Rogers just Doesn't Get It

During my move I had to switch my utilities over to the new address.  In most cases I had to close an account at my old address in Aurora and open a new on in Richmond Hill and this cost me some shekels. 

Rogers was different though.  "Moving is absolutely free" the Rogers Customer Service lady said over the phone when I called to let Rogers know that I wished to move my internet from Aurora to Richmond Hill and inquire as to how to do this.

You would think Rogers would have learned their lesson after their last time screwing up with me (see here and here).  It seems that anytime a change occurs at Rogers with an account the customer ends up screwed.   When Rogers purchased Aurora Cable Internet (the local cable company in Aurora), all the old Aurora Cable Internet subscribers were gradually moved over to the Rogers packages.  This caused technical, billing and customer service issues.  Rogers lost gobs of former Aurora Cable Internet Customers.   In my case, they screwed me twice (signed me up 2 times for the wrong package and then screwed up the bill by charging me an activation fee transferring over to Rogers services because Rogers themselves were ending Aurora Cable Internet service!). 

Fast forward to my move.  Remember the line "Moving is absolutely free" that was fed to me by Rogers Customer Service.  Well soon after I moved into my new home I opened my mailbox to find a bill from Rogers for the usual amount plus a "$14.95" activation fee.  

To say the least, I was seething.  If "Moving is absolutely free" than why are, to borrow a line from Chrisopher Watts,  these asshats charging me an "activation fee"?  Again, the premise of changing anything with Rogers seems to boggle their Customer Service people.   You would think that over the past forty years of serving a large swath of Southern Ontario that Rogers could handle someone moving within their service area and promise "Moving is absoultely free" with a snap of a finger.   Apparently not.

So I called Rogers Customer Service and got their billing department.  I told my story to Lyna in billing (who actually spoke clear English and sounded like she at least resided in Canada).  She put me on hold for less than a minute.  She came back and said the activation fee has been refunded and the new amount of the bill.  I inquired with her if this new amount would show up online by the next day.  She confirmed it was.  I took down Lyna's name on my bill and the date I called in case things got even more interesting.

As a test, I logged in five minutes after hanging up the phone and the new amount showed on my account.  I payed it right away!

Fast forward to Wednesday June 23rd of this past week.  At work I had just come back from lunch when a middle aged asian woman walked into the front office looking for the person who looked after the phone system.  I responded that would be me.

The lady said she was from Rogers and if she could see if I was getting any savings on our phone system.  It seemed like she was one of those electrical sales idiots that Ontarians are having issues with but with phone systems.  As soon as she said she was from Rogers I pounced.

I basically told her I would never give our company's business to Rogers based on my experiences on two different occasions with my Rogers home services and Rogers technology and billing practices. 

In return I got the usual nod and smile "I'm understanding your frustration and I promise this won't happen here" response from her.  She said she would be watching our account very carefully as Rogers Account Manager so these items wouldn't occur.

I looked at her with a dumbfounded look and said that I wish I could believe her but the recent media reports were not in her favour.  I pointed out that Rogers was currently refunding somewhere between three and thirty million dollars in overcharges to current subscribers.

She reassured me that as an Account Manager that she would oversee things to ensure everything was correct.  I told her that perhaps if it was just a case like my own Rogers Residential issues I could possibly let it go.  But I'm sorry when it is a figure in the millions of dollars it seems that not only was it just a Rogers Customer Service billing issue but the billing and customer service incompetance goes all the way up to the management chain. 

At this point I had enough and had work to do.  I got up and proceeded to give the impression I was not interested by trying to head back to work.  She insisted that if I changed my mind I should take her name and number to call her.  She gave me her flyer with her name and number handwritten on it.

After she left I filed this piece of paper in my blue box under my desk.  

Rogers, you've apparently learned absolutely nothing.  As Toronto Star Consumer Columnist Ellen Roseman said on her blog "I’ll watch my bills and wonder if I can trust them again."