Optimum's Triple Play and the Sneakiness of Advance Billing
Just a warning to all those who like me, thought they were getting a good deal with Optimum Online's Triple Play voice, Internet and cable plan.
The deal is as short as the 7th inning stretch, and will cost you a lot more once your 12 months is up. But more than that is a questionable billing technique that had me reeling at the end of the call. - Advance billing.
The plan starts out as described, 29.95 for each service, plus all taxes, fees, surcharges etc...add premium services and it ranges from $112 to about $125 a month. Still not bad math wise if one would pay for it separately.
Then the "deal" ended. My next bill was for $245. WHAT?
I called Optimum and their service center rep sounded like she was at a crisis hot line. She knew what was coming.
"Now that the promotion is over, you are being billed a month in advance for your service."
"What? Why?"
"That's how we bill."
"Wait a minute. I was a client of Optimum before the promotion, I joined your promotion for 12 months, and NOW you are deciding to send me a bill for 2 months for me to prepay? That's not fair."
"I understand sir. That is our billing practice. Were you to cancel your service, we would credit you back any unused portion of your bill."
Now my Wall Street/Bronx Boy monster kicked in.
"And what are you doing with that cash in the meantime? Do I get interest on that money"
"N0."
"So you are saying that I'm to give you $140 in advance of any services rendered, you are going to sit on that money until I cancel, and then simply "credit" it back to me, without any interest? I know you guys are getting interest on that money - what are you doing with it? What happens if the prices change? Do you understand that doubling a bill on someone without warning is not good customer service?
"the prepayment was indicated in your .....(blah blah read fine print told ya so blah blah)"
I stopped listening.
"I'm going to have to make some decisions here. I can understand the prices going up at the end of this promotion, but if I've spent a year paying for services rendered, then all of a sudden I am being billed a month in advance for services not yet provided, this is dramatic shift and I don't think I want to do this."
"That's for you to decide sir."
And decide I will.
The deal is as short as the 7th inning stretch, and will cost you a lot more once your 12 months is up. But more than that is a questionable billing technique that had me reeling at the end of the call. - Advance billing.
The plan starts out as described, 29.95 for each service, plus all taxes, fees, surcharges etc...add premium services and it ranges from $112 to about $125 a month. Still not bad math wise if one would pay for it separately.
Then the "deal" ended. My next bill was for $245. WHAT?
I called Optimum and their service center rep sounded like she was at a crisis hot line. She knew what was coming.
"Now that the promotion is over, you are being billed a month in advance for your service."
"What? Why?"
"That's how we bill."
"Wait a minute. I was a client of Optimum before the promotion, I joined your promotion for 12 months, and NOW you are deciding to send me a bill for 2 months for me to prepay? That's not fair."
"I understand sir. That is our billing practice. Were you to cancel your service, we would credit you back any unused portion of your bill."
Now my Wall Street/Bronx Boy monster kicked in.
"And what are you doing with that cash in the meantime? Do I get interest on that money"
"N0."
"So you are saying that I'm to give you $140 in advance of any services rendered, you are going to sit on that money until I cancel, and then simply "credit" it back to me, without any interest? I know you guys are getting interest on that money - what are you doing with it? What happens if the prices change? Do you understand that doubling a bill on someone without warning is not good customer service?
"the prepayment was indicated in your .....(blah blah read fine print told ya so blah blah)"
I stopped listening.
"I'm going to have to make some decisions here. I can understand the prices going up at the end of this promotion, but if I've spent a year paying for services rendered, then all of a sudden I am being billed a month in advance for services not yet provided, this is dramatic shift and I don't think I want to do this."
"That's for you to decide sir."
And decide I will.
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