I received the letter from T-Mobile which:
1/ Did not address the issue of the ridiculous WiFi charges
2/ Did not address the issue of the times that I was supposed to be connected
3/ Offered to let me pay by installments!!!
I have replied as follows:
Dear name removed,
Thank you for your letter of 10th
January.
Unfortunately you have not
addressed the following points:
1. I did not knowingly agree to
pay 25 cents per minute for a Wi-Fi connection during my stay in Germany
between 25th October and 7th November. I therefore
dispute these charges.
2. Aside from whether the above
charges are justifiable on your part or agreed to on my part, they are
factually incorrect and physically impossible. The Wi-Fi connection was offered
at the Sheraton Four Points hotel. I was working at a venue more than 5 kms
away. A Wi-Fi connection does not work over that distance. Yet the charges
detail periods of 20 hours. I can prove with witnesses that I was not at the
hotel at the stated times and neither was my phone.
3. I did buy two travel and surf
packages at 15 euros for unlimited data access to cover the stated period. I am
happy to pay for those charges and for my usual package.
If you send me a credit note for
the Wi-Fi charges I will pay what is due.
I hope that we can settle this
amicably otherwise I intend taking my case to the Geschillencommissie and if
necessary to the European Commission.
Yours Sincerely,
Neil Roberts
I cannot believe that they can treat customers like this.
Don't use T-mobile!!!
I welcome any comments, advice or support.
UPDATE
This afternoon I was called by a name removed from T-mobile customer service.
He was very polite and explained that T-mobiles policy was that they did not feel the need to notify customers of the "outrageous" charges they levied for use of a Hotspot abroad.
He agreed that my situation was "ridiculous" and that the bill was "enormous"
He offered to only charge me for only one hour of Hotspot access per day, so reducing the bill from 2526.50 to 180 euros!! That's quite a reduction and I'm sure they thought I would take it gladly but this has now become a point of principle and I will not pay one cent for the Hotspot access. I would rather see them in court and see what a judge has to say about their sharp practices.
He accepted my opinion and has agreed to call me tomorrow morning before 12:00
I look forward to what he has to say and will keep you updated as to the outcome.
I almost hope they refuse as I really want to see this in court.
As always comments are welcome, even if you think I'm mad not to accept the offer. :-)
UPDATE 2 This morning I was called again by T-mobile.
They have agreed:
To cancel all charges for the Hotspot connection
To apologise for the time taken to resolve the matter and for the way I have been dealt with.
To reset my contract dates so I can update my phone
To send my wife a bunch of flowers as an apology for the stress and anxiety we have suffered.
They have asked that I remove the names of their employees from this blog which I am happy to do.
So, on the one hand I feel vindicated in my decision to complain about the charges and the way it was dealt with. On the other hand I was quite looking forward to getting this to court and seeing what a judge would say about their business practices. I am sure I cannot be the only person that this has happened to.
I goes to show, if you complain loudly enough, eventually someone will listen.
I'm sure the attention this blog and twitter have generated helped.
One final thought, if you have a contract with T-mobile, be VERY careful about connecting to Hotspots abroad.
Thanks for reading and for your messages of support. I will update this if there are further developments.
Neil Roberts 19th Jan 2012
UPDATE
This afternoon I was called by a name removed from T-mobile customer service.
He was very polite and explained that T-mobiles policy was that they did not feel the need to notify customers of the "outrageous" charges they levied for use of a Hotspot abroad.
He agreed that my situation was "ridiculous" and that the bill was "enormous"
He offered to only charge me for only one hour of Hotspot access per day, so reducing the bill from 2526.50 to 180 euros!! That's quite a reduction and I'm sure they thought I would take it gladly but this has now become a point of principle and I will not pay one cent for the Hotspot access. I would rather see them in court and see what a judge has to say about their sharp practices.
He accepted my opinion and has agreed to call me tomorrow morning before 12:00
I look forward to what he has to say and will keep you updated as to the outcome.
I almost hope they refuse as I really want to see this in court.
As always comments are welcome, even if you think I'm mad not to accept the offer. :-)
UPDATE 2 This morning I was called again by T-mobile.
They have agreed:
To cancel all charges for the Hotspot connection
To apologise for the time taken to resolve the matter and for the way I have been dealt with.
To reset my contract dates so I can update my phone
To send my wife a bunch of flowers as an apology for the stress and anxiety we have suffered.
They have asked that I remove the names of their employees from this blog which I am happy to do.
So, on the one hand I feel vindicated in my decision to complain about the charges and the way it was dealt with. On the other hand I was quite looking forward to getting this to court and seeing what a judge would say about their business practices. I am sure I cannot be the only person that this has happened to.
I goes to show, if you complain loudly enough, eventually someone will listen.
I'm sure the attention this blog and twitter have generated helped.
One final thought, if you have a contract with T-mobile, be VERY careful about connecting to Hotspots abroad.
Thanks for reading and for your messages of support. I will update this if there are further developments.
Neil Roberts 19th Jan 2012
