I could not entirely blame the telco as I had misread the information there. But then, come to think about it, I think I was pursposefully led on to misinterpret the information.
For the past few weeks, as soon as I logged into the Internet, this advert appeared. It said ...
It was not the prize that attracted me. I'd been thinking of upgrading my plan for a while. And this seemed as good a time as any for me to upgrade. I clicked for the available packages and this was shown on the screen.
Admittedly, it was my fault for not reading the small print as it should be read.
The prices for Explore 10GB and Explore 16GB are promotional prices for the first 12 months.Prices will revert to RM108 and RM158 respectively on the 13th month.
But then, I could also argue that it was very ambiguous. Different people interpret meanings differently, after all. To me, the word "first" meant that upon my upgrade, I would only be required to pay RM88 for 12 months for 10G of usage.
On hindsight, I did make sure that I had interpreted it correctly. On 17 June, I called up Customer Service to ask whether I was eligible for that particular package that I wanted, and the lady at the other end had said "Yes", and that I could request for the upgrade online. Perhaps she too did not know what I was referring to.
Anyway, a few days back, I decided it was time for the upgrade and I decided to go ahead to do it online. When the upgrade options were displayed, I clicked "10G Explore". I was sure that I clicked on the right package. Hence, imagine my surprise when I later checked that I had 12G available for usage.
Why 12G when I had requested for 10G? 12G meant I had to pay RM98. I was not given the right package. Angry, I tried to call Customer Service, but for some reason, it was very difficult to get through to an officer.
So yesterday, I marched into the Service Centre, demanding an answer. The officer was a rather nice chap who explained why my package was as such. According to him, the RM88 10G package was for new users. "First" meant new sign ups. So as an existing user, I was not eligible to upgrade to 10G at RM88.
YEAH!! THEN WHY NOT SPELL IT OUT CLEARLY IN THE ADVERT IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOU #@%&*!!!!
Telcos are crafty and have many tricks up their sleeves in order to attract unsuspecting customers out there. For me, I'd learned an important lesson from this episode. Unfortunately for me, I am still annoyed with the whole thing. There's nothing worse than to feel cheated.
I'm so disappointed.
I know how you feel. I have had lots of unpleasant experiences with Celcom.
ReplyDeleteI had plenty of complaints against celcom too. That's why i switched telco. Now this happened. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled onto this while browsing your blog, although dated it may may be applicable for future occurrence. The misleading "FIRST" referring to the first time user as opposed to the first 12 months of usage can be referred to the local Consumer's Tribunal (small claims court) for consideration and or interpretation.
ReplyDeleteFor my 2 sen where in the below statement does it imply (if not stated) that the promotion is for the first time user
"......are promotional prices for the first 12 months. Prices will revert to RM108 and RM158 respectively on the 13th month."
Hi there, thanks for your suggestion. The next time I have an unpleasant experience in any transactions, I'd definitely file a claim.
ReplyDeleteYes, it does imply that one enjoys the discounted prices for only 12 months. I'm now paying the full price for my broadband ... so it's about time to start shopping for a cheaper package!