Setup Carges and first day charges - SCAM?

[KunalJ]

Hate to say this but coming off a chat with Fido customer support and it was a very frustrating experience as the only plausible reply was that I need to look at my contract. How is that Fido agents in customer service have no insight into account history or promos applied?

I am a new comer to Canada and got my Fido plan a couple of weeks back from a sotre where they said they have an offer going on - $55 worth plan with 8gb data (ot to mention, I realie now there are much better ffers in the market but anyway) for $40 only for first 2 months plus free 1000 minutes international calling to certain countries for 24 months. The sales guy never mentioned about the setup fees but only after I asked him and at that time I had signed the agreement. he never showed the agreement or explained this, just said need your signature on an electroni pad. However, when I questioned about the infmaous setup fees and I received an email that I have been referred, I think he mentioned that it will be reversed in the third invoice as part of the promo. All good so far until I receive my first bill and notice exta charges for one day. I don't understand that if I purchase my plan on x day then why will it activate on x+1 day when my sim is activated instantly. Either the plan must activate along with the sim or they both must activate the next day. Either way the sales guy NEVER told me about this so I get charged extra there. That is one thing. When  I get in tuch with a customer sevice agent over chat, I am told the sales guy should have explained this - is this going to reverse the charges? At this point, I start to lose my trust on how helpful Fido or its agents are at helping customers especially newcomers and I question about the authencity of the service charge reversal and the agent keeps saying refer to your contract. No I can't find it anywhere in the contract and I remeber the sales guy say said he agents might not know but it will come back. Now that I go through this forum I notice so many topics on this and its just back and forth between the responses - refer to contract, call support refer to contrcact. Can somebody explain for once how to be sure whether the words of the sales guy were correct, have I been scammed? I need to decide - while this won't break my bank fortunately it does break my trust and never in my network of newcomers would I ever recommend Fido if that is the case. There are as it is way too many things to look into as somebody new and this is what I am chasing here.

Sorry for the rant but it is thoroughly disappointing to think that you been lied to and you need to cough up extra cash for nothing. Could have just taken the sim card and activated it online or gone to another carrier with better data plans for the same amount.

[ruchitab0]

Hi Kunal! I got the similar plan recently when I landed in YYZ (on Oct-07). I was informed that the plan of 8GB will be available at airport for a discount of $10. now in my Fido account detals, I still see it for $55. I recollect free 1000min international calling as a featue, havenot used it yet after reading the feedbacks on the forum.

May I check if you got the correct price and any fee refund after 2-3 months?

[KunalJ]

Yes you have already answered that. Didn't help more than what I mentioned already on which you had to pick up about losing sleep and stuff. Thank you anyway. Glad you decided to not point out again how it is the customers mistake or problem. I will wait and move on. Thank you.

[KAPABLE-K]

Hello @KunalJ,

Welcome to the community!

I can understand your concern in regards to the fees and charges, I will admit there is a ton of agents out there that do not explain the process to every customer thoroughly and just try to hurry through the process. These locations are usually individually owned so the training and service can vary. 

Usually, there is a setup fee associated with opening a new account through an agent the only way to have that fee waived is if you do it yourself through fido.ca.

Most times stores usually have promotions where the fee will be waived but that happens on your second or third invoice, you will be charged the fee, and then it will be credited back on the second or third invoice. From experience fee reversal promotion is not written in plain English on the agreement but it's mentioned as a code and a good agent would highlight it for you.

As for the one-day charge you receive it is valid, what happens is when you activated a line let's say you activate it today August 3rd that day becomes the last day in your billing cycle and your new cycle starts on the 4th that's why you are billed for one month plus a day.

[KunalJ]

Thanks for responding @KAPABLE-K . The essence of my post is the uncertainity in my transaction with Fido due to lack of comunication, transparency (at least at the time of sales amounting to potential misrepresentation) and lack of post sales help. As a consequence, I have to shell out money that I shoudn't have had to. Elsewhere in the world, this can be regarded as predatory marketing and tactics. Coming to the point, store is individual owned or not, I am sure those stores are licensed to deal on behalf of Fido and that is how they have gained access to the Fido system to be able to issue plans, promotions etc. In such an event, if there is misrepresentation of product and/or services - assuming that there is a "soft" misrepresntation, that is, the contract reads one thing while the sales rep speaks another and at a future date a Fido customer service agent acts helpless then, of course, because this was "soft" or verbal misrepresntation, I don't have concrete and guaranteed recourse. Thats exactly where customers like me are stuck and now I see it all over the forum. I regret I didn't research more and make a better decision of selecting a hassle free carrier ot begin with. While this maybe business as usual for a lot of people, it is unwelcoming for a newcomer - the very target audience these sales rep pounce on from right outside the arrival terminal at the airport.

While I appreciate the explanation you gave, essentially, I am now in darkness whether the third invoice will reverse or credit back the $50 setup fee or not because the mention or lack of, in contract is not in a language that any customer would uderstand as you point out. The agents on chat have no clue about it as they keep saying refer to the contract. So for about another 60+ days I am in a limbo and stuck. Wonder if the contract is even enforceable when it has terms mentioned in a cryptic language - sorry this kind of service is such a cultural shock.

To address the other point, the first day charges, sorry as legit as anybody from Fido might make it sound it is a legit scam - the plans I signed up for are the only plans I signed up for with Fido and nothing more. Any extra charges are incurred post crossing the thresholds of the plan as applicable and not before the plan even begins. Hence, the service must start from that starting point or date and if can't be delivered the same day as when I bought it due to whatever technicalities then it must all start from next day as per the plan and only the plan I signed up for. Am not asking to give it to me for free. Just don't give it or at least agree and set that expectation. I don't know if this is a standard here or just Fido specific but I will be honest, this is not what I have experienced in three other countries (in Europe and in Asia) that I have lived in and have had a mobile connection. At the very least, there needs to be explicit mention of this in emails, in promos/posters and by the sales rep. This is a postpaid plan, it has its consequences. I am glad that in my case it is still a small amount but the amount of trust that has already been displaced is huge and before things get messy further (like I read the horrible stories on the forum), I will need to reconsider. But no, wait, I am stuck for a reversal that I was promised but not sure if it will be honoured.

Thaks for the explanation though. It does connect the dots. Wish I had known all this earlier.

[KAPABLE-K]

Hello, again @KunalJ,

At this point, I do not think anything was misrepresented if you got the plan/device you paid for it's more of a lack of explanation of the details. 

The agents on chat do not have access to the contract you signed at the store that's why they will always refer you back to the contract that you will have.

I understand the laws in Europe are actually good for protecting customers but you can not go to another country and just assume things work the same way at the end of the day as much as you may not like it the fault is on the customer also for not asking questions or reading what they are signing.

Waiting for your third invoice to see if the credit will be applied is nothing to lose sleep over if it does not show up just contact customer service and they will make it right.

As for the extra day of service, it's not a scam and it's totally legit and you are paying for service from the day you activate the plan. Our billing cycle is every 30 days and when it comes to cellphone service we are billed for the month in advance as I explained to you before the day the plan was activated would be the last day in your billing cycle and the next day your new billing cycle starts, you are not billed for anything extra. 

Because we are billed in advance if you cancel halfway into your billing cycle Fido will actually credit you back for the remaining days in your billing cycle.

You might read "horror stories" but unfortunately it's because people do not understand the billing cycle on the very first invoice.

[KunalJ]

I like how you start by saying that it is normal and standard and end the writeup with stating that people don't understand. Wouldn't they if it was so standard and simple?

Also, yes the consumer laws are better in Europe AND Asia. This is not to say they aren't or can't be better here. I will form an opinion on that independently basis my experience and no single company or person can dictate that but for the record, elsewhere,  plans start from day one for a new customer. For an existing customer, they are charged as per the new plan (when there is a change) only but on a pro-rata basis (as per the plan which means if I get 1000 minutes free for 30 days and there is one billing day left in this cycle I get an approx and reasonable amount for a price divided across 30 days unless it is a floater add-on which is flexible and has its own date but that is rare). There are no addiitonal charges.

And to be honest, I am sorry you probably missed the part where I said I didn't assume anything. I should have been told about it - a fair expectation. On the contrary, I asked and what I was told doesn't tally post sales. Simple. Yes, it is misrepresentation and given the context of going to new country and all as you mention - predatory. As for asking customer service, aren't the people on chat the same group? Or maybe are you telling me I need to call because people on call have access to my account but people on chat don't. Must have missed reading that part in the contract as well. No, they don't have access to contract but those promo codes are not made at home by those sales reps. Those are standard promo codes, they could have told me what you told me about those promo codes and checked in the system. Sorry, I have been inthe service industry and had my fair share as a consumer and I can see a plain simple solution to this and many other problems here. But I also get the marketing strategy and target audience and hence the attitude as well as the state of service.

Like I said a $100 here or there won't break the bank or make Fido wealthy, but goes a million miles in making or breaking trust. Not that it proves anything to debate this on an internet forum. Wonder why there is no contact email where an employee can atually provide a response basis the actual account, I would like it to be documented going forward since there seems an implied belief that contracts (that are never shown to you before you sign) > human interaction and trust, so sales rep can yap all they wan't, dude should have read the contract fresh off the boat else we rob him? If that is not what is meant and am sure its not, but that is how it comes across (to a whole bunch of people).

[KAPABLE-K]

Hey @KunalJ,

To avoid any unnecessary back and forth let's stay on point, your concern is with the setup fee and the one-day service charge.

You will have to wait for at least your third invoice and if the fee is not credited back then you can contact customer service and they will help you.

As for the one-day service, the charge is valid as I have explained above.