone (for New Brunswick). I asked 3 times - is this Aliant in New Brunswick? Somehow the Bell employee failed to pick up on me asking is this Bell Aliant in New Brunswick! They also failed to notice the area code 506 is not an Ontario area code . Long story short - I was talking to Bell in Ontario for 50 minutes (of which 30 min on hold). All while I was providing them with the billing phone number and customer number, the customer care couldn't pull anything up (of course not....I was talking to Bell in Ontario).
I ask to speak with the supervisor...who then realizes I need to talk to Aliant in NB. I say hold on now...before you transfer me. I asked how they planned to compensate me for this glaring mistake (that I was calling from the other side of the world ....knowing they would do absolutely nothing to compensate me). The supervisor (true to form!) said they can't/couldn't/wouldn't compensate me for their mistake of not picking up on I needed to talk to someone in NB. Well there is an hour of my life I will never get back
Transferring you over to NB now....
Thank You for calling Bell, Have a nice day!
I had a few swear words going off in my head...let me tell you! But I won't mention them on the forums..
Ok over to Bell Aliant -
Tell her how upset I as about no international phone number to call and what happened with Bell in Ontario. Overall she could care less (Bell..true to form again..seems it doesn't matter what province your in...you get the same crummy service) and says we can't do anything for Ontario..not our division.
More swear word in my head!
Ok I gave up...lets talk about the bill.
Aliant says...because we didn't give 30 days notice for cancellation we have to pay the bill and we are having another $60 applied to our bill for failing to return our internet modem (wt* $60 more bucks...I think - MORE SWEAR WORDS IN HEAD! But remain calm...more flies with honey they say).
To which I reply..
We called Nov 1st and arranged the phone to be canceled on Nov 24th knowing we had to pay till the end of Nov, which we paid. However the bill from Aliant says Dec 1st to the 9th...oppppps I got you there Aliant...she credits the account
So now we move on to address the $60 Bell Aliant wants to bill us for the internet dsl modem - I tell Aliant ....I have a receipt for the dsl modem return (knowing full well when I dropped it off...it would be automatically billed to us, easier for them to bill you for it and have you the customer chase them down to get your money back). Aliant - ohhhh? What is the reference number...I give the reference number and Aliant reverses the $60 charge
All done...
she says the typical robot -
Thank you for calling Bell Aliant, have a nice day.
I reply....you have a nice day too (but in my head I m thinking - Yeah... piss off Bell and have a nice day!).
Sorry I had to vent...when starting this, I was pretty pissed....now I just find it typical poor service you get with big Canadian companies (seems all that is around is big companies in Canada now). What a sad state really....computer automated phone service to robot like humans. These companies seem to see customers as the enemy and need defenses to protect them from us.
I hope this North American infection doesn't spread to New Zealand...cause it is such a joy to deal with people when you call a company in New Zealand. I know it isn't perfect in New Zealand...but it is not near as bad as in Canada (it is pathetic). We always remark at how happy the people sound on the phone when you call companies in NZ. Having just dealt with Bell employees on the phone ..everyone of them seemed very unhappy....perhaps depressed.
Now that the steam has gone off...I find it comical the service you get from Bell. I prey it is the last time I have to deal with them....but somehow I have that ghastly feeling the Bell still has a hook in somewhere.
Thank You for reading this! And have a NICE DAY!
Look forward to hearing your story....