Is it me?
I often feel that I’m turning into Victor Meldrew; but on reflection I have very good cause… take these events from just the last few days:
Part 1:
Letter from HM Gov informing me that I have underpaid tax by £1,400 last year.
Is this perhaps because I have had a windfall that was previously undisclosed? Has my salary been increased but not notified to the authorities? Have I had a huge and unreported bonus?
No; none of the above, and what is all the more galling, is that I was refunded a very similar amount only a few months ago: because they had over collected…
The only reason is sheer incompetence; how the hell do they work this stuff out? an abacus?
Part 2:
Having bought one of those ‘smart’ phones, I decided to get a contract to go with it – especially as I had been offered an exceptional deal.
Toddled along to the shop to sort it out, and all was going swimmingly until my credit application (for that is what a phone contract is – even though they take the money first) was declined.
This was rather a surprise as I have been known to spend sums somewhat larger than the proposed £10 a month; but sometimes this happens apparently. The woman at Experion (the credit reference agency) was of no assistance on the phone; suggesting that maybe I was not on the Electoral Role or some such – unlikely; I have been here for 22 years and have never missed any payment of any kind; ever…
Returning home I did their on line credit check application – free, but they want a card detailed, and they charge about £8 a month thereafter if you don’t cancel within 28 days.
Result? ‘We need to carry out further checks’… Oh, ok; so you can decline my details to a complete stranger, but can’t share the reason why with me… even when you have my card details.
This is a great money making wheeze isn’t it: diss folk, and then charge them £8 a month to find out why.
Part 3:
Part 2 of the above really… all of this going to support the well known maxim: ‘if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it’.
Having been declined the phone contract, I decided to just get a monthly top up until the above could be resolved. On offer was a £15 deal that included some minutes, free texts and some data (Internet access); fine, sounds perfect…
£15 handed duly handed over and buttons pressed to move my existing phone number onto the new deal. Only after this point was I told that the Internet would not work on my phone (despite the fact they sell the same model – its nothing specialist or unusual).
‘Well you can have it back then, and give me a refund’, said I…
‘Oh, it’s gone through now and I can’t stop the process’ said she…
So in summary; they have sold me a product that is not fit for purpose, but I have got to have it anyway because my phone number is irretrievably locked in to transferring to it.
All this from O2, which retails the product under the name ‘Simplicity’, and is currently running an advertising program about ‘nobbling niggles’ and ‘sorting gripes’… you couldn’t make it up!
After a nerve steadying gin, I got on the phone to the hilariously named customer services (dodging the 5p per minute call rate by using the web site SAY NO TO 0870) and explained the tale.
They offered to try and cancel the phone number transfer, and offered a £5 refund for the non usable data part of the deal… mmm; so that’s a bit like booking a flight to Spain, then being told that they have changed their minds and are now going to Italy, but I can have the difference between Italy and Spain back.
‘You misunderstand’ said I… ‘I want a full refund for the product I can’t use, and some compensation for all the messing about’… Unable to process…
As we leave it; the number transfer is possibly canceled; won’t find out until Tuesday. If it does get transferred it will also wipe out credit on the existing number… more importantly: letter in the post to O2 Chairman. I will update on outcome.
The modern world seems to conspire to send ordinary folk round the bend. And as often, these events fall into the ‘computer says no’ category.
Most stuff works pretty well these days; but the minute something goes wrong you are f*****, and can’t get sense out of anyone.
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[...] Is it me? [...]