Cellular Operations Ltd - The most appalling customer service I have ever encountered (BT Cellnet Tariffs)

Member Name: dibble

Product:	BT Cellnet Tariffs
Date:	21/04/01 (1465 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cellops have no advantages. But BT Cellnet is a good network.

Disadvantages: Appalling customer service.

I used to be with BT Cellnet. A fantastic network - the best coverage of any that I have seen in my area of the country. But I left them, and moved to Vodafone. Why? Because I couldn't handle dealing with the billing company, Cellular Operations Ltd.

A year of ignored complaints. If I telephoned (an expensive business, trying to complain to them) and eventually mangaged to speak to someone, they would be terribly apologetic and tell me it would all be sorted out. When, a few weeks later, I would try again, they would have no record of the previous conversation. Not just a one-off, this was every time.

Writing letters was no better. No response. Not one. I eventually cancelled my contract and direct debit. The direct debit cancellation went through before my last bill was paid (fortunately, as the invoice was for the wrong amount). I then got a surprised letter from them telling me I must reinstate the direct debit. Eventually I got it through to them that I wanted no more to do with them, asking for an itemised bill so I could pay up and forget all about them. That was in September.

Since then they have sent me a number of bills for varying amounts, none of them itemised. I sent letters of varying degrees of stroppiness, eventually resorting to sarcastic questions such as, "What part of 'itemised bill' do you not understand?"

Finally I received a letter from their legal representatives threatening me with a County Court judgement unless I paid up.

I responded with an extremely angry letter detailing all the problems I had had, dates and times of letters I had send/received and phone calls to them. I sent the letter by recorded delivery to their director, with CCs to Customer Services manager and Accounts Manager.

This was ignored and I received a letter from their solicitors last week giving me seven days to pay up. I sent a copy of my angry letter to WACT (the Welsh equivalent of Oftel) and
contacted BBC Watchdog (I had already told Cell Ops I would do this).

Two days later I had a curt letter from the Customer Services Manager, finally with an itemised bill as an enclosure - for an amount which looks correct. No apology was given for everything that had gone wrong, no suggestion that any investigation would be made into the reason for the mistakes. I have now to see whether paying up will settle this once and for all.

BT Cellnet is a good service. But I cannot recommend it in conjunction with Cellular Operations as a billing company. It's a shame.

Update 11/05/01
I wrote another letter to the Customer Services manager explaining my disappointment at his response to me and why. I offered him a slightly discounted settlement of my invoice in compensation of the inconvenience to me of this matter. He responded by telling me the reasons behind my complaints would be investigated and accepted my offer of settlement.

So they have redeemed themselves slightly.

Summary: