Saturday, February 7, 2015

I AM COMPLETELY DISENCHANTED

Phil and I do have a mobile (cell) phone.  We don't like them but we have one so that if we are out together and there is an emergency such as a car breakdown (heaven forbid) we can contact the necessary people.   Phil always takes the mobile with him when he goes shopping etc., in case I should need him urgently or he wishes to ring me to check should he buy anything else or to let me know he is running late.  The rest of time the mobile is turned off and we use our landline.  We know so few people that there is little likelihood anyone would want to contact us at odd hours.

This week we found our mobile would not hold a charge so realise it is either the battery is flat or it is totally kaput.   It is not a phone either of us have ever enjoyed using so decided to replace it, preferably with a senior friendly one.  (Our current mobile looks like this but is a pretty blue/green colour).
 I telephoned Telstra and asked a very nice lady (yes she was in Australia) about the type of phone which would suit us best.  She recommended a Telstra Easy Call T303 and told me that is the type she bought for her nanna who is 82.  That sounded just the phone for us (larger keys for Phil's fingers etc., and NO camera but has an FM radio for some reason) but I was told if we wanted to keep our little $10 mobile plan with Telstra she could not sell us the phone but we would have to go to a Telstra store to buy the phone over the country for $99.  I was told it comes in black or white....aren't they just great how Telstra apparently don't think older people need a little colour in their lives.........so I decided a white one as it would be easy to find if I should carry it in my handbag and Phil agreed so a white one it would be.  This is the phone we are after:

That all sounded great so I telephoned our nearest Telstra store in Booragoon (4 times).  No answer to any of my calls but was told they were busy serving customers and I could leave a message and they would get back to me either today or the next business day.   "Whoah" I thought "how do they know I'm not a customer?"  "Is there nobody in the store to pick up a phone and ask the caller to wait a minute or two?"  There was an alternative person I could speak to which I decided to do.  He, I think, was possibly in the Phillipines, but was very helpful and said he'd check on the availability of the phone I wanted.  He came back to be and said yes that the Booragoon shop had 3 white and 1 black of that model phone.

I thanked him for his assistance and off went Phil to Booragoon to buy said phone.  He arrived home to tell me that after standing in a queue for 10 or more minutes he handed the person behind the counter the written description of the phone.  The chap then went to the store and said "we only have 3 black in that particular phone".   Back home came Phil and we both just sat there feeling somewhat let down by this firm who is always advertising what a great service they offer.  By this time I had wasted time and money on phone calls (13 numbers cost 35 cents each now) and Phil had wasted time, energy and petrol for no return.  That store wants to be very thankful that I'd not decided to accompany Phil in that venture!!!  He can be so patient with people but as I've aged I've learned to speak up for myself if I feel the need to do so.  I know employees only do what they are told to do so it is their boss to blame more than anything, in this case Telstra.

This morning we telephoned 3 other Telstra stores not too far from our home but not one of them answered their phone.   Phil then found another number he could ring ...a 13 number ...and he found himself talking (yes, you've guessed it) to a chap in the Phillipines (Phil asked him where he was).  This man also tried to be helpful but said he couldn't tell Phil why none of the Telstra shops we'd tried were answering their phones.  Phil just said thank you and hung up!!

I then found another 13 number to ring and the young lady (also I am sure in the Phillipines) asked how she could help.  She wanted to know my name and all that detail and I asked her why she needed that when all I wanted to know was the availabilty of a mobile phone.  She explained it was for security purposes which I think i carrying it a bit too far.  I asked her how would a person get on if they had only just arrived in Australia, wanted to buy a mobile phone and then start up an acccount.  She then asked how could she help and would I like her to find if the specific phone was available in a store near my home.  I told her Fremantle and Success were the closest (already having had a failure with Booragoon).  She asked me to wait ("please, don't hang up") and eventually came back and said neither store had that type of phone in either white or black.

I am now wondering what to do and I do feel very angry.  Do I get Phil to go to Battery World and have them check the battery in our existing little phone which we really would like to be rid of or do I persevere and try and buy the phone we want.  I have already put a complaint on Telstra's Facebook page and their answer to my not getting answer was that I should have left a message.  A big help that was.  I have also sent them an email explaining the whole sorry saga and they will contact me within FIVE business days.  Great service eh?

I know people that have fallen out so badly with Telstra they won't have anything to do with them and I now understand why that is.   We are a little too old and tired to be looking around for another phone service but I fear what is going to happen should the NBN ever reach our suburb if Telstra are in control.

Thinking about this as I type I have decided a letter to the Minister for Telecommunications will be sent voicing my disappointment with Telstra and its non-existent service..  I think the Minister may be Malcolm Turnbull who I feel at present has his mind on other matters but that is another story which I guess will unfold next week.  I do not discuss politics on my blog so will leave that alone.

20 comments:

  1. Check your phone book, (if you're like me you'll need a magnifying glass) for other phone shops in your area, such as Vodaphone, I liked them, or a Dodo outlet or a place called Allphones which has a wide range. One of them may be a better fit for you and have the phone and plan you want. If you can only get one in black, just buy a white cover case for it if you can. You don't have to stay with Telstra. Their customer service is notoriously bad.

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    1. As said above we have a $10/month plan with Telstra which we thought to continue. I really don't want one phone with Telstra and another with someone else. I understand Telstra controls all telecommunications no matter who you are with. I am just feelng totally confused and feel like throwing in the towel. I am not fit enough to go from shop to shop and I find it difficult to get decent answers on the phone even if we can find anyone to answer their phone. Phil is good but...........

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  2. Can you order the phone from Amazon? We have Verizon (the U.S.). My husbands phone died. I ordered the phone (new) for half the price they wanted to sell me a phone. I then took it to the store to be activated. Or ask others who they use, and dump Telstra. Maybe a prepaid cell would be cheaper for you as well, since it's rarel used.

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    1. Thanks for your advice. I've been told prepaid not a good idea as they run out before you use them up. We may make 2 calls a month on our mobile so not a viable idea I would think.
      Honestly, I am too old to go shopping around any more and perhaps the devil we know etc. I'm still searching.

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  3. If Telstra is that hard to deal with I wouldn't want one of their phones. Imagine if something went wrong with it? You'd never be able to get assistance. I think it's time to find another carrier Mimsie...even if it is stressful.

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    1. You are probably right Delores but honestly, I just don't have the energy to shop around. It would be OK if I could get good answers via phone but then that would mean someone would have to take the call in the first place.
      As said above I am past shopping around and Telstra is the main telecommunications provider in Australia. The others offer good service but still use Telstra's network in the long term.
      I remember years ago when we had no phone but relied on the phone box on the corner of the street. Oh, how simple life was back then.

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  4. Hari OM
    Mimsie, I totally feel ya babe!!! Being 'next gen' to you doesn't mean I favour 'next gen' comms!!! All the variety of providers was supposed to improve competition not only in prices but also at service level. HAH.

    When in OZ I departed from Telstra and was very happy with Vodaphone. So, as others have said, do shop around online m'dear; you can buy the actual phone unit just as you would buy a teapot... it is the SIM card which has to be attached to a provider and there is no reason you cannot just put the one you have into the new body - just as you can continue to use your Bushell's Tea...!!!

    When I got to UK, my brother gave me his old Nokia (like you it is for emergencies only) and all I had to do was go buy a new SIM in my name - so the telephone itself does not have anything to do with the provider you use for the call service. Here, I use Orange/EE pay-as-you-go so not even a monthly payment needed; the last ten pounds I put on was nearly three months ago - that's how rarely I use the thing!

    I just did a search on Amazon for 'mobile phones with large buttons' and got an amazing array - including the BT equivalent of the Telstra one you are talking about and it is only about the same as $40 aud... The other thing to think about is that these things can be bought at places like Dick Smith stores...

    Looking forward to hearing you have this sorted with minimum stress!!! YAM xx

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    1. The old Nokias are really good, my ex has mine with a new SIM card and it is still going strong althought he battery is beginning to go flat more often than it used to, still, it is 16 years old.

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    2. Yam, I have been checking our phones on the internet and am even more confused. The Telstra phone which Phil liked the look of is $99 and we've found a Nokia for $39 which seems similar which may be the way to go.
      I just wish I wasn't so ignorant when it comes to modern technology and the family always seem far too busy to spend time answering questions. Not only that they understand it all and I can't always understand what they tell me anyway.
      Definitely points to the fact that we are somewhat redundant in this modern world but we'll keep on keeping on to spite them all. LOL xxx

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  5. Hiss and spit.
    I rarely use my mobile and have a pre-paid plan. I can update it from home or get a top-up at Woolworths.
    Telstra customer service is bad, bad and bad. And sometimes worse than that.

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    1. I am trying to think of a word that means worse than bad and have come up with 'harrowing' which I think fills the bill in regard to Telstra and my feelings for them.
      I am shopping around on the net and perhaps will come up with something without having to walk from shop to shop which is a little beyond me and I feel I need to have a hand in our final choice, if you understand what I'm saying.
      I am hoping the SP is feeling considerably better than he recently was.

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  6. EC penned most of my thoughts as well Mimsie. I bought your new phone for a family member a year or two ago and although they've been happy enough with it, they could never buy a cover to protect it.
    And, I'm with Telstra with my mobile (also a prepaid) and the phone has the blue rural tick only because Telstra is the only provider who can give me the coverage when I'm away from the city area. Oh and I don't have a landline. I feel for you over your experience. :(

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    1. Thanks Rose. I could never do without a landline. I am not comfortable even holding a mobile phone for some reason.
      I have never had a cover for our mobile phones and on looking around it seems there could be accessories for the Telstra T303 but I could be wrong.
      I have been looking at a Nokia 106 but reviews say the sound not strong which is not so good for we oldies.
      I guess we'll get there eventually. The Nokia is only about $39 compared to the Telstra phone which is $99 so could always change to another model if not satisfied. : ) See, I'm still smiling!!

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  7. Like Yamini McLean said, you can put the SIM card from your old phone into the new one to keep the information that is on it. or if you buy a new phone at a shop, have them transfer the information from one SIM to the other as I once did. although swapping the SIM cards is easier. And again, a pre-paid plan might be better than a monthly contract plan. I have a pre-paid phone with a long expiry date, if I send a lot of calls or texts, of course the data allowance gets used up, but if I were to not use it so much, my expiry is currently January 2019. It's with Telstra and I know I said I don't like them, but they are who I bought the phone from 8-9 years ago and I never bothered changing. whenever my pre-paid credit runs out I just buy a voucher from the supermarket and key in the information, vouchers are available in different amounts, I just get what I can afford at the time.

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    1. I am a complete idiot when it comes to understanding prepaid mobiles. I've been told you waste them if you don't use the phone more than perhaps 2 or 3 times a month and we never use it for sending messages although I used to on my old Philips which was a little marvel. It was heavier than the Nokia but came with such a wonderful instruction booklet and was so easy to use, I love it. Was told even if available, a battery would probably cost about $80 and that was about 3 years ago. I'd just prefer not to have a mobile at all but feel at our age we should definitely have a phone we can take with us if we go out or if Phil goes out on his own.
      Thanks for all your advice. I have taken it all on board as they say these days and am considering our options.

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    2. Ask around for pre-paid plans that DON'T have the 30 day expiry date. mine has a 365 day expiry date I think, I'll find the instruction book if I can and let you know. If you can get that, it won't matter that you only use it a couple of times a month.

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    3. My plan also lasts for 365 days. Some months I only use it once or twice, and other months it is more, but the average isn't high.

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  8. Are you able to buy a new battery for the old phone?

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    1. Had thought of doing that but Phil doesn't like the Nokia we have as he finds the keys far too small, even when he is putting in our PIN. He'd definitely prefer one with bigger keys for ease of use and after all it is he that uses the phone, not me. Have found a Nokia 106 (unlocked) but some reviews said the sound not too good which not so good for older folk with less hearing ability.

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  9. You're such a gentle woman. "I am sure he has other things on his mind"... it is better not to discuss politics, but also wonderful that you're clearly mindful! Thank you for sharing that. That aside... I'm sorry about your phone. I hope that you can get a good replacement or something that at least works just as well.

    Caroline Matthews @ Mobility Help

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