Wednesday 2 July 2008

Telefonica? Wonderful?

I wrote a post a few weeks ago called 'The Wonderful Telefonica.' We all make mistakes. Despite what I had been promised, no engineer turned up to test the line. So the phone still didn't work, but the Internet did.

Until yesterday afternoon, when a computer flicked a switch and instantly cut off my livelihood. I cried for a bit, and then called Telefonica. I got an English-speaking lady this time, and she told me that I had two outstanding bills - one from April and one from last month. I don't know why they don't just apply any money I give them to the oldest bill, but they don't. And it took this lady quite a bit of searching to find the unpaid bills.

Anyhoo, she said if I paid the April bill at a Post Office, I'd be re-connected in 4-24 hours. I sobbed some more down the phone, declined to even listen to the sales shpiel for more hyper-expensive Telefonica services, went to the bank, the Post Office and the pub. And then home. I'd just booted up the computer when the phone rang. It was a computer telling me that the service had been restored. This was actually only about one hour after I'd paid the bill, but I'm refusing to admit to being impressed or even grateful.

6 comments:

dubaibilly said...

You must dream of Etisalat mate!

Keef said...

Dubaibilly: Etisalat got to be quite good on the domestic side (although ridiculously expensive), but as a web designer I had many problems with their restrictive practices on hosting and email relaying isssues.

Susan said...

Telefonica has a history of being customer-unfriendly (e.g. not applying the payments towards the general balance), but it sounds like things have become more efficient over the years-same for Etisalat.

Mme Cyn said...

Hey, FYI for noreason in particular, the UAE govt has just announced that Itisalot and Du-h are going to have to drop their prices for landline calls. The ONLY thing here in the land of the sand that's going down...

Troy said...

Sorry to barge in here and make demands, but really you must switch over from Telefonica ASAP simply on principle. In Telefonica, what you have is an abusive ex-public sector company which was curiously enough, privatized by the Socialists (along with many other essential services) and then its reign of tyranny really began. All the lines in Spain had been put down with public money and this suddenly private company refused to play fair and share. In fact there have been several EU rulings and fines against Telefonica which they simply ignore due to the revolving door that exists between its boardroom and both leading parties. You only have to look to Zaplana's recent step down and then step up to Telefonica. I have recently moved over to Orange, who have finally won the right to use the landlines and no serious complaints yet.
troyshouse.blogspot.com

Keef said...

Troy: interesting. I confess I have no idea how all this works. I don't want the Telefonica landline, but I have to have it for the ADSL. I thought I would be paying 40-ish Euros a month for landline and ADSL, but now it's a minimum of 80 a month if we don't make any international calls on the landline. I have no idea why this shit is so expensive, and would be very happy to find a way out of it!