Techy Trini Blog

It has become increasingly obvious that TSTT as a telecommunications provider has removed the word Services from its name and has become just a sad case as TTT (Theifing Trinidad and Tobago).

Post-paid customers please check your minutes, TSTT is robbing you blindly. Here’s the account of my dealings with them.

Preamble:

I am traveling out of the country so I call, then go into B-Mobile 1:20pm to ensure that roaming is activated on my account, oh yes, go in! – I was in Barbados the other day, another B-Mobile country and it did not work though they assured me it would. My account is a 200 minute one and I have GPRS activated on it. Seeing that I will be out of the country and my job requires me to have Internet access (however slow it is) wherever I may be I also need Internet roaming.

Call up 824-TSTT chose the option for Mobile got a CSR (Denise) went through the fact that I will be out of the country, roaming, the issue with GPRS roaming which I need, told that the current GSM does not support it. Asked about what does?> BlackBerry, cool.

CSR: But you will lose all your minutes.

Me: Why?

CSR: Two separate systems.

Me: What can I do?

CSR: You can cancel your Postpaid account and take a BlackBerry account or keep the Postpaid phone service and have a BlackBerry Internet account only

Me: Two bills. Yes. How much is this BlackBerry>?

CSR: 3000+Up, you are not corporate, you are business.

Me: I am aware, so I will forefeit all the minutes I have accrued?

CSR: Correct.

Me: Question, if I am going to lose something that I have paid for already why not trade the minutes that I have for the phone and start afresh. I don’t want something for nothing but at the same time I have had a phone service with you since TSTT opened cellular phones in Trinidad and each minute accrued should be the equivalent of what? – $1.00 This saves you from having to cancel an account, or send me two bills for what could be a singular service.

CSR: Can you hold the line?

Me: Sure

CSR (2mins later): Mr. **** I don’t see that being a problem where they can issue you a voucher towards the purchase of a new phone, however you will have to go to the nearest B-Mobile branch and explain this. Would you like the number for a branch?

Me: I am in St. Augustine outside your UWI branch after being directed there on another matter from Trincity.

CSR: Well Trincity is your closest outlet, unfortunately I do not have a number for that branch

Me: Are you sure this would not be an issue considering my P910 is giving problems as well?

CSR: It should not be.

Me: Thank you, you have been most helpful.

CSR: Thank you Mr. **** for choosing B-Mobile, and remember B-Mobile is an option

At Trincity

Directed to the Fast Counter, which in essence is the slow counter but say what. I explain the situation again. Here’s the encounter:

Me: How can I get this

CSR: You need a BlackBerry account

Me: Fine, how much?

CSR: $3000+ TT for the phone and contract

Me: I was told by CSR at 824-TSTT that I will lose my minutes

CSR: Who told you that. No you won’t.

Me: But it is two different networks

CSR: No it can be transferred.

Me: I have had problems with transfers in the past

CSR (More insistent): It can be done!

Me: Ok, I’ll take one BlackBerry

CSR: We only have the CURVE all the other models are out of stock

Me: Once it is not too big.

CSR: It is the most advanced.

Me: Seeing that you have guaranteed me that transferring my account to BlackBerry I will not lose my minutes can I downgrade my Postpaid package back to Basic as I am taking a new service

CSR: Sure, but you will lose your 2400 minutes. By the way “

Me: STOP!!! Did you say 2400 minutes? – Yes she did -Why?

CSR: Because when you downgrade the system takes away minutes

Me: No.. not lose the minutes, that I will deal with later, You said 2400. How is this? – My P910 has not been used in months, this after purchasing it from TSTT and their system continually messaging me that I have exceeded my credit limit, though I don’t make calls on the phone but primarily using it for Internet slovice (slow service)with my laptop since EVDO has not been relaunched as twice promised (First in December, then the end of January – it is ONLY available for corporate clients), and having to continually visit the B-Mobile Trincity branch to have it artificially extended. Where did the 2400 from the previous time go?

CSR: Oh well if you don’t use all your minutes in 12 mths you lose it.

Me: When do the 12 mths start, because surely each person’s 12 mths would be different.

CSR: Oh I can’t say?

Me: But they are roll over, no part of TSTT communication says you lose them after 12 mths.

CSR (fiddles with the computer): They are capped?

Me: Explain..

CSR explains that once you reach or are over a certain limit TSTT computer does not see those extra minutes and in essence the system will subtract from the 2400 based on my package regardless of how many actual minutes I have.

Here’s the robbery part!! – Pay attention

Me: OK, well seeing that I don’t use that amount of minutes per month, I want the Basic package that you have got.

CSR: Mr. **** you will lose some of your minutes if you change your package.

Me: Why? I have already paid you for those minutes, why are you taking them away?

CSR: Unfortunately that is how the system is

Me: Huh? How could that be? You are penalising me:

(1)For dropping my rate package which you (TSTT) upgraded to 200 minutes that I don’t use by taking away minutes from what I have already paid for

(2)You are also charging me to do this

Put yourself in my shoes m’am. Isn’t that robbery?

CSR: I understand what you are saying sir, but that is how the system is

Me: Can I speak to a supervisor

CSR Disappears for over 5 minutes after dealing with the customer behind me, in the meantime another supervisor grabs her purse and heads to lunch.

CSR: I am sorry my supervisor is not available at this time.

Me: Who else is?

CSR No response

Me: So if your system does this then after you downgrade me why can’t you put back on the minutes manually? I am sure it can be done

CSR: Sir, that is how the sytem is

Me: I cannot accept this. You don’t provide me with good service and cannot reimburse me for what I have already paid. I want to terminate my account if I cannot be re-credited or re-imbursed

CSR: Call 800-1122

Me: Can you write that down.

It is now after 2.

Leaving B-mobile I call up the number given as I traverse the mall back to my vehicle. This time CSR Anita answers, and I must say she was patient with me. I explained the situation, and ever so often she told me to hold for 2minutes as she went about checking with whomever. I even asked, forget the roaming GPRS, seeing that I have this supposed 2400 minutes when I roam will you subtract my calling minutes from that. She asks me to hold again and returns with “NO.. that will be billed separately”. So why am I paying TSTT? What are the minutes for? Then she has the nerve to tell me, “Thank you we do apologise…. blah blah.. remember B-Mobile is the option” I told her no, “B-Mobile is not an option anymore I will return to disconnect my account”

At the end of the day I have no Internet roaming, No BlackBerry and guess how many minutes I am being penalised for because I am downgrading – 1200 minutes. So my account reads 1200.

Again, the response nothing she can do. And to add insult to injury I am losing 1200 minutes which I HAVE ALREADY BEEN BILLED AND PAID FOR!!!!

This call ended at 3:51pm on Feb 7th after lasting 42min 23 secs. for all those so-called TSTT managers who bother to check

I hope Mr. Peon knows what he is doing with TSTT.

TSTT needs to be audited seriously!!! TSTT is robbing customers blindly, and some of the workers are cavalier about your plight, while we the paying public are continually stiffed and competitors who mean well are bullied into a corner when they try to open up the market. Maybe all the staff discounts have blinded some workers but if I ran my business how TSTT did I would be sued if not wake up one morning to find that my workers have burnt my business to the ground. Let me reciprocate this treatment to the same TSTT workers when they are my customers and the first thing they resort to is obscenity and “boss how yuh go do we dat. I buying here long, things hard all over the country. Give meh a discount nah” TSTT cannot justify this case to me in any way.

I hope Trinidadians remember when TSTT launched cellular phones in Trinidad you were forced to pay for calls both ways and the cost per call was almost 4.00 a minute plus VAT. for years until 1999. Then the rate decrease at the word of competition in 2006-7

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not Denise or the poor attitude CSR at Trincity or Anita, It’s a corporate vision problem. TSTT has too many workers for their size and this poor service.

The ADSL call centre is now contracted out to both India and some Spanish speaking country where the people who answer I guarantee you have NO background in IP telephony or communications systems but rather read from a selected script since their grasp of English is piss poor.

My resolve: Every person I know I shall call to ask them to check up on the minutes scam. My longest call will be to TATT ( Telecomms Authority of T &T) and have them investigate. I am sure if they are really serious as they started out being things will surely change. That should use up the 1200 minutes.

When I return from my trip, first port of call is Digicel. Imagine I who am 100% TT for everything am being stiffed by my own people, straight faced without a care. Not for 2008. If Trinidad wants to just talk and not act good for them. For me, TSTT, you are about to lose big time for this. I am starting with Cellular, then Internet (ADSL goes down like twice a day and I went 2wks without it)and eventually Home phone.

I am not being petulant. I am fed up with the runarounds and excuses. If you expect me to pay my bill on time then give me the service I deserve for paying. Because if I am late in paying, you are quick to cut me off and tardy at reconnecting, better yet you always look forward to performing disconnections close to long holiday periods.

You may think it’s only little ole me. But I have friends who have friends and seeing that I already have been alienated by most of them on (the Other network) because they get dropped calls plus cannot send text messages to me on your network, well let’s see how this plays out.

By the way did I mention these miscreants want $3000 post paid for a phone you get free once you are on a contract in the US. Amazon.com the blackberry or just check any provider’s website. If it is not free the amount you pay is next to nothing after rebates have been applied.

Like I said, I don’t want something for nothing. I just want SERVICE!! after being a customer for more than 10 years.

So readers this has been a missed opportunity to evaluate TSTT’s BlackBerry service to you based on my experience with the product.