New call - was Primus Telecom

flossy_splodge

Oh where to start! I was behind in a payment - I admit it. I received a statement of account in the post showing Payment due date of 14th Dec.
Coincidentally, I received a phone call this afternoon from someone purporting to be from New Call asking me to verify my details for security. I laughed and said 'I don't think so'.:o
They then said unless I pay the oustanding amount (the princely sum of £6.42) by close of play today, my line would be blocked.
I said I would call them back on their freephone number so I KNEW who I was talking to.
Called and got an automated service which required me to 'press option 3' for payments. On pressing option 3 it went into a loop and we started all over again. Several times.:eek:
I hung up and this time chose the option for Customer Services.
At last after 24 minutes on hold (no problem except my time) I got through to a very pleasant young lady who expressed shock when I told her I had been spoken to in a most rude manner.
She sorted everything out and I said that whilst waiting on the line for her I had gone into my internet banking and made the payment online.
She offered to check with the 'credit' department that all was well and no block would be placed on the line - (I am sole carer for my 90 year old father and need the line to work).
She came back and said that unfortunately online payments were not accepted :eek: until at least the next day when their system updated (I use Lloyds who showed the money would be in their account within 2 hours!), and so the account would be blocked til THEY accepted they had had the money!:mad:
(So much for the benefit of faster Payments).
I then offered to pay again in order to ensure no problems on the line. She was told that only the credit department could take a payment as my account was now in their hands.
To cut a very long story short, I spoke to the Collections co-ordinator, one Robert McDonald who told me that not being willing to give out personal details to an unsolicited call was a matter of personal choice!!!:rotfl::rotfl:
When I asked him if he was unaware of all the guidance to consumers about such matters he said it was still a matter of personal choice! :eek:
In spite of my trying to do as advised and make the payment tonight they had in fact already gone ahead and blocked my line.:(

He further told me that in fact customer services COULD take a payment.
Talk about the left hand not doing the same as the right hand.

I am exasperated and appalled at their atrocious lack of training in customer service.
The account is now paid and I will be expediting my calls back to BT.
No amount of savings are worth this stress and this unpleasantness.
Such a shame as the young lady in customer service was first class.
Beware Primus/New call.
Not a fun company to deal with and if you still choose to deal with them make sure you double check any information you receive as I get the inmpression they make it up as they go along. Take an answer, any answer.
Oh and the account details on their Bank Giro Credit slip at the bottom of the statement shows INCORRECT information. Wrong bank, wrong sort code and wrong account number.
Said gentleman tells me this information is not intended to set up an online payment from!!
Shame they can't just say 'sorry' we're using up old stocks of paper from when it was Primus!!