My name is Daniel and I have been a Telus Mobility customer since December 2004. Apart from not receiving a cell phone signal in my house, I found my Telus cell phone to be useful and productive. During the first year and a half I did not have any issues with Telus' customer service representatives until I received a bill for over $1, 000.00 in services for the month of August 2006. Curiously, Telus stopped mailing detailed invoices/bills to my house just before the shocking invoice. Telus' web site also did not display the breakdown of incoming and outgoing calls for the August service. Now Metropolitan Credit Adjusters Ltd. are calling my home and harassing me at my workplace requesting money for an invoice for an outrageous amount that I cannot confirm is warranted or justified, because Telus refuses to send me a detailed bill. I am totally dissatisfied and very frustrated with Telus' stonewalling in providing a simple invoice to fulfill a request from a long-term customer.
During the beginning of September 2006, I contacted Telus' customer service line to request a detailed invoice/bill that displayed all incoming and outgoing calls because I did not receive a bill in the mail and Telus' online web site only displayed an amount owing of over $1, 000.00 for August's services. All of my past invoices from Telus Mobility, before August 6, 2006, had been outlined in an itemized billing structure that allowed me to view a detailed analysis of my mobile services. The customer service was helpful to some degree and advised me that I had to pay $10-$20 for a new invoice to be printed and mailed out. I made the point that I was not responsible for the lost invoice and went on to explain that I was being more than generous in agreeing to pay for a reprinted invoice. The customer service representative assured me that the new invoice would arrive near the end of September.
Near the end of September, Telus disconnected my mobile services without warning and I was again compelled to call Telus' customer service number. I explained to the customer service representative that I was going through an unfortunate marital separation and that I needed to see an invoice that outlined the incoming and outgoing calls for the mobile services for the month of August. I understand that Telus requires payment for their services, and Telus needs to understand that I require a detailed invoice to justify their payment demands. The customer representative understood that I was going through a separation and that my self-employed contracts fluctuate my financial situation. Telus' representative agreed that it was hard for me to commit to a concrete payment plan for a bill that was over $1, 000.00. The customer representative then stated that I had to accept their payment plan or I would not have my cell phone re-activated. To avoid argument I agreed to Telus' payment plan, believing that I would receive a detailed invoice as had been promised twice in one month.
On November 30th my phone was disconnected again and I had not received any detailed invoices in the mail or a disconnection warning. Telus' online site did not display the itemized billing that I requested back in September. The first representative I spoke to was not the least bit interested in my request for the detailed bill/invoice. I explained that almost two months had passed and I had not received the detailed invoice that I had twice requested. Clearly I am not paying for an invoice that is not broken down in a detailed format, and it is Telus' responsibility to justify their services and provide me with a detailed bill. The conversation with the first representative was not going anywhere and I requested to speak with a manager, due to the fact that no one at Telus would listen to or follow through with my simple request for an invoice. I was directed to Erika and was told that I could not speak to a manager unless my reason was valid. Erika was extremely rude and would not listen to my simple request which was to mail me a detailed invoice that was the same as the invoices that were sent prior to August 2006. Erika continuously accused me of not paying my bills due to my financial situation and did not validate my reason for holding back the entire payment. Exhausted from arguing, I explained to Erika that as a customer of Telus I do not pay for harassment, belligerence, and incompetence for not providing bills; I pay for their professional services. I then requested to terminate my Telus account immediately and Erika began to threaten collection action on my account if I terminated the account. I am appalled by Telus' despicable customer service tactics and attitude, and if the company would record each customer service conversation, Telus executives would realize the extent of the contempt in which their customers are held by their employees.
Telus continues to charge me approximately $15.54 a month for late payments, when the itemized bill should have arrived at my house at least by the end of September 2006. If I had received the itemized bill, I would have paid the outstanding balance to avoid any future service disruptions. When Telus disconnects my phone without any notice or warning beforehand, it is obvious that Telus intends to completely ignore my simple request for an itemized bill, and bully me into submission. As a customer of your company who signed a three year contract, I naively expected to be treated honestly and fairly, but by ignoring my two requests for a detailed invoice you have breached any trust I may have had with the company. I am now wondering whether a fraud has been committed with regard to my account, but I have no way of knowing because I have been refused an itemized bill.
Within several minutes of searching for Telus Mobility customer service problems, I came across numerous complaints regarding Telus’ inability and unwillingness to handle simple problems in a professional manner. These complaints would definitely arouse questions as to the competency and honesty of Telus, and serve as a warning to the general public.
For the most part I do not have any problem paying Telus as soon as they can provide me with a detailed invoice that displays all mobile services for any incoming and outgoing calls for the month of August. If I do not receive a detailed invoice outlining the incoming and outgoing calls for the services given during the month of August 2006, I see no reason why I should pay the bill amount of $1, 060.80, which is 934% more than my average bill.
After canceling my account with Telus, I received a gift card in the mail. Rob Durham, Senior Vice President Client Operations states, "Tis the season, and what a better time to say thank you for being with us. You're one of our best clients - and we value your business." Mr. Durham concludes the card with, "We realize you have a choice and are very glad you've chosen us. We're committed to earning your business by providing you exceptional value, a superior network and a client care team that's second to none."
I would like to speak with Mr. Durham directly and explain how rude, ignorant, incompetent and belligerent his team of “customer service” representatives are. Telus' customer representatives make me feel like I am of no consequence as a customer and definitely not one of their "best clients".
This entire situation with Telus has caused me distress, frustration, has ultimately wasted my time and cost me money. I have been forced to remove your unprofessional services and re-print my business office stationery. Almost every client of mine has asked why my mobile phone line has changed and I explain that Telus could not resolve simple issues in a reasonable, competent and professional manner.
As a result of your unprofessional and questionable actions, I have signed a mobile contract with Rogers Wireless. For some time now I have been well satisfied with Rogers' customer service skills and their cable and Internet services. Telus should seriously consider remodeling their customer service operations with quality managers and strict service guidelines. When your employees go out of their way to harass and berate customers and when they refuse to provide a bill, which is a basic necessity, then Telus has a real problem on its hands.
I will not recommend Telus to any of my family, friends, colleagues or business partners; in fact I will make sure they hear of my experience with Telus. It is very unfortunate that Telus cannot practice professional customer service skills and consistent billing procedures in order to resolve simple issues for a long term customer. In the meantime I am contacting the government Consumer Protection Branch.
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