Smart Telecom - eeek!

Lady_Macbeth

So here's the story...It's a bit long, but you know you wanna get to the end!

A few weeks ago (Saturday 22 April) a Smart Telecom sales' rep called to the house and was speaking to me about setting up a broadband account. My housemates were out at the time so I didn't want to commit to anything, but he reassured me that I could cancel the account without incurring any cost or any hassle.

After discussing it with my housemates, we decided not to go for it so I rang Smart Telecom (Tuesday 25 April) to cancel the account. Firstly, I was waiting almost 10 mins to be put through to customer care. When I told her she transferred me to Tech Support who told transferred me back to Customer care (wtf?!?!!). Whoever I was speaking to then, checked my details but said they had not been processed yet but assured me that the account would not be created once they were processed.

I thought that was the end.

However, this Monday (15 May) I received in the post a "confirmation of my direct debit details" letter from Smart Telecom. The letter contained my direct debit details (which I had to give to the sales' rep to go ahead with the account the time he called around) but also a Smart Telecom account number!!!

I rang them on Monday evening (it was after hours) and left them a voice message, to which they assured that they would respond. I tried ringing them before work on Tuesday morning, 27 people ahead of me. Held for almost 10 mins then had to go. Tried again at my break but 31 ahead of me!!! So decided to send them an email yesterday as I had not heard from them. As of yet I have not been able to get in touch with them... No response, or reply to email or voice message

I do not want a Smart Telecom account, and I most certainly do not want to have money debitted from my bank account. What do I do now? Anyone else ever had a similar situation? Help!

JohnK

You could contact your bank and tell them in no uncertain terms not to allow a debit from smart. Other than that I'd say keep ringing smart and hope you get through to someone who'll actually help.

FillSpectre

Isn't the confrim debit details a signature thing you need to send to your bank to authorise them to tallow money go to smart?

In other words if you don't confirm the details thay can't charge you. When I was going to set up my account I never confirm the details so my account stays in limbo. Sounds like where you will go without doing anything

Lady_Macbeth

FillSpectre wrote:

Isn't the confrim debit details a signature thing you need to send to your bank to authorise them to tallow money go to smart?

No, they already have my details - it was just a confirmation to see if they were correct.

RoundyMooney

I hate inept customer service, most of it these days is due to ill-qualified call centre drones with limited responsibility, authority, and intelligence. That is of course, when you actually get to speak to a human being.

Lady_Macbeth

RoundyMooney wrote:

I hate inept customer service, most of it these days is due to ill-qualified call centre drones with limited responsibility, authority, and intelligence. That is of course, when you actually get to speak to a human being.

It's a joke; whatever about my opinion of starting an account with Smart before was, I'm most certainly never going to entertain the idea again.

ionapaul

After many years, in many countries (well, Ireland and the US), of calling telecoms and other utility services companies closing accounts / opening accounts / changing accounts and services, I am 100%, nay, 1000% sure that it is official policy to disregard your first one or two attempts to cancel the service. They make it as difficult as possible to get through to someone who can close the account for you, you often have to wait ages on the phone, on hold for up to an hour, and be transferred from person to person before getting someone willing to help. Whereas if you are calling to set up a new account, you will be talking to a happy sales agent lickedy-split! I have no doubt that the cancellation procedure is so frustrating and difficult solely in the hope that customers will give up and continue to pay for the service than go through all the hoops.

Some tips: ALWAYS ask for written confirmation of changes / cancellation after you talk to someone about it. ALWAYS ask for their name (and keep track of it!).

God I hate dealing with those companies...

mikedragon32

I can pretty much guarantee you that you will be asked to send in your wish to cancel in writing.

I would advice writing to them, sending it by registered post and making sure to keep a copy of it. You can track registered post on An Post's website.

Smart Telecom
3300 Lake Drive
Citywest Business Campus
Dublin 24

You may also want to contact Eircom (or whoever your landline is currently with) to make sure they don't allow Smart to take over your line.

Isn't it funny though with Smart... I've called their sales dept to enquire about Broadband in the past and didn't have to hold! Same as a lot of companies nowadays it seems. Plenty of staff to get you on board. Very few to help you when you need it!

Sam Vimes

JohnK wrote:

You could contact your bank and tell them in no uncertain terms not to allow a debit from smart. Other than that I'd say keep ringing smart and hope you get through to someone who'll actually help.

definitely do this. it'll save any hassle later on

robinph

mikedragon32 wrote:

Isn't it funny though with Smart... I've called their sales dept to enquire about Broadband in the past and didn't have to hold! Same as a lot of companies nowadays it seems. Plenty of staff to get you on board. Very few to help you when you need it!

Phone up and ask to speak to sales, make no mention of the fact that you want to cancel. Once you get hold of a real person get their name and only then tell them that you want to cancel your account and don't belive them when they try and claim that they cannot do it.

dub45

I would agree with the suggestion to send a registered letter giving explicit instructions not to proceed - address it to the chief executive of Smart Telecom and in the letter specifically withdraw your authority for smart to use the direct debit. Inform him that in the light of this letter cancelling the order and the direct debit that you will regard any furture attempt by Smart to access your bank account as attempted fraud and that the matter will be reported to the fraud squad and comreg and the newspapers. Mention also the incompetence on Smarts customer service that has necessitated you taking this action.

Write to your bank with a copy of the letter to Smart - cancel the direct debit and instruct the bank formally that under no circumstances are they to allow Smart access to your account.

Eircom would be delighted to assist you in frustrating any attempt by Smart to process your order.

Do it all as quickly as possible.

Foxwood

I'm not making any excuses for Smart, but why exacty did you think it was a good idea to give your bank details over to some stranger who knocked at your door, for a service that you weren't sure you wanted?

I hope you get this problem sorted out, and next time, get their phone number and thell them that you call them back with the details AFTER you've gotten the agreement of your housemates!

dub45

Foxwood wrote:

I'm not making any excuses for Smart, but why exacty did you think it was a good idea to give your bank details over to some stranger who knocked at your door, for a service that you weren't sure you wanted?

I hope you get this problem sorted out, and next time, get their phone number and thell them that you call them back with the details AFTER you've gotten the agreement of your housemates!

This is off thread but I agree with you totally - we all have become far too lax in this area and the whole direct debit electronic payment thing needs a revision and a tightening up - it has become far too much weighed in favour of the company and theres very little in it for the customer now I feel. It now seems that companies can and do what they bloodywell like with a direct debit and theres apparently absolutely no sanction available to the consumer.

selekta

ionapaul wrote:

After many years, in many countries (well, Ireland and the US), of calling telecoms and other utility services companies closing accounts / opening accounts / changing accounts and services, I am 100%, nay, 1000% sure that it is official policy to disregard your first one or two attempts to cancel the service.

I'm afraid that in this not-so-smart case it's just a total mess and lack of communication within the company. I waited 2 months for connection, the line wasn't working when I got it, I had to call for a few days so they would note that a technician was needed. Funny thing, a few hours after my first call, they called me with "You just got a new line, we're just checking if everything is ok". "No, it's not, I called you about it a few hours ago, don't you have it in your system?" They of course didn't at the time, just as they wouldn't a few days later. After the technician finally came in and activated the line, they overcharged me in my first bill, charging for phonecalls made before the line was live and for the line itself (while it wasn't live). I am not using the landline phone, just broadband. When I called to tell they overcharged me, they told me to buy a telephone so I could call them and make sure what my number is and were surprised when I said I wasn't buying one "can you borrow one from a neighbour then?".. It was hopeless.
They 'investigated' my case for months (without charging my account during this period) and finally wrote off the calls from my bill. They forgot to write off the days line was dead though. Yesterday they disabled my line for not paying, just because they hadn't noticed I had signed direct debit in the first place, just as the original poster here did.
Today, after 15 minutes of waiting, I was informed the line would be reconnected by 4.30pm. It wasn't. They say now it would be on Monday, no apologies.
I use internet to make my living and weekend offline will translate to a financial loss. I want out of this deal that turned to be the worst consumer experience since I came to Ireland.

Could someone give me some tips how to get comreg involved and get out of the contract without paying penalty?

selekta

selekta wrote:

. They say now it would be on Monday

Saturday and I'm online, nice surprise.

Jor

You want Comreg to do something!!!!!!!!

thirdmantackle

why did you agree to direct debit billing in the first place??