Telecom Plus Poorer and poorer

Smartasss

Lisyloo wrote:

I think you have to give them a debit or credit card to sign up

That is scary - bearing in mind we know why they want the details!

If anyone is considering joining up with them (in spite of everything), then they ought to cross that out on the application!

If the application gets rejected because of that, then you probably have had a lucky escape!

mrtickle

Ah right. I thought hansi was talking about a DD payment taken with less than 10 days' notice.

System

I have actually read this thread with great interest...

There are a number of observations I'd like to make for all concerned - there is criticism and praise aplenty for everyone.

Declaration: I am still a (now non-practicing) rep for Telecom Plus...

The first thing to say, COS, is that jumping to the conclusion or implying that EVERYONE who has ever sold anyone anything is purely motivated by personal greed and deception, or disingenuous dishonesty is completely over the top, unwarranted and uncalled for.

Aside of the complete lack of truth in what YOU have suggested, people - even SALESMEN & WOMEN are entitled to make a living - this includes enjoying the commission that they earn!

Telecom Plus: (as in why I am currently "quiet"). I know I'm not the only one to have got mega-peeved at HQ's apparently lack of ability to answer inbound calls or especially emails. I know of a handful of people who have ended up sending in emails in red block CAPITALS perhaps 3 or 4 times to get issues dealt with.

Silly things like when quoting for gas & electricity and sending up a potential customer's bills for the written appraisal - even though a yellow post-it note is stuck on the top of each bill with the message in red Please reaturn this bill to the customer the said bills end up in a filing cabinet at head office!!!!!!!

A few of the critics carped on about our commissions: One of the reasons why I have stopped selling Gas & Electricity is because I actually don't get paid for it. You see, unless the TP distributor has at least 50 active customers, he won't get paid the 2.4%'s of his entire cutomer base's energy spend.

Indeed, why should I sign someone up for the "cheapest Gas & Electricity" (let's not argue whether it is or not at present, eh) when they actually can't be signed up and they only do when they sign and return a second or thrird form to confirm they want their service taken over... In the great scheme of things, when I have sold a service like this and I don't get paid for doing so until months (if ever) later, I have found it a bloody big switch off... And like I say, we have to put up with the likes of "COS" who says we're all out on the razzle at our customers' expense....

FWIW Telecom Plus has cost me around £1,000 in joining as a rep fees and advertising... My 'upline', whilst great at congratulating me for getting 60 odd customers or so not long after I joined never helped me at all to bring other people into the business - and I certainly do now resent the fact that I am keeping - still - this parasite for introducing me to the business.

The concept behind TP itself is great - I bought into it after all. BUT, the company has to invest in its staff at HQ (as in pay people a rate which will attract the right calibre of staff and in enough numbers - if it doesn't then the sorts of moans and carpings from disgruntled customers will go on and on and on.

And as for 'selling' their services. I personally enjoy better up front payments for signing people onto gas & electricity, broadband and home telephony elsewhere as well as a slightly better residue commission.

FWIW at home I still have the gas and electric. I still have an 0800 number and a mobile phone. But the 'pig' is incredibly expensive in comparrison to what else is out there, and like I say, the residue income comes in £10's a month in total rather than £,000s. The big money is in getting a downline - but in my experience the upline won't help me to do that and all the time for any minor problem, the customers moan at me!!!

I will leave my 'sleeping' TP business until it dies a death on it's own - unless they change their staffing arangements and commission structures and incentives meantime that is.

lisyloo

Ah right. I thought hansi was talking about a DD payment taken with less than 10 days' notice.

Yes you are right.
But what I am saying is that if Hansi goes to the bank and asked the bank for the money back under the DD guarantee then Tplus will simply take the money off any debit or credit cards that Hansi has registered and it says they can do this in their Ts&Cs.

So basically if you have given them a debit or credit card them there is no way to stop them getting at your money (and I don't think an equivalent of the DD guarantee exists for debit or credit cards).

hansi

Ah right. I thought hansi was talking about a DD payment taken with less than 10 days' notice.

I was!

hansi

Yes you are right.
But what I am saying is that if Hansi goes to the bank and asked the bank for the money back under the DD guarantee then Tplus will simply take the money off any debit or credit cards that Hansi has registered and it says they can do this in their Ts&Cs.

So basically if you have given them a debit or credit card them there is no way to stop them getting at your money (and I don't think an equivalent of the DD guarantee exists for debit or credit cards).

ah yes, but Hansi hasn't registered any credit cards with thembecause of exactly that!

lisyloo

If you have no debit or credit cards registered with them then you can go to your bank and get the money back via the DD guarantee.
The way it works is that your bank should refund you and then investigate.
The whole point of the guarantee is that you can be happy that you can get your money back and the investigation goes on later.

However in this case, I suspect that you do owe them the money and they have probably billed you correctly in which case you will have to pay the money straight back again.

It's not really my idea of fun and your bank might not appreciate it either.
I am not entirely sure that this will acheive much.

mrtickle

Yep. I was agreeing with you earlier, I realised that if there was a CC no. on file then TP have an alternative means of getting the money, so they don't use DD.

However, since they have billed late and don't appear to have given enough notice, then should they debit the money too soon it is a breach. No dispute as to whether or not it's the correct amount; not giving enough notice is a breach too (NB: this is if that condition was in the original agreement that was signed - I've seen "variations" of the DD guarantee and some of them don't mention the 10 days). If there is any kind of breach the customer is entitled to the refund!

Then the amount will go on next month's bill. If they don't give 10 days' notice next month, repeat the procedure. You get to earn extra interest on the money in the meantime - a good moneysaving tip!

The bank probably won't appreciate all this, no. Tough. This is a good thing; only the banks are big enough to do anything about it. Writing letters to TP asking nicely to for the bills to be sent out on time won't work, but if the banks start getting shirty with TP then something might change!

I had an experience with my bank who dodged the DD guarantee, "started an investigation" and didn't refund me immediately. Result: a full refund and a £50 ex gratia payment from the bank for not honouring the DD guarantee.

lisyloo

Then the amount will go on next month's bill.

What makes you think they will wait for the next bill.
They only have to wait 10 days.
I am also not entirely sure as to what extent you can hold them responsible for Royal Mail delays.
Every company makes assumptions that customers have received their bills.
You can't expect every company to phone every customer to make sure they've received it.
I think a court would consider that they were entitled to expect that it was delivered in the usual timescales by Royal Mail.

hansi

It is now the 24th of July, my money is due to be taken on 30th July (I presume) and I STILL haven't had a bill, electronic or mailed from TP+. This is now getting ridiculous. No doubt they will have an excuse for it, and blame someone else, roll on till the end of my contract and I'm off! Bye Bye TP+