Thank You, Globe!

I needed access to the Internet but didn’t want to pay for a monthly phone line, so I ended up with a Globe Tattoo USB Internet Prepaid Dongle.

It set me back PHP995, but I liked how they’re so small and convenient. Just plug in the palm-sized USB stick into your PC and surf away.

Why the provider Globe? …Simply because most of the people I know are Globe users.

BIG mistake.

Supposedly, users pay only PHP5.00 per 15 minutes of Internet usage…But when I surfed for 44 minutes and 56 seconds, I was charged PHP20.00! This wasn’t the first time the overcharging happened. It has also happened before.

I called to complain, for sure. But it was a futile pursuit.

Here’s how our conversation went:

Me:  I used only 44 minutes and 56 seconds of Internet but PHP20.00 was deducted…how come? This is the second time it’s happened…

Agent:  Sorry for the inconvenience. Can I have your number?

Me:  my number

Agent:  Thank you. Let me clarify, do you have an active subscription for browsing?

Me:  No.

Agent:  Thank you. Our Time Based Browsing is PHP5.00 per 15 minutes. You will be charged PHP5.00 regardless whether you used the 15 minutes or not.

Me: I know. But for less than 45 minutes, only PHP15.00 should have been deducted, right? But PHP20.00 was deducted. (I hate repeating myself, but what can I do? :P)

Agent:  As checked, only PHP15.00 were charged from your account and not PHP20.00.

Me:  My balance is PHP61.50 from PHP81.50, isn’t it? (Thought he could trick me, huh?!)

Agent:  You will be charged for the whole 15 minutes whether there is browsing activity or none/idle. Succeeding connections will be charged PHP5 for 15 minutes.

Me: As I said, I used the Internet for only 44 minutes and 56 seconds so it was still within the [3] 15-minute session. (Had to repeat myself. Again. tsk tsk)

Agent:  My apology for the inconvenience, but all your transactions are recorded and system-generated.

Me: Anyway, you can’t give me back the PHP5.00 that I didn’t use, right? What can I do to prevent this from happening? (The conversation was getting nowhere. The agent wasn’t addressing the issue. So although it wasn’t my fault, I wanted to know what could be done to ensure that it won’t happen for the third, fourth, or fifth time.)

After waiting foooreeeeveeer, a reply finally came…

Agent:  Sorry for the late response. I encountered technical glitch. Thank you for using Talk2Globe Chat! I’m glad to have served you today.

Yeah, right. What an agent! Thank you very much, Globe! Great service!