[beanagee1]

I just got a bill for over $500 for wiring changes. I was told that there would be no charges.

Let me give you some background. I have a 98 year old house and we are currently doing complete renovation of the basement. Given the age of the house and granite foundation, Telus installer had chosen to bring the service into the basement and then run internet through wireless modem only. He did not want to drill any holes. I agreed with the decision. The wireless has had many issues.

Once we decided to rip out the basement, I called Telus and told them of the plan and asked them for a few wired connections to our computers for better reliability. The TV service also had to be moved. Telus told me that there is normally a charge for it, but they will waive it.

When the installer came, he told me that it was a much bigger job than what he had expected. I assumed that was an internal communication issue and I was not sure if it mattered to me.

The shocker came today with the bill. I called Telus and they told me that there is no note on the file for a free work and that this is legitimate charge. I do not record my calls so I have nothing to prove that they had promised to waive the charges. I am bit peeved. I will complain to CRTC and any other measures if necessary. I would be better to resolve it in some other way.

Any suggestions as to how I should proceed?

 

[57]

Take it higher in Telus. They may reduce or waive the bill. Be polite and document everything. As you noticed, documentation is very important.

 

[beanagee1]

They usually record all calls. Can they access the call when they promised to waive the charge? Can I ask them to review the recording?

By the way, if I had known they were going to charge this much, I would never have asked for the service. My contractor had a electrician at the job for a nearly a week and the the electrician would have the done the wiring for me, likely for a lot less.

 

[topherpaquette]

it is true that they (or any company you call into for service) records the call but most of the time it is used to protect themselves and not to protect the customer... you can try and please keep us informed of how this plays out for you.

Good Luck

 

[myteammytown]

how long was the tech there doing the work?




****telus employee, but my views are all my own****

 

[ohjay]

ouch.. ya how long was he there for? seems a little excessive.. call retention and get them to dust that one off.. yeesh...

 

[beanagee1]

Telus manager phoned back. I explained the circumstances and they agreed to right off the charges.

 

[TNSF]

It kind of sounds like you had your whole house rewired. There is no way Telus would ever agree to waive fees for the work you've described.

I can't remember, but don't installers get customers to sign a slip when they do chargeable work?

 

[FrostyButters]

I think you got a heck of a deal.

I would suspect the charge that was supposed to be waved was likely the service charge for the tech just to show up.

Was the electrician going to do the work for free? I would imagine his billable rate would be $70 to $100 an hour, plus the cost of the materials.

Honestly how can someone expect a company to rewire a house and network multiple computers at no cost?

That being said, the tech on site should have advised you of the charges before starting any work

 

[beanagee1]

"I think you got a heck of a deal."

I was not looking for a deal, but I suspect you are right.

"I would suspect the charge that was supposed to be waved was likely the service charge for the tech just to show up."

You maybe right but then what is the point of showing and not doing any thing?

"Honestly how can someone expect a company to rewire a house and network multiple computers at no cost?"

They were given a complete and honest assessment of what needs to be done and why. They had agreed that it was reasonable.

"That being said, the tech on site should have advised you of the charges before starting any work"

Yes.

Thank you all for your feedback. In my view, at the end of it all, Telus was more than fair, perhaps even generous.

Cheers,