Elnora Montemayor refuses to accept her “loyalty reward” from her mobile-phone company. I will not mention the name of the company because her complaint is true for all the networks.
Montemayor’s point, which I think many postpaid mobile-phone subscribers will agree with, is: If the new phone or the rebate or whatever is a loyalty reward, why can’t she get it whether or not she renews her contract with the company? Is it a loyalty reward or a renewal of contract reward?
A very valid question, I think.
In her letter to her carrier, she said, after receiving text messages that she had accumulated so many reward points, she went to the company’s business center in a mall to find out what she could get. Presented various options, she chose a Pioneer DVD player.
She was told she would be informed when the item would be available, in about two to three weeks. After waiting for a couple of months without getting a call, she went back to the business center to check on her “reward.” She was told the item initially offered to her was not available and she was offered again several options. “She (customer service representative) suggested that if I upgraded my plan to 990, I could have a P250 discount in my monthly billing for two years or get a Blackberry,” Montemayor said.
Not hearing anything about the Blackberry after a few weeks, she returned to the business center only to be told they did not take issues regarding rewards. They suggested she call a certain number. But they said she could not get a Blackberry because it was offered only to new subscribers. Again, she was shown a list of rewards available to her. She opted for a Samsung TASS because it was supposed to be totally free.
Arrangements were made for the delivery of the new unit. Although she asked for it to be delivered on a particular date, the courier came on a day she was not at home. The courier left a document, which she could not read because the letters were so tiny and the print was faded, so the customer service people promised to send a copy of the document by e-mail.
Finally recognized
When she finally got the e-mail, she realized she had been wrong in assuming her many years of being a loyal client was finally being recognized.
“Only then did I realize that this is not a reward after all! It has strings attached—a required lock-out period for 24 months (a condition never mentioned by any customer service representative in her several trips to the business center).
“If I were a new subscriber, I would understand this. My understanding of a loyalty reward as a customer is that [the company] appreciates my business for all these years [maybe over five years]… Apparently, that is not your definition of a reward. Your loyalty reward is not different from a promo… a marketing come-on.
“Maybe I would not have felt cheated if I had known from the beginning that these loyalty rewards come with a price… If I had known this condition from the beginning, I would probably weigh my options. . . I probably would have signed a 24-month lock-up anyway. But I did not know this. I feel that this is a cheap marketing gimmick. I would like to believe that companies like yours should have a complete disclosure of your offers… that you are transparent.
“I am finding time to write this long letter because I want you to know how a customer views a service provider that is not honest.”
Montemayor said she was really going to sign a new contract with her service provider because she was happy with their service. But this unrewarding experience is making her reconsider her options.
Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/94; or e-mail lbolido@inquirer.com.ph.