Friday 4 March 2011

I'm Severely Ticked Off!

OK, so I had decided I wasn't going to write a blog anymore but I wanted to write this because I think it is highly unfair.

We are customers of Bell Mobility (cell phone) here in Canada. We decided to buy our phones and go on a pay as you go plan so we wouldn't get a monthly bill. We bought our cell phones mid November 2010 after our Verizon contract was finished. We could have continued with Verizon but at $90.00 US per month, it was just too costly. I only have good things to say about their Customer Service. Unlike Bell!

Shortly after we got our phones I started getting unsolicited text messages. I should point out that Gordon and I never use texting on our phones. I should also point out that Bell charge for any incoming text messages. So I went in to the Smiths Falls office and was told they couldn't take texting off my phone. (Verizon had removed it at my request.) Yesterday we went to Ottawa and were told the same thing at the Bell store but he gave me the Customer Service number to call. So this morning I called them and was told they could indeed take texting off but I would have to pay for any incoming text messages to my phone regardless. Does that make sense to anyone? Does it make sense that I have to pay for unsolicited incoming messages? He suggested I call the people texting me and tell them to stop or text "Stop" to them. I called the number that sent me the text message "Hey" two days ago. Turns out it was a young person, probably high school age. I told her to stop texting me and she said that she didn't. I told her the message had come from her phone and maybe she should keep better tabs on it. To her credit, she did apologize.

If we hadn't purchased the phones and phone card already, I'd be tempted to tell them to stick their phones where the sun don't shine however we do need cell phones for emergencies. The alternatives are Telus who also charge for incoming text messages and Rogers who doesn't however their service area is sometimes in question routing you to US towers at times.

The service rep at the Bell store in Ottawa did send a "stop" message to a couple of spam messages so we'll see how that goes.

Anyway, after I hung up I sent an email to Bell explaining the situation and asking for a satisfactory conclusion. Do you think I'll get anywhere?

5 comments:

  1. Good luck with that! Sometimes it seems these companies have us under a barrel. :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. We have the basic $30/month... with texting. I use very rarely.

    Only unwanted text I ever rec'd. in the years we have had this # ( probably 5) Was a free one from Bell.
    I'm surprised you encountered this. Hopefully it will be resolved but.....Bell is Bell...

    Kelly

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is a hot topic here in KC as well, as we are getting the unsolicited text messages on our Verizon air card. It isn't even a phone and doesn't have a screen to look at anything either.

    Supposedly you can use the computer program to look into your account at Verizon and somehow see these messages. I do not know how to do this, but I'm sure I could learn if it was necessary.

    At any rate, I was on the phone with the Verizon Reps yesterday trying to cancel these incoming messages, and they claimed that it could be done. The rep tried to talk me out of blocking messaging because you never know what might be sent to you.

    I stood staunch, and demanded cancellation of messaging on the air card number. Time will tell if they actually stop. They are only .20 cents a pop, but 5 is a dollar and who knows how big this thing could become once vendors see revenues from this advertising venue!

    I never like spending money that is out of my control. Even if it is .20. I am really a tightwad I know!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think we've been sold a real bill of goods on the idea of having to be 100% connected for 100% of the time. I recently had the same problem with Verizon, only my 3 or 4 text messages were billed at about $21.00. I told them if they couldn't block all texts from my phone and reverse the charges for the ones I had received, I would cancel my phone. I had already decided I would pay the early-termination fee.

    If and when I can find a "permanent" residence I am going to get a land line and let my cell phones go when the contracts are up. How many folks say they have to have a cell "for emergencies" and then use them all the time anyway. What we are looking at is "bondage" that we willingly submit to because we've been told we have to stay connected. Crap!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just had an email this morning telling me that cellphone numbers will be made public. I can imagine how many text messages will be received then. I am not sure if this is true. I hope not. Makes me doubly glad that we don't have a cellphone. So far we did not see the need for one.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving a comment.