Overcharged on phone contract for last 15 months.

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Hi!

I'm after some opinions here (apart from those calling me an idiot for not spotting the error earlier!)

I upgraded my phone in July 2012. To cut a long story short, was told a 20% discount would be applied off of my monthly bill (due to who I worked for). They sent me an email confirming my application, and I then submitted my payroll number, and job done (or so I thought).

The payments were coming out of a savings account to which funds are automatically paid in monthly from my current account. Therefore I hardly ever check this account.

This month I signed up for online banking and had a little nose as you do, and then noticed I had been charged 20% too much for the last 15 months.

I do not receive posted bills from them. They signed me up for online billing, I checked it yesterday and I last signed into it in 2011. When I originally started with the network!

I have an email from the phone provider dated the day of the upgrade confirming my discount request.

Contact then last night, 'Sorry sir, no record of you applying for a discount.' I keep fighting the point, and they basically tell me I'm lying. This was via their online messaging help service. They refer me to the discounts team, who I emailed this morning.

They replied with this:

Hi Adam,

Thanks for your email.

I understand your discount query for 07xxxxxxxxx.

I have looked into your account and I am unable to find a discount request for 07xxxxxxxxx made within 30 days of the contract effective date. As there was not discount application made within 30 days, the discount is not applied.

As per the xxxxxxx Program Scheme, all the applicants must submit the discount request through the online portal within the 30 days of their contract effective date.

Also I would like to inform you that we expect account holder to email us (xxxxx team) if the discount is not seen in their first or second bill. However we did not receive the communication regarding the xxxxx discount dispute within 30 days.

I am unable to make any amendments to this rule in the fairness to all of our applicants who have been declined on these grounds and as this is a mandatory requirement of the offer, as briefed to the xxxxxx prior to the scheme launch.

However, in future if you upgrade and request discount within 30 days, please feel free to contact us.

Below is the link where you can check the Terms & Conditions of xxxxx Scheme.


Thanks again.

Regards,

xxxxxx
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I have the email from them dated 15 months ago saying otherwise, I even copy and pasted it into an email to them!

I replied

Hi xxxxx,

Thank you for your prompt reply, however, it does not address any of my concerns.

You say there was no discount request, yet I have provided proof that you emailed me regarding such on the date of my new contract.

It feels like you have copy and pasted a response that does not actually answer my question.

I ask that my query is acknowledged, and that it is explained why you emailed me regarding the discount, took my payroll details but did not apply said discount.

I did it on the day of arranging the new contract. Surely the 30 day claim window is therefore irrelevant, and is also not mentioned in the T+Cs.

Kind regards,

Adam
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To which I received another frustratingly bland reply:

Hello Adam,

Thank you for your email.

First of all, I apologise for all the inconvenience this situation may have caused.

As you have provided an email in the first communication about the registration for xxxxxx discount then I was not able to locate any notes on the account with such request being received at our end.

I would also like to inform you that you receive bills every month where discount is clearly mentioned.

We did not receive any communication directly from your end after the first bill complaining that the discount is not appearing on the bill.

I hope you understand that with thousands of requests everyday it is not possible for us to proactively inform customers about their discounts. Hence, we expect customer’s to contact us immediately if they face any problems with the discounts as they receive their bills every month.

In this situation, it is not possible for us to give apply the discount or provide any backdate credits as you have requested clearly because it’s more than 15 months.

Below is the link where you can check the Terms & Conditions of the xxxxx Scheme.

[t+c link again]

We appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter.

Regards,

xxxxx
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I had not mentioned any form of compensation, I was initially seeing where I stood. However, I was at least hoping they would apply the discount from next month onwards. Am I liable for failing to act quick enough? Nowhere are there any time restraints relating to this. The T+Cs do not mention anything to do with this.7

So where do I stand?

Is it worth pursuing this? I have so far 'lost' just over £100, and it will be £200 by the end of the contract if it stays as is. So not huge money, but still enough to have been useful elsewhere. If the discount had been applied, it would be another couple of hundred pounds in my savings account.

Curious to other peoples thoughts on this.

Thanks,

Adam
 
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Seems to me they admit in the second mail that you have a claim, so saying they won't pay it because it's been too long is horlicks. Make a fuss.
 
Thank you for your replies everyone.

I have emailed the CEO and recieved a reply from his office (but not him).

If this doesn't work, I have a drafted email ready for the ombudsman. I'll be interested to see how this pans out.
 
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