What you need to know:
- The reader was upset over extra charges from the UAE-based telecom company.
- She was unhappy with the service.
I would like to bring to your attention a very unfair and expensive practice by du telecom. I signed a contract for two years with du for a Smartphone privilege plan that came with a smartphone and phone contract for two years.
Now as a common consumer, I understand that after two years the contract would finish and so would my dues after having paid all of it during the two years, but that was not the case.
I was aware that the two years contract would come to an end this year and I called up du a few times during this year just to confirm that the contract was ending this year. About the time, the contract came to an end, I called up du again and I asked them to conclude / close the contract. I was surprised to be told that I had to personally go to the du centre to do so. Why do I need to visit the du centre to close my contract that is already over?
I was busy and could not go personally for almost two months and when I finally went over to migrate my number to my daughter, I noticed that I was continuing to be charged Dh200 for a smartphone that I already paid in full for and that too for two months (Dh400). Du customer care excuse was that since I didn’t come personally to cancel it, it was being charged every month. My complaint is that why am I being charged Dh200 per month for a phone that I already paid for? I had no choice at that time, so I paid all of it and migrated the number to my daughter.
I registered a complaint via du customer care on the phone the same day and I was repeatedly told it was du policy to charge the customer unless they come and close it personally. I said I want that message officially in writing and after repeated requests I was told I would get a reply within 48 hours. I did get a call back saying that it’s their policy to continue charging the customer even after the contract expires until the customer comes and cancels it personally at the du shop. They even had the audacity to ask me if I had a complaint number, when du customer care themselves refused to log a complaint in the first place when I called to cancel the plan the first time. I also stated that I will approach other authorities to get a resolution, and they said go ahead.
This is the most ridiculous thing I have heard, in the age of digital convenience that a customer has to first, cancel their already expired plan? Second, cannot cancel their already expired plan via the phone? And finally, cannot use any other method of cancelling their already completed plan other than visit in person?
From Ms Mary Thomas
Abu Dhabi
A spokesperson from Du responds: In response to Ms Mary Thomas’s complaint, du has found that the customer’s data consumption has been less than the basic data allowance provided through the Phone Privilege Offer that she was subscribed to. Accordingly, we have provided a solution to the customer based on the usage.
The corresponding du team has sent an e-mail notifying the customer of the same after trying to get in touch with her over the telephone.
Ms Thomas responds: Du was very helpful and resolved the situation for us as a special case. Thank you Gulf News.
(Process initiation: June 27. Response from organisation: August 5. Reader confirmation: September 11.)
Editor’s note: Do you have similar issues that you would like to raise with us? You can write to us at readers@gulfnews.com.
