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georgegh9
join:2009-02-09
Toronto, ON

georgegh9

Member

Yet another Bell account termination saga

So I decided to disconnect my Bell Phone service and did my due diligence before terminating, and checked if I am under contract and if I would pay any termination fees.

When I spoke to the first agent they told me I am under contract. When I insisted that I have not agreed to a contract ( it is an old account of the company ) , I spoke to their termination department and I was told that we would not pay any termination fees.

Guess what , after disconnecting from Bell - last bill from Bell I received the shock of my life - termination fee billed by Bell. After I disputed this charge, Bell decided to be creative - On the corrected bill after the dispute Bell decided to retract the termination fees but decided to charge me retroactively, for every month that I was supposedly under contract, they decided to charge me for the higher monthly rate instead of the regular "under contract" rate that I already paid. Retroactively, 8 months back, Bell are asking me to pay the difference between their contract rate and the regular monthly basis rate.

This is how Bell treats a customer of over 30 years. Right now I don't know if they are allowed to do this.

I would like to hear your advice if anything can be done at this point or similar experiences,

Disappointed customer
Norman_C
join:2010-11-07
Toronto, ON

Norman_C

Member

That's precisely what Rogers did to me last year when I switched - so it's not just Bell!

Big_Daddy
join:2008-01-10
hohoho

Big_Daddy to georgegh9

Member

to georgegh9
Rogers did that to me as well. as far as Im concerned I don't trust either one of them

I wish they would make it easy on you when you want to switch or simply cancel
yyzlhr
join:2012-09-03
Scarborough, ON

yyzlhr to georgegh9

Member

to georgegh9
If you claim you did not agree to a contract just file a complaint to the CCTS. Bell will be asked to provide proof that you agreed to enter into a contract.
funny_one
Previously known as 'Deadpool'
join:2010-11-01

funny_one

Member

In addition, because of Bell's size, they get charged a fee by the CCTS for every complaint. The longer the complaint goes unresolved, the more they pay. It's in their best interest to resolve issues quickly, or in this case, just write off the amount since it'll be more expensive then fighting it.
lowping
join:2013-08-04

lowping to georgegh9

Member

to georgegh9
Is this for a business ?
HeadSpinning
MNSi Internet
join:2005-05-29
Windsor, ON

HeadSpinning to georgegh9

Member

to georgegh9
You were being given the contract discount, so Bell was operating under the belief that you were under contract. You disputed that fact, so they gave you the benefit of the doubt and reversed the early termination charge BUT back charged you the contract price difference.

FWIW, Bell does NOT give a contract discount to people who don't ask for one - they'd rather charge you full up pricing for your line.

Not really sure I see the problem here, other than Bell's automatic multi year contract renewals, which I DO have an issue with.

George gh9
@135.0.1.x

George gh9

Anon

Yes, this case is for a business.

HeadSpinning : yes , I agree with your point that Bell does not give discounts if it was not under contract , but - I spoke to a Bell rep. Before disconnecting and he wrongly informed me that we are not under a contract and we will not be subject to termination fees. I don't have that phone conversation recorded and I acted based on the information he gave me. Can Bell retrieve that recorded phone call for dispute purposes?

AND just to mention about the so called contract discount , when I bargained with Bell to get a better price before disconnection, they made an offer that was 60% cheaper then what I was paying under my so called "contract" .

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone to HeadSpinning

Premium Member

to HeadSpinning
said by HeadSpinning:

You were being given the contract discount, so Bell was operating under the belief that you were under contract. You disputed that fact, so they gave you the benefit of the doubt and reversed the early termination charge BUT back charged you the contract price difference.

FWIW, Bell does NOT give a contract discount to people who don't ask for one - they'd rather charge you full up pricing for your line.

Not really sure I see the problem here, other than Bell's automatic multi year contract renewals, which I DO have an issue with.

Unless Bell explicitly stated on the invoice that the rate was a discounted contract rate, they really don't have a leg to stand on any more than any other business can bill a customer after the fact for services that have already been rendered and paid for in an agreed upon manner.

Since this is a business account, I know from personal experience that it *will* say if it is a contracted rate on the invoice. If it doesn't say that, Bell's own billing screwup after the fact should not be dumped upon the customer only upon their cancellation of services. If it does then what they are doing is fair game.
HeadSpinning
MNSi Internet
join:2005-05-29
Windsor, ON

HeadSpinning

Member

You expect Bell to have understandable and accurate invoices? LOL...

But seriously, yes, they should show the contract rate, term and dates on the invoice. I know on data accounts they don't - their position is that a business should be able to keep track of their contractual obligations.

I wonder how many of their "contracts" are just verbal agreements on the phone that they have absolutely no documentation or records otherwise to back up.
ITGeeks
join:2014-04-20
Cleveland, OH

ITGeeks to George gh9

Member

to George gh9
You stated above you did HAVE a contract but now you say they told you that you did not have one. So which is it?
georgegh9
join:2009-02-09
Toronto, ON

georgegh9

Member

Gone: My bill did have detail of the rate as " agreement 36 mo. " but it was never agreed by anybody. As I stated above, when I spoke to Bell Termination department before disconnection they told me " this is an old contract and you will not have to pay termination fees" . and those are his exact words. Obviously, he did not mention the 2nd part of the story.

I agree that they should show the contract dates on the bill. but they prefer not to as they rely on customers to forget to call to request not to renew the contract, and they renew it automatically. I think this practice should be outlawed.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

If the bill said that there was an agreement in place you're pretty much SOL, as you were being notified that the rate you were receiving was contingent on there being a 36 month agreement. Whether or not you actually agreed to it is sort of irrelevant, as the onus would have been on you to rectify the situation when you received a bill that stated you were under a 36 month agreement instead of taking advantage of a discount that you didn't want. Bell is entitled to do what they're doing as a result.

Having said that, I entirely agree that auto-renewing contracts should not be allowed.
HeadSpinning
MNSi Internet
join:2005-05-29
Windsor, ON

HeadSpinning

Member

There are a few options on how they should deal with contracts:

1) MCP - Minimum Contract Period - after you fulfill the minimum, the service continues on a month to month basis at the same rate, with the service provider required to give notice of rate changes.

2) At the end of the contract, the price reverts to the non-contracted rate.

3) At the end of the contract, the term renews for 12 months maximum.

In either case, auto-renewing contracts for the same term are pretty harsh, particularly in the case of 3 and 5 year deals.

Gone
Premium Member
join:2011-01-24
Fort Erie, ON

Gone

Premium Member

said by HeadSpinning:

1) MCP - Minimum Contract Period - after you fulfill the minimum, the service continues on a month to month basis at the same rate, with the service provider required to give notice of rate changes.

This is the most consumer friendly option in my opinion.
mr weather
Premium Member
join:2002-02-27
Mississauga, ON

mr weather

Premium Member

This is what Bell has done with my mobile account whose contract ended a few weeks ago. I received a bunch of documents outlining what service I had and, most importantly, I was now month-to-month.