Smart Bro Sucks.. The Service AND Customer Service
Continuing with my rant about how SMART Bro
sucks big time… I actually remembered an incident that I overlooked, which was in itself a revelation of the kind of customer service OR should I call it, “disservice” that SMART Bro has.
In late September I had to rush to the US, the trip was rather sudden and so I was unable to have my SMART Bro connection terminated. After things finally settled down over here, I tried emailing and contacting customer support to ask how I could have it terminated. This was in October already and I had no longer been using the service but I felt it was my duty to still pay for the period since I was unable to have this account terminated.
You know what is the first response I received from SMART Bro customer support.. instead of telling me straight out what to do, I was asked “WHY DID I DON’T REQUEST FOR TERMINATION BEFORE LEAVING.”
I don’t know about you but, I find this a rather silly question to ask, that at some point I thought they were scolding me for not terminating it and hence giving them a hassle.
I thought, “this can’t be right, I mean.. I am the customer, I had been paying them for their lousy service for over a year.”
Of course, I knew I had to terminate it, but given my schedules prior to departure I could not do so, and could not find anyone I could trust to do it for me since I have no immediate family in the Philippines, as they are all based in the US.
Now, this attitude reveals what poor customer service SMART Bro has.
So, after that I was advised what to do to terminate the account, and it involved the paying of an outstanding balance of up to October which I paid promptly.
Now, they are telling me that they did not disconnect it because I was unable to meet the requirements (that I had already sent them) for termination, and WANT ME TO PAY FOR AN OUTSTANDING AMOUNT FROM OCTOBER 2008 UNTIL JANUARY 2009.. and will not terminate the account and will continue to bill me (the amount will just get bigger) if I do not settle it.
So as you can see… SMART Bro Customer Service is not only bad, their attitudes are terrible, PLUS their policies are unfair and rob you with your eyes wide open.P2 release
My SMART Bro Problem
Please take time to read about my SMART Bro problem because this can happen to you.
I had been a SMART Bro subscriber for about 18 months and I have had several disappointments with the service and now another disappointment which is even more serious and more grave.
You see while I had to deal with network problems such as slow or no connection, having to deal with numerous customer service calls because of their network.. I had to put up with all that because it was the only internet service I could get that was wireless, since I was then renting my own place in Sto. Nino Village and did not need a landline.
In the suddenness of my departure for the US, while in the US I had made contact via email with SMART Bro people to inform them that I was in the US and that I would like to have the account terminated since no one was using it, given that I was in the US.
I got a reply and was asked to provide receipt of payment of my SMART Bro balance up to that time which was October, together with a letter of request for voluntary termination, and a copy of my ID. All these I sent, and settled my bill.
Fast forward several months TODAY, when I receive a notice that I had an outstanding bill and that my SMART Bro service was discontinued due to non payment of account balance for October until sometime December. Which then brings be to wonder why in the first place am I still billed when I had already requested for the termination of the account.
So I am again in touch with SMART Bro people who request again for the same requirements but this time ask me to send someone to physically go to a SMART wireless center.
So I send my representative, who then reports to me saying that..
“I will need to pay the accumulated balance of P2,473.33 or they will not terminate the account and they will continue to bill me for the succeeding months even if there was no more service and even if I am not using the service”.
I don’t know about you but this sounds like a threat, or customer blackmail, this would have to be what it feels to be hijacked.
The nerve these customer (dis)service people have, they were remiss in doing their job and now they want me to pay for their mistake.
So in other words, if I do not pay for an amount which was due to their negligence, they will continue to bill me for every month after even if the account has already been discontinued and even if I am not using the service. I mean, seriously… this is not only fair, but appalling and oppressive.
Please forward this post to people you know who are users of SMART Bro so they shall be forewarned. To do so, just use the form right after this post.
Remember, as consumers we are protected by REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7394 otherwise known as the Consumer Act of the Philippines, and I quote..
Art. 2. Declaration of Basic Policy. – It is the policy of the State to protect the interests of the consumer, promote his general welfare and to establish standards of conduct for business and industry. Towards this end, the State shall implement measures to achieve the following objectives:
(a) protection against hazards to health and safety;
(b) protection against deceptive, unfair and unconscionable sales acts and practices;
So what sort of other past complaints have I had with SMART Bro?
Here are three:
http://www.roysencio.com/smart-bro-slow-try-super-slow/
watch ice station zebra online
http://www.roysencio.com/smart-bro-my-ball-breaker-for-the-morning/
Free Ebook
Download my New Twitter Guide"Hello! Nice To Tweet You" is an easy to follow guide to setting up and networking on Twitter, it includes tips and recommended free software to help make the Twittering experience both enjoyable and easy.
To get your copy, all you have to do is ReTweet any of the blog posts you find useful to your Followers on Twitter, simply fill up the form found at the end of a blog post.
