TELSTRA AND ME

Came home to a $650 bill for the disputed mobile phone which I didn't get. Deep breathed it. Ate the dahl from the Indian Shop in South Grafton and rang COMPAINTS. And IT WAS SORTED OUT. In fact I am now $40 in credit and treated with respect. Bravo , Nikki from Telstra Complaints. I am smiling.

MONDAY

Temps are down a little this morning but the heat haze is appearing as the fog lifts. Due to this being my protesting blog to get the whinge out of my system, I shall therefore complain - about the noise of Coldstream Street. When I checked the Google map in order to make a decision about renting this house, the Street appeared to bea narrow country road leading to nowhere much. Turned out to the the road to the Coast. The Beach as they say here on the Clarence. Its also the road to Tucabia and that means holiday AND working traffic. Heading in and out of Grafton.

My house is at the start of the 50 km zone - or the end depending upon whether you're coming or going. West from us is the Village. The 50km signs seems to incite speed psychosis in people. The wee Staffie from next door was killed in a moment when he escaped from the front yard

The psychotic behaviour is not restricted to young people or drunks either. Some zippy "Ladies" flash past as well.

Monday then !

SIMON DINGLE

JUST read in the BELLINGEN COURIER SUN that one of the URUNGA lads, SIMON DINGLE, from Raleigh Winery has been killed in Tasmania. A 4a.m. attack on the way home from a night out. How terrible for everyone involved.
And another young man I knew as a little boy is on a big drug charge.
Once again - sad all round.

LOW LEVEL PROTESTS

Visiting the baby down south has kept me calm - until I begin thinking of the bizarre safety arrangements made for  transporting babies now.

The Air Express Courier returned bearing the 2nd mobile phone - the one belonging to the cancelled order - looked like a man a-feared for his life and he confirmed that delivering these mis-ordered machines was a dangerous job to be in.

Otherwise a Protest free few days. Good accommodation at DIGGERS TAVERN in Bellingen. A Servo on the way down at HALFWAY CREEK which I like and which has food, showers and lounges for weary travellers. And I took the turn into ARRAWARRA which I have never done before due to my contempt prior to investigation - and it was also good. I bought a WEISS BAR from some beautiful young American Travellers and revelled in the finding of another tiny coastal village which remains intact and undeveloped.

SUNDAY MORNING AND THE WAVE OF PROTEST HAS PASSED OVER WITH NOT TOO MUCH DAMAGE DONE

THAT'S A RELIEF.

The paddocks are empty. Its WIDE RIVER CAFE DAY.

And the baby has been named. All is well. All is well.

http://www.facebook.com/gcountry1?ref=ts

http://wideriver.ning.com/

TELSTRA AGAIN

I think I am losing the fighting streak.  More inclined to weeping. I am going to town now for lunch and to buy baby clothes for the Little New Girl. Then I shall again look at Telstra matters.

For the moment, this is where we are up to. Having agreed to the sales pitch from the delightful Kaela and being assured of BONUS plans for bundling all 3 services into one and a $200 credit AND many more elusive benefits in changing my mobile to telstra including the reduction of my landline rental by $20 a month ---- come in - come in sucker - snake oil for sale. I waited for the delivery of said handset - smiling and excited. That fell through due to Air Express Courier not having any identification number that I have seen before and the Courier retreating at high speed from the woman scorned ( taking the new mobile with him ). He did stall his vehicle once or twice as Hysteria pursued him from the porchette.

Then followed the bizarre hours long communications with Telstra on the phone. That involved overseas conversations ( which would have paid my years Telstra bills all by themselves ) and young ladies called Aisa and timid young men called Stephen.

That terminated with my venture into Grafton T LIFE shop which I think handled their end pretty well and I did walk out with the new mobile.

Then - came the extra hiccoughs. The ones which reduce me to a tearful powerlessness.

•  I don't get the $200 credit because only the OUTCALLING DEPARTMENT can offer that. Not the INCALLING nor the T LIFE SHOPS. 
• The $20 per month landline reduction - well I can still have that BUT I then do not get my pensioner concession. What!!!!!

I was told that bundling all my services under the one banner ( internet, homephone,mobile) had ADVANTAGES. I do not see ANY advantages. AT ALL. 

Read the fine print is more or less what they're telling me.  What Fine print ?

All I know is - I have been done. I do not care what Telstra's policy , fine print or anything is. It is so obscure that following it is beyond me. Internal jargon and terminology such as OUTCALLING DEPARTMENT - is surely not the responsibility of the customer. 

Bugger - says I. Bugger. I just wanted a phone that had range here in the Country - esp as a grandmother travelling the Roads on her own in her trusty Charade. I just wanted a mobile I could afford to use. And I did want my PENSIONER CONCESSION. But I cannot have that either. 

After just escaping Vodafone's 2 failed years - and being well pleased with our Telstra Broadband and Homephone - I dropped my guard and fell into the first Hole.  Ah My !!!!!
If only Optus had range, They have served me very well on my little pre-paid. Great Deals. Great Bonuses.
Lets go to town , have lunch and buy pretty clothes for the little girl.

We have dealt with this before.

TELSTRA IN BILAMBIL.

Aborigines have worst life expectancy of any indigenous people in the world, says UN

EVENING

That day almost left a bad taste. Then I looked over the back fence and the new staffie has shredded newspapers etc all over the yard. His owners left in their caravan for the beach today and Staffies don't take kindly to abandonment.

The daughter rang and Baby is Beautiful. The Rice growers answered my emails promptly. To this effect -

Thank you for your comments about SunRice Rice.  We appreciate the time
you have taken to contact us regarding this product.

The severe drought that Australia has been experiencing in recent years
has resulted in severely diminished crops of Australian grown rice.
While SunRice has supplied as much Australian-grown rice to the market
as is possible, we have been obliged to import several types of rice to
meet all our customers' requirements. At this time Brown Rice and the
White Long Grain rice in the Pour and Store are still Australian. Please
check the back of the packaging and this will inform you where the
product is grown.


Thank you again for contacting us as we welcome any feedback from our
customers and we will pass your comments on to our Marketing Department
for their information.

We trust you will continue to use and enjoy quality SunRice products
with every confidence.



Pat Dunstan
Consumer Relations Representative
SunRice

AND AS FOR SKYPE

Well, we went down the path of voip phones and mobile broadband for a period - quite a long period - believing their promises and a little astonished each time they failed - which was MOST OF THE TIME. In the meantime we continued to pay the bills for the NON SERVICE and now KatiB and IMM are experiencing the same things with a bamboo pole reaching heavenwards in an effort to butterfly net a signal of some sort.

HOME WITH PHONE

Heat and long Summer tautness. Went into Grafton to T LIFE SHOP. Louie looked after us. The Telephone Telstra Personage had written harsh words and they included forbidding me to go to T LIFE and purchase a phone TODAY - IN PERSON. Louie ensured that I not be charged the charges the Phone Operating Aisa wanted to charge me for THEIR mistake. Cancelled the Contract which I had told AISA I did NOT want and made up a new contract with phone ready to go TODAY. Local people in a local shop understanding local Geography. And telephone issues such as black spots. I did fail to get the $200 welcome credit I had been promised and I am no longer sure what my call rates are  and I feel sleepy as - BUT - The phone and I are home from hospital.

TRYING THE T LIFE SHOP

Not sure why. Guess its partially because I deeply resent being done over and treated badly - well DISSED is my son's word for it. DISSED by Phone People and Couriers. DISSED and P***ED am I.

That courier had MY phone within inches of my nose and then said I couldn't have it due to Our ID not matching HIS ID for US.

We have septic pits here on this property so we do ! Deep Ones !

And NOOONE in Telstra bothered to tell me that I could get the whole thing in town from the T-LIFE SHOP.

So I am going to try that - not confident of success because the 3 wee lasses called AISA in far off lands told me I had NO OPTION but to  do it by phone and collect by courier. But I AM going to town to TRY.

May the Gods and the Saints be with you , child. Grafton here I come !

THE LOCAL VOICE OF REASON

Quietly then, I ring Telstra complaints and a young gentleman handles them smoothly and kindly.

TELSTRA ALREADY

Here we go again. I did not expect problems to recur this quickly. Just set up my whingeing blog- haven't had much call to do a lot of late. partly because I keep contact with institutions to an absolute minimum. Last week I was called by Kaela, a lovely young lady, and decided to go with the Telstra Mobile. All went smooth as. Delivery to be today. Mega excited. I LOVE electronics and new mobiles etc. SILLY ME !

Thursday comes and I'm waiting at home - window view and along comes AIR EXPRESS - the COURIER.

Everything still appears SMOOTH AS. Until the ID requirement. The drivers liccence does not match. Doe not match mine. Does not match Peter's.

"I cannot leave the phone here" says he.

Now its taking near as long as the baby to come. longer probably. Because the phone still has to ordered and the contract re-negotiated.

WE WILL PLACE ANOTHER ORDER FOR ME. RETURN TO COURIER. SALES DEPARTMENT

SALES 125111

never safe to go back into the water.  Here comes air express – mobile in hand for delivery.aH NO - YOU CANNOT HAVE THAT MOBILE PHONE. THE DRIVERS LICENCE ID doesnt match,

HERE WE GO AGAIN !!!!!

Jimmy. sales. puts me to the ‘ correct’ department which turns out to be a voicemail thing with no matching category.

11.01 am
this is now heading for 28 minutes. 
accent – ails  get name =  check – delivery.
she’s off re-checking.
this is stuff for my new blog.

AISA SALES DEPARTMENT AISA
same name as previous operator in cancel delivery dept.
are you wishing to place a new order ?
1941PH
4th change of drivers licence.
she didnt hear that. nsw

redo contract.


drivers licence.

12.17 waiting for Aisa to take me off hold while she redoes the contract,

METHINKS SHE DOTH PROTEST

There are a lot of flies buzzing me today.