This week’s column in The Kerryman newspaper.
Michael Commane
Regular readers of this column may remember I wrote some weeks back about my travails with Lidl; the issue is now solved. I received a gift card for €30, which means they gave me an extra €10 on top of the price of the new hiking boots. Originally when I exchanged them I was told my bank account would be credited. That did not happen.
But really it is a case of one step forward, two steps back.
More trouble and annoyance; this time with my AA membership and with The Irish Times. Again, I found myself wasting valuable time and getting annoyed and frustrated. I find it hilarious when a recorded voice assures you that one of their agents will be with you shortly when you know there are only two or three agents at the call centre.
And then we are being told that modern technology is making everything work so seamlessly, humbug.
Some time back I spotted my AA monthly sub had jumped from €26.97 to €40.09. I phoned and what a wait I had before I was ‘privileged’ to speak with a human voice.
I explained that I was shocked to see how my sub had jumped by 33 per cent. I told the agent I was closing my membership account. She asked me had I read the email they had sent me. No I hadn’t, as they bombard me with emails. She asked me to hold while she’d make some enquiries; more waiting time on the phone. She returns to tell me that they would bring my monthly sub back to the old price of €26.97.
Imagine, had I not been vigilant in checking my bank statement I would have been left paying the higher price. And to think by one phone call the AA was willing to reduce my monthly sub by 33 per cent; that is outlandish. It means an annual saving for me of €157.44.
Talking to a friend on Saturday she told me her monthly bill with Virgin Media is €140. That’s for her television, landline and broadband. The woman is not great for checking details on her accounts. Obviously she is paying for services of which she is not availing.
The following day I discovered my access to the online version of The Irish Times had been closed.
The Saturday newspaper was delivered to my door but it seems the digital edition is not available to me; that means more phone calls, more waiting to speak to a human voice.
There is urgent need for an up-to-speed, smart regulatory agency that ensures people are being properly and clearly informed how much they are paying for the services they require.
My friend with Virgin Media may well have an extra tv socket somewhere in the house, for which she is paying, but is not even aware that it is there.
With the disappearance of paper bills it is so tempting not to log on and check for what exactly we are paying. Are companies aware of this phenomenon and take advantage of it?
Far too many people are intimidated by the antics of multi nationals and large companies.
Just think what’s in store for us when AI is up and running.
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