Optus upsell attempt ends in tears - for Optus
23 Jan 12 11:21AM EST |
Post by
Angela McDougall
On a recent stop at my mailbox to collect the few letters that usually turn out to be promotional materials or bills, I found a lone letter from Optus promising ‘NEW PLANS FOR THE FUTURE’.
Now, Optus and I have had a rocky relationship over the years. But things seemed to have settled down after I reduced my Optus products to just a $19.95/month home phone, which seemed like a relatively trouble-free and manageable commitment.
$19.95 didn’t seem like too much to pay to be able to find my mobile when it gets lost under a pillow and make a couple of landline to landline calls a month for an extra dollar or two.
This bliss was shattered with Optus’ revelation that my plan had been closed down. On making a “careful consideration of how you use your home phone” and “reviewing your usage” from February to April 2011, Optus had chosen a “good match” for me and hoped I would “enjoy” my new home plan.
I read on to see how much it would cost to enjoy this new plan and discovered it would cost $39.95/month - a whopping $20 more than what I’d been paying.
But wait – this new plan came with $50 of calls included! This might have sounded great, except that from February to March, the most I’d spent on calls was 58c. I couldn’t quite see how paying an extra $20 to not use $49 in calls was a “good match”.
I took a deep breath and rang Optus. I know it’s not cool to break up over the phone, but I had to act quickly before I lost my resolve. After choosing the automated option to terminate my contract, my call was promptly answered by David. I explained that I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of paying double for a service I barely use and that it seemed that Optus hadn’t in fact carefully considered how I use my home phone.
David quickly offered to help. He could move me to the $29.95/month plan – and chuck in a monthly $10 discount!
It was too late. I realised Optus would never be the provider I wanted it to be. I felt betrayed by Optus’s assurances it had reviewed my usage when they’d moved me to a plan priced well above my needs despite a cheaper plan being available. They then threw in a discount only when they realised they were sprung. It was time for a clean break. I cancelled my service.
It’s time to start planning my future without Optus. It turns out there are all sorts of options out there for a home phone service. Now if I could just find my mobile and make some enquiries …
Has your telco provider ever changed your plan without your consent? If so, did the new plan leave you better, or worse, off?