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Confusing plan-change information and misleading customer reps

xavier_lin1
I'm a participant level 1
I'm a participant level 1

Background info: I purchased a device with a monthly payment plan in November 2020. The phone was $50*24=$1200, with a $30 per month credit. Along with the plan I got a $40/month plan with 4 gigabytes of data. In addition, I received a 5-gigabytes bonus for 24 months from the sales rep at that time, plus a $5 bonus offer.

 

On my April bill: there has been an increase of $5 per month in the base rate from $40 to $45, but with an additional $5 credit applied so that the total charge remains the same. I did not notice this back then since the total amount remained the same as before.

 

Last week (May 20th, 2022): I saw on the Fido App that there was an exclusive offer of 15 gigabytes for $45, under the "talk, data & text" category. I thought if I switch to this plan, I’ll be paying the same amount per month but with more data. But I wasn't sure whether this will have bad effects on my monthly payment amounts, which is scheduled to end in October. So I called up customer service and spoke to rep #1. I asked if I make the change, would I screw anything up with my current payment plan, since I still have a remaining amount of $300 (6 months) on the device. I was told that the device balance and my monthly plan are separate, and as long as I change to another “talk, data & text” plan, it will not affect anything. So I went ahead and tried to make the change on the app, when a window popped up and said “if you make the change, the following credits will disappear”, and it listed 3 items but showed an amount of $0 for all of them. I thought this meant that I’ll be paying the same amounts, so I continued with the plan change.

 

2 days after, May 22nd, 2022. I double-checked the terms on my new plan agreement, and realized that the two $5 credits are no longer there. I realized that this was not what I wanted, so I called up customer service and spoke to rep #2. She told me that indeed, due to the plan change I no longer have those $5 credits, but still have the original $30 that came with the phone purchase. I said OK, but ideally I’d want my original plan back, so that I’ll be paying the same amount. She told me that she created a case for the back office, leaving a note that I wasn’t aware that the credits would be removed, and I’d like to change back to my previous plan.

 

Today, May 25th, 2022. I received another email for a plan change, and I was shocked. My plan got changed back to the 4 gigabytes one, with a 5 gigabytes bonus, but at the price of $45/month and 0 bonus credits. What’s more, it was NOT a “talk, data & text” plan, but a BYOP plan, which means that I have now broken my contract, and I (1) need to pay the full $300+tx amount for my phone now, and (2) have also lost the $30/month credit (which I would be receiving for 6 more months) altogether.

 

I was totally shocked because this was never my intention. How could it have been? What’s worse, unlike the first time when there was some warning at least (although a misleading one), this time I got no notification or any sort of warning whatsoever, and my plan got secretly changed by somebody at the back office to a plan which was not even my intended one! After this confusing back-and-forth, I’m now back at my old plan while losing all the bonuses that I should be receiving for 6 more months (worth $40*6=$240+tx), and I have to pay the remaining balance upfront today, all just because somebody changed my plan to the wrong one without even notifying me ahead!

 

I then called customer rep #3, who basically told me that I was “unlucky” and “things like this happen”, but refused to offer any solution to make up for this mistake, or refer anyone who I can speak to. He also told me that there is no going back, once this plan change was made, even though it happened with me being completely unaware of what was happening. I was on the phone for half an hour and received zero useful information on even where to ask further questions. In the end I had to google myself to find this forum where I could post my complaints.

 

I was utterly upset and disappointed with what happened in the past week. I have been a loyal customer for the 10th year now, I have never made any late payments for a single month, and this is the level of service that I received when problems come up. I was misled by the My Account APP, the customer service reps, and even being punished for something fully out of my control without me even reviewing what plan I’m about to receive.

 

If I still could not get any reimbursement from Fido for this farce, I will immediately end my service since my device is now (forced to be) paid-up anyways. Thank you to whoever’s reading this from the team, but I also hope that you could feel my disappointment.

3 REPLIES 3

Terry243
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

I upgraded and was told my bill would go down! Nope 90$ up to 126$ and no recorse.   They let the reps promise whatever they want and as long as you sign the contract you get taken for a ride.

Hello Terry243,

 

  I replied to your other post here.

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers

 


Cawtau
Senior MVP Senior MVP
Senior MVP

Hello Xavier_lin1,

 

  Sorry to hear of your situation. It is unfortunate you did not clarify the information before making the change.

 


@xavier_lin1 wrote:

... a window popped up and said “if you make the change, the following credits will disappear”, and it listed 3 items but showed an amount of $0 for all of them. I thought this meant that I’ll be paying the same amounts, so I continued with the plan change...


  The app did mention those credits would disappear. As a result, those credits would have a zero dollar value as also indicated by the app.

 

 


@xavier_lin1 wrote:

...The phone was $50*24=$1200, with a $30 per month credit. 



  You should also note that the cost of the phone was not $50 x 24 month = $1200. The cost of the phone would have been $80 x 24 months = $1920. Customers were receiving monthly credits to offset the cost of the phone. If the contract was broken, the remaining balance would have been $80 x remaining # months as the monthly credit would no longer apply.

 

  You should further note that certain credits are promotional or were added to offset a plan price increase and are not applicable on all plans.

 

  It should also be noted that if a plan is no longer currently offered, it might not be possible to regain that plan. Unfortunately, your original plan does not appear to be offered anymore. The plan available with those details was a BYOP plan. As you note, switching to a BYOP plan would have cancelled your Payment Program. As previously explained, the remaining balance owing would be $80 x remaining months since the device credit would no longer apply.

 

Aside: I don't work for Fido so I do not have access to your account. Any values provided were used and extrapolated from the information you provided.

 

  I am sorry this situation as happened to you. However, a misunderstanding is not the same as being misled. As noted, the app did provide the correct information about what would happen. The credits did disappear since they now have a $0 value. You chose not to clarify the information provided. Unfortunately, making the change might have made it not possible to have the exact plan details plus credits plus financing.

 

  You should note that this forum is community-driven and not intended as a venue for customer service. We appreciate you sharing your experience. However, if you would like to further discuss your issue, you would need to contact customer service. In addition, they can also be contacted via Live Chat, Facebook, or Twitter. Those methods can be accessed via the contact page posted above.

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers