411 directory assistance charge (Possible conflict/Legitimate charge, but no notification upon calling number)

[LittleBlackDog]

Hey there!

Just checked my most recent Fido bill (July 9th billing cycle) which was a bit more than the last couple of months' since I upgraded my old plan to my current one, with paid data budget and revised text/long distance/no minutes limit per month, rather than the grandfathered-in FidoPro I had since the beginning, and realized what it was very quickly.

I had been charged $4.25- not a small amount on the budget I work with (I'm on ODSP, am chronically disabled and cannot work or hold down a job in any currently sustained capacity)- for the use of #411 directory assistance; I did look it up and it was a legitimate charge under Assistance (https://www.fido.ca/support/mobility/quickdials) but it is by far the single most expensive charge that can be levied per use, no variation to it.

And there was no indication when I called the number- I was in a state of extreme crisis and could not ask the people I live with for the number of our nextdoor neighbours, because said fellow inhabitants and the homeowner are relatives and I was terrified I'd be locked out or my few, single room's worth of belongings disturbed if I left the house- that this charge would be applied or that it was applicable. This was 'resolved' but this person is a psychiatric consumer (he has the same psychiatrist as I do, for argument's sake, which I am told is not against licensed medical regulatory advisory but is unusual and not advisable in circumstances like ours and mine), is not reliably stable and not provably compliant; this has happened before repeatedly and escalated over several months and I am in the process of awaiting placement in public housing for my own, without going into any further context than this.

I fully concede that I could have looked the charge up in a stable state of mind but please understand, this was likely the first time I've needed this service in an extreme state of crisis and the fact that the end result is my being charged five dollars, no better than a toll-free 'fun call' that themselves will by legal limit be before being connected remind you of the charge (the recorded intorduction prior to speaking to a 411 operator did not mention the mandatory and I posit, extremely expensive charge, I remember being in a clear-headed enough state that I heard nothing of any such caution in the straightforward and streamlined automated reception) and in this case did not in any way advise me of the levied charge before being connected, once I had been directed to a live operator.

My already chronically-sensitive trust issues are already in a serious state of severely impacted flux since this past Christmas (2023) when things really started getting awful at my end and this is not the kind of lack of care that's going to make me want to keep with Fido once I can drop my plan; I haven't done it yet but now that this has happened, I may  very likely do it and soon, if not inmmediately once I've concluded my present reckon with Fido.

I upgraded this plan back in March partly so I could have a data connection that was not totally reliant on my home internet and router in case the worst happened, and the one time I needed something like 411 to look up a phone number in an emergency it wasn't covered by the plan- fair do's, that is in the documentation, within some limits- but also that it was never spelled out when I did call I'd be charged for a service I may never have used even once on my cellphone, and I've alwasy been with Fido for my CSP (originally $40/400 min per month and FidoPro, signed up Fall 1999 with the Nokia 5190 as my original handset), which is not a variable I could anticipate if I never knew it was a mandated charge and an expensive one at that.

I realize my situation is unusual, and that being the case- and knowing from now on that this charge will be applied to my smartphone bill, no matter what the reason I can see exemption from looking the Directory Assistance reckoning online and here in Fido's documentation, I will make very sure that I write down that I've used it if and when I ever do in the future, like a small debit or tollc charge I would not be likely to remember piecemeal- I would consider it an act of merited trust and compromise for this charge to be removed this once, and any subsequent calls I make and connect to this number I will keep in mind that it is applicable and will fully be on me to care for from now on.

If that can't be arranged for I cannot and will not hold this against Fido or its regulatory modum personally, and will pay my bill with the full amount currently charged, as I do every month per that charge, this coming week; in this case I'll do it on the 24th, so I have time to hear back from you if this is an unusual enough request that roughly ten days (including this weekend and the next Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st) might be a reasonable span to allow a compromise on this sole occasion in removing the 411 charge if that exception can be reasoned between us, and still leave seven to pay my bill and be cleared to reckon between us before the end of the month and my end billing date of July 31st.

The state that I am currently in, again, emotionally and psychologically, will however have from now on a 'strike' against my trusting to business with Fido in aversion and association if nothing else is done that will affect my biases, and I doubt I will remain a customer of your company for very much longer now that I am familiar with the number transfer process; I had been considering changing my number altogether given my current living circumstances and frankly that would be easier right now anyway if I go ahead with that instead.

I do not beg this of you as much for financial recompense but to throw me a bone of trust, for right now there's not a lot that I do or can, strongly trust or rely on outside of my limits to keep things inside me stable but stay healthy, get enough sleep and care for myself without distrupting my life, current daily habits or burdening anyone else's purpose and journey further to do so.

I have no desire to pull up more stakes than I already have or will soon need to, and Fido at least as my original and sole cellphone service provider has been a far better and safer place for me than worse. If the circumstances were any different presently I would never ask this of you, as the charge is listed in your documentation, and even had I the gall to challenge it I know would be in the wrong even though I felt I needed to use the 411 service for which I was fairly charged in a moment of extremity.

I want my family at Fido to help me trust a little more presently in the immediate future, so in the future I can trust a lot more, come what may, and have something a little more of what was once was to carry with me when I reach the safer place ahead of me that is my own, remaining mobile, but whole.

Thanks for reading this far if you've made it here too, and for reckoning kindly.

[Cawtau · Accepted solution]

Hello LittleBlackDog,

  Sorry to hear of your situation. However, you should note these forums are community-driven and not intended as a venue for customer services. We would not be in any position to consider your request.

  That said, you should note that Directory Assistance is a third-party service. While the charge appears on your Fido bill, the charge is from Directory Assistance, not Fido. As far as I am aware, Bell Canada operates the service in Canada (see here and here). Apparently, they do offer exemptions under certain circumstances. You might consider contacting Bell customer service to see if you can register for their exemption.

  Since the charge is from a third-party, I'm not sure whether Fido will be able to remove the charge. If you would like assistance with your matter, 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

[LittleBlackDog]

Hey there, Cawtau!

I feel sure I understand; I know my request was unusual, and the circumstances were at least for me unique. On top of that, I know the folks here don't by purpose work with customer service directly, even if it was something that could be resolved within reason. I hadn't heard back from anyone at Fido until today, the 24th, which was when I had originally decided to wait until making up my mind, and so I came back to look and saw your response had been awaiting me for the past two weeks, posted likely within hours or perhaps a day of my first post.

I thought I'd set up my notifications to send an email my way upon a response to a post I'd made, but nothing came through regarding yours two weeks prior; not that that's your fault at all.  I did have time to settle my mind about this and I've already mostly made up my mind as to what I plan to do; it's not Fido's fault, nor 411's rules about the number's use, but for me and how I feel, the implications of a extra charge like the one that happened so soon after my recent plan upgrade, and what I need to do personally for my mental health. Had I only eighty dollars in my debit account and my payments were set to be made automatically, and expected it to be less than $80 (which it would usually be) but as this month it wasn't, I'd go into overdraft and on my present budget I don't know how bad the recovery process from that would be.

I had no idea there'd be any extra charge for directory assistance at all (again, at no time during my call did I recall any spoken mention of such a charge before I was connected), the one time in my life I was in this degree of mortal terror and needed to know something like a directory lookup in a moment of need wouldn't do me in, and that this was barely four months after my upgrade and revised plan was activated, meaning to add a resource needed and didn't have, and this still happened, could've been worse had I not known in advance and have instead chosen to pay my bill on time, each month for more than 20 years...well, that's why I've really been struggling with this.

First, I'll be paying my bill in full as it stands on July 31st- I've done that in the past, that it's met to payment on time via debit as long as it's paid and goes through on or before the final payment day- as this was my goof in a moment of panic, regardless of why, but I'll almost certainly be switching to the alternate carrier and service I'd prepared in advance, with its first month's fee currently waiting in escrow, since I handle my own cellphone bills.

I think I would've chosen this anyway, so I am glad that I was able to think about what was important to me first, and likewise that you were frank, eminently respectful and you shared not a small bit of kindness listening to my tale and in your response. You were a big help, given the changes that have happened in my life and mental health over the last several months, but also the improvements put in place over those several months, so thank you kindly for that. I won't forget that kindness, nor yours.

I don't think leaving Fido is a done deal for me, but my choice seems to be heading in that direction. That said, I haven't set my mind fully to it yet, and frankly if I can get past my trust aversion I think I'd rather stay. All I can tell you is that I'm thinking clearly, and the least I can do is be honest and courteous, just as you have been. No regrets, only my thanks, and my gratitude for your kindness in turn.

-LBD.