telefonica advice please

[jojo]

I'm having such trouble with telefonica, I really dont know what to do anymore. For starters my internet connection is appalling, its supposed to be 3mb - well thats what I asked for and think I'm paying for, but most of the time it barely makes 1mb and is constantly falling off completely!

Anyway this brings me on to the main problem. I have never had a bill from telefonica since I moved here. They take the money just fine from my account, 200 euros + a month!!!!! I phoned telefonica up, got my "english speaking" advisor (yeah right!) and asked for a bill and for some assistance with the internet connection. He informed me that my address doesnt come up on their computer so therefore they are unable to send me a bill??????????????????????? They also said I cant go their on-line accounting system because of no address??? They seem to have managed to send a man round connect me and take my money with no bloody address - but hey, he suddenly couldnt speak English when I said that! What I need is an interpretor really, but I dont know anyone with good enough spanish/english here to do it.

Has anyone else come across a problem like this? and any ideas what I can do? you can bet your life if I stop my DD, they'll soon find my address to cut me off

Jo

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by jojo

I'm having such trouble with telefonica, I really dont know what to do anymore. For starters my internet connection is appalling, its supposed to be 3mb - well thats what I asked for and think I'm paying for, but most of the time it barely makes 1mb and is constantly falling off completely!

Anyway this brings me on to the main problem. I have never had a bill from telefonica since I moved here. They take the money just fine from my account, 200 euros + a month!!!!! I phoned telefonica up, got my "english speaking" advisor (yeah right!) and asked for a bill and for some assistance with the internet connection. He informed me that my address doesnt come up on their computer so therefore they are unable to send me a bill??????????????????????? They also said I cant go their on-line accounting system because of no address??? They seem to have managed to send a man round connect me and take my money with no bloody address - but hey, he suddenly couldnt speak English when I said that! What I need is an interpretor really, but I dont know anyone with good enough spanish/english here to do it.

Has anyone else come across a problem like this? and any ideas what I can do? you can bet your life if I stop my DD, they'll soon find my address to cut me off

Jo

Telefonica internet and line rental is about €69 a month. You must make a lot of calls to get to €200 a month, thst ridiculous ..... get yourself a cheap call providor and stop using them for calls.

I believe you can actually log on to TF online and see your bill, although I have never done it. The 1004 people do seem to speak reasonable english. On the odd time I have used them and needed something they have been seemingly unwilling to supply I have had to demand it quite aggressively before getting it.

Unless you are making a huge amount of calls then theres something seriously wrong with your phone bill though. I would call them and tell them unless they sort the matter out immediately you are moving away to another call providor.... that usually evokes a reaction

[SteveHall]

I have had 4 years of sorting this xxxx out with Telefónica, If you want me to interevene please PM email me your email and tel. no and I'll call you and talk it through.

You should be able to see your bill online - Telefónica a NATIONAL DISGRACE. I have worked with C&W, BT, Deutsche Telekom, France telecom, Telecom Italia, Telia and NEVER had such hassle. 30 years in Telecoms - no wonder I am an old man!

[chris(madrid)]

And then . I have no trouble at all with them. We have a flat tarif - ADSL and all national calls.

About €60 - The 3MB is a "upto" service and in rural areas YOU WILL NOT GET THIS as the cable lengths are at the limit.

To call teh UK Jo, sign up for something like the SKYPE flat tarif - about 4 euros/month for unlimited LANDLINE calls to the UK. Also includes a UK number so folk there can call you cheaply too.

The problems with flat rates start with calls to Mobiles.

Also ime you need to be cautious about cheap providers who have to use Telefonica lines.

[Stravinsky]

I have had no real probs with Telefonica either. I dont think theres a problem with using cheap call companies - I've used one for ages, but I would have to think very very seriously before moving my ADSL away from them

[SteveHall]

I agree 100% - if you have a problem with, say, Ya they will blame Telefónica and Telefónica will blame Ya ...and the client is stuck in the middle.

As for alternative suppliers, MILLIONS have moved away from the old nationalised monopolies and the bloodbath has not really started. When VOIP does eventually REALLY kick in then the prices will absolutely collapse. BT, DT, France Telecom, Telia etc are on borrowed time. Here's an example Spain - Cuba (monopoly still) ca 1 euro 80 cents per minute. Spain - Australia/USA/UK (with reasonable competition all less than 2 cents!

Then the next real bloodbath will be on mobile calls which are HIDEOUSLY expensive still.

[jojo]

Originally Posted by SteveHall

I have had 4 years of sorting this xxxx out with Telefónica, If you want me to interevene please PM email me your email and tel. no and I'll call you and talk it through.

You should be able to see your bill online - Telefónica a NATIONAL DISGRACE. I have worked with C&W, BT, Deutsche Telekom, France telecom, Telecom Italia, Telia and NEVER had such hassle. 30 years in Telecoms - no wonder I am an old man!

Thats really nice of you Steve, thank you. however, saying I didnt know any fully bilingual prople wasnt strictly true, I do know someone and had forgotten about her - and wouldnt have contacted her just for this
and by pure and total coincidence she contacted me on facebook earlier today!!!! And I asked her if she would help me and she has. she's apparently got them to agree to send me a bill and has organised for me to view it on line ....... she hopes!!!!!!!!

Jo

[SteveHall]

Originally Posted by jojo

Thats really nice of you Steve, thank you. however, saying I didnt know any fully bilingual prople wasnt strictly true, I do know someone and had forgotten about her - and wouldnt have contacted her just for this
and by pure and total coincidence she contacted me on facebook earlier today!!!! And I asked her if she would help me and she has. she's apparently got them to agree to send me a bill and has organised for me to view it on line ....... she hopes!!!!!!!!

Jo

Excellent - once you have the bill you can see where the charges come from. If you are not sure of what they all are - drop me an email/PM and I can go through them.

As an example for just 30 euros per month +IVA you should be getting < 3MB, unlimited downloads and 500 minutes of European(including Spain) landline calls. As you can see 200 euros is way way too high!

[jojo]

Originally Posted by SteveHall

Excellent - once you have the bill you can see where the charges come from. If you are not sure of what they all are - drop me an email/PM and I can go through them.

As an example for just 30 euros per month +IVA you should be getting < 3MB, unlimited downloads and 500 minutes of European(including Spain) landline calls. As you can see 200 euros is way way too high!

3MB??? huh, if only!!! I wonder if they'll give me a refund if they've made a mistake on my bill PMSL!!!!!!

I cant even use skype, only the text stuff cos I've never got enough MBs

Thanks Steve, for your help and offer of help

Jo x

[SteveHall]

The ONLY way to get a refund from Telefónica seems to be denounce them. When I changed over from RDSI to ADSL they charged me for all the calls in the first month. The fact that they were "included" made no difference to a long line of operators. When I mentioned it to my bank-manager and asked whether I should stop paying, Manu's jaw dropped, eyes rolled, he came out in a virulent nervous rash and his hands started quivering. I just put it down to a bad experience.

One neighbour did take it all the way to Madrid and the Ministry of Telecommunications and she press-ganged me into writing to them. A few weeks later (and much to my surprise) she got a very grande letter with embossed letterhead, official rubber stamp, the full works. She asked me to translate about six paragraphs of legal Spanish (after all she's only been here 15 years) and apologised for how long it would take make me. I scan read it in about 15 seconds and said, "Done"

"Wow, Steve. Wish we could do that. What does it say?" "Simple, Celia, Tough xxxx".
As far as Telefónica is concerned, it's "Heads we win, Tails the client loses." Life!