Meteor Bill pay phone issue

chasm

Hi Guys,
i bought a new phone last week on bill pay. It worked fine for the first few days, then out of the blue started to drop reception for up to a day at a time or would go on "roaming" and i could not access the internet to use my data allowance, I contacted meteor via their online contact form but received no reply, so phoned them instead.
First call involved the usual take battery and sim out then replace, this made no difference, they gave me their internet settings which i wrote down- but when i checked the phone those settings where already there, so that wasnt the problem either. The 2nd call, yesterday i was told that there was probably a problem with the phone and to return it to the store where i bought it, i was going to leave it until today as i had a lot on yesterday but was told as yesterday was the 14th day after purchase i would need to return to the store with it that day so i could receive a replacement. So i rearranged all my plans for the day(the store is in another town and as i don't drive i had to operate by bus eireann's schedule;) ) and returned to the store with the phone.
The guy in the store tells me that the phone will have to be sent away before they can decide whether to give me a replacement, when i said this is not what i was led to believe by meteor, the guy replied they are an independent store and have nothing to do with meteor.

To say im PeeD off is an understatement, my first bill is due to be issued tomorrow, because of the date that i signed up i was due to have 110 mins of calls, 109 texts and about half GB of data, which does not carry over into the next month, but due to the issues with connectivity i have made less than 2 minutes of calls, used about 900kb of data, and used (i think) 52 text messages(sent in the first couple of days when i had connectivity). Now i'm expected to do without the phone for another week or two while they send it away- yet still pay the bill while i still have no access to the phone!!

I'm really annoyed as i've wanted this phone for ages and since i got it ive purchased accessories for it and now it looks like i'm going to have to cancel the contract!
Funnily enough since i spoke to meteor yesterday there does not seem to be so many dropouts in reception or episodes of roaming(it picked up while i was actually talking to them on the landline!).

The roaming issue is bugging me also as they are unable to tell me if i would be charged out of my inclusive minutes- as i havent been able to use them! But if i am in the republic i cannot be roaming right? Could it be that it's getting a stronger reception from another carriers mast and the phone classes it as roaming?

I would gladly keep the phone if the reception(?)issue has been fixed and the roaming issue was infact proven not to be classed as actual roaming but i don't think it is right that i should be expected to pay for the pro rata days at the beginning when i was unable to call or use my data package. Where could i get a direct email address for meteor, as they do not seem to reply to their online contact form, and i'm not sure i trust any info they may give over the phone.

Thanks

foggy_lad

your issue sounds more like a network problem than a problem with your handset tbh, the fact that after your calls things improved slightly could indicate some issue with your local meteor mast.

chasm

Well just phoned them there now- The next time it comes up as roaming they want me to use the phone to make a call, then give it an hour and ring customer services and check if i have been charged- supposedly they will reimburse me! If i am being charged the phone will have to be sent away.

Regarding the pro-rata minutes/text/data, i would have to wait till the bill is issued before i can request that this be written off, and they may not do it as the account is showing usage- the first few days after i got the phone!

So i am none the wiser! I am over my 14 days so i have no right to cancel my a/c according to them, i said that if i cannot get a reception i am entitled to cancel but she said this involved coverage checks and reports etc(a long list of things i cannot remember!) and i will still have to pay all charges!! This is a joke!

foggy_lad

make notes every time you notice you are roaming and when your meteor signal drops very low. also register your account on the meteor website and you should be able to check your own usage but this may take 2-3 months to work

miju

I'm on Meteor bill pay myself at the moment and for the last while signal has been getting worse and worse around the D15 and D7 area.

In the D7 area espicially my 3g goes to roaming the odd time before switching over to the wireless connection

chasm

miju wrote: »

I'm on Meteor bill pay myself at the moment and for the last while signal has been getting worse and worse around the D15 and D7 area.

In the D7 area espicially my 3g goes to roaming the odd time before switching over to the wireless connection

Have you ever made calls when it was roaming? and were you charged? I don't understand how you can be roaming in the republic, and meteor seem unable to say whether it's just the fact that it's using a different networks mast. What sort of phone do you have miju? Im using a htc desire.

miju

chasm wrote: »

Have you ever made calls when it was roaming? and were you charged? I don't understand how you can be roaming in the republic, and meteor seem unable to say whether it's just the fact that it's using a different networks mast. What sort of phone do you have miju? Im using a htc desire.

nope never tried to make calls while it went to roaming. I've a HTC legend and I have to say it's not the best of phones :mad::mad::mad:. Though at least my contract ends next month

chasm

miju wrote: »

nope never tried to make calls while it went to roaming. I've a HTC legend and I have to say it's not the best of phones :mad::mad::mad:. Though at least my contract ends next month

I wonder is it a HTC thing then,(ive been with vodafone for over 10 years and never had any episodes of my phones roaming.)

I'm still not happy that they would expect me to pay for the pro-rata days as i wasnt given much opportunity to use the mins/text/data due to the fact that i had no reception, and tbh i know if i do pay it they will give me the run around trying to get any refund out of them (I am basing this on the my experience of their customer service for the last few weeks!!). Does Bill pay have to be by direct debit- is it possible to pay via a payment slip, like the ESB have at the bottom of their bill?

miju

I initially setup my meteor account to pay by direct debit and then cancelled it through my bank.

I now just pop into their store to pay my bills

chasm

I cancelled the DD and paid the bill at the PO. I only paid the monthly contract amount as i was reluctant to hand over the difference until they responded to my email regarding my complaint of lack of service. (Yes i know i'm not supposed to do this)

Anyway, as i anticipated, they have suspended my service and i now want to send a letter to the company outlining my initial complaint and the reason for my not paying the bill in full, as they do not seem to reply to their online complaints form other than sending the usual " we will be in contact soon" which was over a month ago, so does anyone know where i can get the snail mail address for meteor ?

Chi Force

Meteor Mobile Communications Ltd.
1 Heuston South Quarter
St John's Road
Dublin 8

drunkmonkey

I'm guessing your in the north west somewhere, where meteor don't have a network you get passed over to vodafone up there so you can make calls and texts. You will not be charged for that, meteor will have to pay vodafone but it's no cost to you. It's also why your data is not working as it must be only a talk and text agreement they have with them.

It sounds pretty obvious your coverage is bad with meteor up there, your within the cooling off period so return the phone with the box and all it's contents to the store asap and try another network but check out the 3G coverage around where you are before you try the next network as if it's a smart phone you want the quickest internet possible on it.

Most of the other networks will probably have the same phone so no need to panic about your accessories just yet.