Telstra disaster

[Troppo]

Update:




Okay, significant update in the Telstra disaster story. To recap: For 3 months since mid December, Telstra have been telling me the temporary phone number they gave me was to be shifted over to my original (Optus) number. Telstra told me it was about to happen many times but it did not, has not and will not. Telstra told me a couple of days ago that they can't do it. I can't have my old Optus number. Gee, they could have told me that before I signed the contract, then I would not have signed the contract. Maybe that was why they told me what they did.

After paying my final bill with Optus before shifting to Telstra, I was surprised to get another bill in February. I queried Optus as during the time period of its bill I was actually on Telstra and could not access Optus service. Optus said they were keeping my account open only to hold my number as Telstra were going to port it over for me. Being an open account attracts a fee. Optus waived the month's fee. Okay, all good. Nope!

Now the news: Just got another bill from Optus for March. I contacted them, explained to them again. Asked them to waive the bill. They told me that it is Telstra's problem that my old number has not been ported over to Telstra and while they good-will waived the bill last month they will not do it again. I need to pay it. What!

So now Telstra is trashing my good reputation with Optus. Telstra is running up bills in my name at Optus through its stupidity. It takes time to sort out problems with these companies so if I don't pay it, it is likely I will have debt collectors chasing me before the problem is resolved. And this is just when I am planning on leaving Telstra and probably going back to Optus.

I won't pay the Optus bill, given it is not a service that was actually available to me and it was Telstra's fault the bill happened anyway.

Can you imagine me phoning the Telstra call centre?

Telstra: Hello, how can we help you?

Me: I have an Optus bill but it is actually for Telstra to pay it. I will give you the Optus banking details and the amount. Do you have authority to pay it or do you need to put me through to Accounts?

Telstra: I am sorry sir, this is Telstra, you need to phone Optus. The number should be on the Optus bill.

Me: I know the Optus number. But the payment is to be made by Telstra. It is Telstra's fault I got the bill. I am not going to pay for Telstra's mistakes. If I did that, it could end up costing me millions. Billions! Telstra makes a lot of mistakes. Heck of a lot. And Telstra better hurry up and pay it otherwise they are going to get late fees on top of it.

Telstra: You have the wrong number. [beep-beep disconnection noises]


Yup. I am not going to call Telstra. Back to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. Hope they can get my new complaint resolved quickly. But then I guess all the others sending in complaints hope the same thing.

troppo

[SeaLady]

I work from my home office, a lot, so a phone and internet are essential.
After gaining permission from the previous owner to allow Telstra to connect my new line before I actually settled and moved, my problems began.

Our friends at Telstra lost my order, then decided that the installation was to be AFTER the stated date rather than BEFORE as requested.
Then they lost it again.
Then they could not understand that an old house did not have an existing phone line.
Then they wanted me to connect to NBN, which is not available in this area nor is it in the 3 or 5 year plan for installation.

Don't get me started on the transfer of the account to a different address and disconnection of unneeded services at the old address.

OR... at the same time I was visiting a frail 83 year old woman who lives alone, and is legally blind and Telstra decided to disconnect her phone and emergency button.
We only realised when her emergency button machine which is attached to her phone line started beeping.
And she is registered as a "VIP" needing her phone service for obvious safety reasons.
I stayed with her till it was reconnected.
Many, many phone calls, from my mobile - she does not have a mobile and Telstra staff repeatedly suggested that she log information on a website.

SHE IS 83 AND BLIND!!!!! Let alone the fact that she had no phone line to access the internet nor does her account have an internet connection.

But that does not matter to international call centres.
Thankfully an Australian technician was in the area and called in and rectified the issue.
He was charming and efficient. How frustrating must it be for the good workers to have to put up with the operational debacles.


Pity but Telstra are still the best of a bad lot.

AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH



Good news.
In their wisdom Telstra deemed me to be a new customer so gave me access to lots of free and subsidised services.
Yay

[Troppo]

Sea Lady,

I need to apologise to you profusely.

So, sorry.

I apologise because as I read your post, I was (shame on me) laughing at what you experienced.

I justify myself because I was not laughing at your pain. I was laughing at Telstra's antics. Couldn't help myself. The more I read, the more I chuckled.

Ah, I am feeling much better after that. Thank you for posting.



Louis

[Phillip]

A little inside information.

The Telstra phone in is operated by an American firm called Teletec. They used to have 2,500 seats in a call centre in Melbourne and more in Sydney and Tasmania.
Before the financial crisis hit they transferred all the seats to Manilla in the Philippines. When the Financial crisis hit they fired all but 2 of their Australian staff.

I believe that about 400 Philippines apply each day for a job in the Manilla call centre.

How do I know, my son worked for them as their Training manager in Sydney and when fired had 20 minutes to leave the building!

With that sort of attitude its no wonder we get poor service from the Philippines.

[Troppo]

Update: Really wierd. Sunday morning I could not get onto any Telstra web pages using my PC. No other problem with the web. Sunday evening I still could not get Telstra web pages. Tried my Optus mobile internet via my smartphone. No problems getting Telstra web on my phone. This morning I still can't get Telstra web pages with my PC.

So I: Cleared my cache and temp files in my browser for past week just in case I had downloaded a problem. Tried Explorer browser instead of Chrome.

Still not getting Telstra on my PC.

Did some reading on blocking computers. It seems it is possible to block a computer from accessing a company's webpages, works off the computer's IP address. Apparently using a proxy server can hide a person's computer's IP address so it can get around the block. I wondered if Telstra was blocking my computer from the company site. A proxy server might help me.

I tried using my PC via a proxy server. Got the Telstra web pages no problems. Proxy server worked. WOW! Does this mean Telstra has blocked me from their web?

Also, I tried using other computers in the house which go via the same router onto the internet but they have a different IP address to my computer. These other computers can get to the Telstra page no problems.

Here's my big question: is there anything I can test on my computer to see if the problem is actually in my computer? Is there anything I can check to see if the problem is actually Telstra blocking me from their website?

This is serious sh*t. It seems crazy to think that Telstra has blocked me so I want to get some objective evidence that either supports the idea or scuttles it. I am hoping it is just something wrong with my browser.

Eagerly awaiting your advice folks.

troppo

[Edit: 11:16 am. For 24 hours, I could not get the Telstra website using my personal computer. Now I try again, did the same as I have tried many times in the past 24 hours, and to my surprise, the Telstra website is now working on my computer. I have changed nothing. This is totally weird.

[SeaLady]

Dear Laughing Louis.

Not sure about TELSTRA but my new virus checker finds more 'bad' websites after each update.

To date some have included - the ATO - Australian Tax Office - obviously a shonky mob.

The sites deemed 'bad' keep changing. At once stage http://www.tophatyachts.com and my bank were 'bad'.




_________________________________________________________________________

Phillip, I feel for your son.
My sister worked as an accountant for a major Australian insurance firm.
For 12 months she trained 3 people from India to do her job.
Then her job was made redundant.

Whatever happened to "A Fair Go and the Lucky Country."

[RohanJ]

The visible catch is a couple of speed bumps on the hull.

Rohan

Dear Troppo,

Heading to SE Qld for the school holidays to have a look at a couple of boats, again.

The bumps are visible in the photos. I am not sure how serious osmosis is at that degree.

Regards,

Rohan

[Troppo]

The visible catch is a couple of speed bumps on the hull.

Rohan

Dear Troppo,

Heading to SE Qld for the school holidays to have a look at a couple of boats, again.

The bumps are visible in the photos. I am not sure how serious osmosis is at that degree.

Regards,

Rohan

Thank you Rohan, I hope you see so many nice boats at a price you want to pay that you have plenty of choice. : ) The rain should have settled down by the school holidays. Hopefully.

troppo

[Arohanui]

Sorry to hear about this! Lately ive been getting frustrated at general tech.
I actually just got back from a telstra shop. Im phoneless.
I keep breaking them. I could only get the samsung s7 from this shop. THis new phone - like all updated gadgets and software isnt user friendly to me. I had to drive 140km to the shop. Did try to call first but no response. Once there, theres 2 poeple looking after a shop full of customers.
So these new phones... you cant get in em. You cant change the batteries yourself and you need that stupid pin thing to get the sim card and memory card.
Its also a $1500 phone. Geez would we ever contimplate such an expense on a phone even 5 years ago? THey are made of glass!
At least the older phones are plastic, they last. THe charging ports last. You can change the batteries over and you can change the sims - even from different carriers. But not anymore and not for a while. I have no phone right now but have a perfectly good old iphone here but i cannot use it because the old iphone which i paid for is locked by apple to optus and im now telstra.
For me, being a keen sailor, i like being able to swap the batteries out underway. I have alot of batteries and charge them all before hand. I can go a week before i need power.
I can in theory just update or wipe the old iphone but my computers os is too old. in order for me to change the os i need to pay for a new os. I actually did this but the new os is also un user friendly.
As more tech comes, it gets more and more shit to put it bluntly.
My mrs signed up with the nbn. What a joke. Sites i used to surf i can no longer surf. THe nbn is a government scam that blocks sites. I now have to tether from my phone to use the sites.
What i doing is simplifying. No more expensive phones. Fuck nbn off. No more smart phones. Humans are becoming prisoners mostly to smart phones that are made of glass. ridiculous.

[dism]

Agreed Arohanui.

Also, try getting a usb power bank off ebay, it's a portable powerpak for phone etc charging. Just look at your phone battery power capacity and then find one that stores the suitable amount of charges