Returning Bell TV rental receiver

  • Thread starter Thread starter redgrandam
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redgrandam

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Hey, sorry if this question is addressed elsewhere, but I was unable to find. I'm wondering if anyone has an answer to this situation.

I had a SD PVR that I upgraded to an HD PVR (no ETF, as it was the first upgrade that I did). Tech came and installed the new PVR Oct 19th, he activated it, and de-activated my old PVR and had a box sent to me. I sent it back the next day after I got the box (Oct 29th), Purolator tracks it as delivered on Oct 30. Bell processed my returned receiver Nov 4th. A month and a half later I'm paying still for both receivers still, so I called to inquire when they will stop charging and issue my credit.

They told me I will get money back on my next bill, but only since Nov 4th. So against what the tech told me here, I'm paying a rental from Oct 19 - Nov 4th while they processed my return (100% in the way they required). Not a huge amount of money, BUT they told me that delay to inspect the equipment could take 3-6 weeks. If that is an HDPVR, that's another 20-30 bucks for nothing.

So I have an extra SD box upstairs that is going back as soon as the contract expires, so I thought I would start this now to end in Feb at the end of that rental contract since it takes them so long to process this. They won't do anything until my contract has expired, then I have to call after that date, and initiate the return, AGAIN, I'll be paying until they receive and process the return. If they initiate it now they would charge me ETF, but shouldn't the ETF be capped at the amount of rental costs left in the contract? (which would be about 6-10 dollars)

Should the charges not stop when the receiver is deactivated and the return is initiated? (assuming it's returned within a reasonable time frame). Not my fault they require purolator shipping, and not my fault they had it sit on the dock. Again, this time it's not a huge dollar amount, but if it was my HD PVR it would be more.

Thanks for any info..
 
Why phone the retention area for that, and go through the hassle? It's not some magical area where someone waves a wand and problems are solved.

Any frontline CSR should be able to credit you for that brief time that you weren't using the receiver, as a matter of course.

They're not waiting 6 weeks to inspect the receiver. It can take up to six weeks to process the request to remove the charges, but any charges will be waived. The Loyalty Department won't be able to make that go any faster, and you're really wasting your time on hold to get to them.

Oh, and the ETF should be whatever you agreed to, which is what they made it. It's really not based on the amount of time left. If you were renting a receiver for $20/mth and cancelled 12 mths early, would you not appreciate the fact that the penalty is only $50 rather than $240 for the last 12 mths?
 
Because when you phone retentions (and you don't stay on hold any longer than any other dept), you speak to people in Canada whose first language is often English, and they are commited to making the customer happy.



Actually, in my experience (and in the reports of countless others), it is just like that.
 
The first part of your comment is racist, which has previously been forbidden by the moderators. I will not discuss that point with you.

The second part of your comment is simply wrong. At least in this context.
 
My post is certainly not racist, it is factual. If you are not going to discuss something, why post?

Telling me my own experience is wrong is simply comical.
 
Back to the topic, the problem is, I already tried front line CSR, via online chat, which should be no different than on the phone. I had just talked to someone on the phone and he had given me almost no useful information. I was just wondering what the 'norm' was for returning receivers at the end of the the contract period, so I can avoid paying extra next time, if I am unsuccessful in getting a credit this time. I will probably have to call again and get escalated to another level I suppose. If not, retentions as mentioned is a spot where you know for sure they 'can' issue credits, and one time credits especially is what I'm looking for right now.
 
red, call the regular number. Select "cancel my service" when prompted. You will be connected to the Retentions dept. Post your results.
 
I'll call them next week, and I'll let you guys know what they say. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
You can escalate to a supervisor, they should be able to make some sort of billing adjustment in regards to this. This isn't a normal process for you to still be charged for the rental of the standard receiver.
 
Red, I've had a similar problem where credits for a returned receiver weren't being applied properly, or they were taking too long to be applied. After trying numerous times to get CSRs to correct the problem I kept getting further and further involved. That is until I emailed the Bell Customer Service Executive Office. After a few days I received a call and my problem was IMMEDIATELY resolved.

Now I don't recommend immediately starting with emailing them for every last problem, but if CSRs and Managers aren't able to correct your problem then you're left with no option. Below is the Executive Office contact info:

Contact information:
P.O. Box 593, Station A
Toronto, ON
M5W 1E4
Fax: 1 800 554-5148
Email address: [email protected]


And I agree with Roman, trying to get retentions to help in this situation is not going to solve anything. If you are truly trying to leave Bell, that's where retentions does their best work. But if you just immediately threaten to leave because of every little problem you're not likely to get any sympathy from the person on the other side of the phone.
 
that's great, thanks for all that info...

I'll go up as many levels as I need to on the phone to get it fixed next week, I'm sure I will get there. I like doing it in the chat though so I have a record of what they tell me, but they never seem to get anywhere, or be able to do anything.

I wonder if on chat if I'm able to request to be bumped up to a supervisor there too.
 
It sounded to me from your previous post that they already put in the request to remove the fees. If so, they should have given you a confirmation number. If not, the first person should be able to put that request in and give you a confirmation number. When you ask that person "what can you do for me to compensate me for my inconvenience", they should, as a matter of course, offer you some sort of satisfaction credit. If not, then you could ask to speak to a supervisor.

I think your situation's different, trax27. I believe he just wants credit for the time between actually disabling the receiver and sending it back and the time it was received and then taken off the account. For an SD receiver, that's peanuts. A $10 satisfaction credit should more than cover it, and any agent can give him that.

Going to the executive office for that would be overkill.

Sometimes you just have to give things a little time to be worked out. I would suggest calling up Bell TV and asking if the request was done to remove the charges and then go from there with a sat credit request. Get the confirmation number! That's how you know they at least made the request.
 
I agree that calling retentions or the executive office would be a waste of time, at least initially. There are people who take care of receiver returns and credits. It will take up to two months to see any credits. Billing is done a months ahead so an extra month's billing may show up on the bill. A credit for that should show up one or two months later. If it doesn't, call Bell. Keep the tracking info on the return postage sticker (I prefer to photocopy it before shipping) and make sure the package is scanned at the post office. Check to see when the package actually arrived and tell the CSR the tracking number when calling. That info will speed the credit process.
 
lol.
Oh, I know it can happen, all right. My glasses aren't COMPLETELY rose-coloured.

;)
 
Yes I agree, the more people that use this route is going to diminish the quality of this departments effectiveness to deal with MAJOR problems.

A minor issue like this should be dealt with in the normal way, not by going to these extremes. As Roman says, $10 should more than cover the costs involved, just call back follow Romans great advice and be patient, don't get stressed out over a few dollars, just chill and call Bell when you are bored.

You will get the Credit, just not today.
 
Alright, I finally got to call them. The first tech was able to help me. I don't know why it wasn't done automatically correctly in the first place, but it made sense to him that I should only pay rental up to the day that the tech can canceled it from my house. Now, I haven't seen my bill yet that was originally supposed to have a credit on it, at 13.87, so hopefully that credit is still there, but the tech today applied a credit for 10.13 on my account, what he calculated the extra amount that I had paid for the rental.

Interesting note, often they apply credits on the next billing date. As soon as I hung up the phone, I clicked on 'current balance' on the bell site, and it came up with the credit applied, and today's date already. I know I've asked before for the credit to just be applied right away, but they usually don't. Now that I know they can do it and have it show up immediately, it's easy to see that it was actually applied correctly, as I have in the past had to call up a second time when a credit wasn't done as promised..

Anyways, all is well for now, I'll have to see if I have the same problems in Feb when I return my extra receiver. they probably want 30 days notice to cancel it too..
 
Agreed, at this point it would appear to be overkill Roman. I'm just giving him more information just in case he can't get satisfaction through front-line CSRs or managers. I get the feeling you don't believe these things can happen, but sometimes people can get extremely unlucky with the normal channels and their only resort is to fire off an email to the executive office. It definitely works. But most certainly should only be used after all other reasonable steps have been taken.
 
Funny I just saw this thead. I just got off the phone with Bell, having them correct a $510 charge for "non-return of equipment" (despite me having Purolator tracking numbers showing Bell signing), and two HD PVR rental charges (for PVRs that I returned in Nov). And, yes, I called retentions ;)
 
When you guys return with purolator, and they come and pickup, they don't have a stamp or anything to put in the box on the paper bell sends, do you just hand it over and trust that they will scan it in the truck? I have confirmation that purolator came and picked up here, and the tracking information shows it in transit, so all is good this time, but there is an opportunity there for it to disappear, and I would really have no proof that it was even picked up. What is the best thing to do?
 
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