Had something really interesting happen with a electronic payment to Telstraclear back in November, which is now causing me nothing but grief.

I used their online credit card payment system to pay my broadband and tv package.  On my first attempt it came back and had told me that the transaction had failed so I tried a few minutes later and it was successfull so thought nothing more of it.  Down the track I just happened to go over my visa statements and noticed that both transactions had actually been processed yet when I checked my TC account for the next month it only showed them receiving one.

So the 'fun' begins

Head into Welly store with visa statement and account statments to show as thought it would be easier than talking over the phone.  They were very helpful but of course I had to  call the helpdesk.  Start logging the complaint and then get told that I will need proof from the bank so I head off to the bank.  Back to the store on the phone to confirm what has happened, and of course I had to explain everything again and would even get told almost exactly the same responses for each step.  Anyway fax of details and await a response.

Eventually get a call from the accounts department and they say I need a proof of trace from the bank and a full print out of my statement up to the current date.  I was currently away so it was a couple or days before I could get to bank but when I eventually got to the bank they told me what they gave me last time was a proof of trace.  I also got a letter from the bank confirming that the first attempt had left my account and been paid to Telstraclear and had not returned.  Faxed off the details to the fax number on the website.

Did not hear anything for about a week or so and chased up issue again, of course I had to deal with someone new and explain situation all over again where they dissappeared twice to check elsewhere to finally tell me that the ticket(complaint) had been closed because not enough info had been recieved yet.  No one at anytime decided to ring me to say hey have you sent through that extra info as we have not recieved it, or if they had recieved it that it was still insuccient info.  They just decided to close the ticket and hope it would dissappear. 

I eventually got put through to credit services department(CSD) and thought that I actually had someone else who understood what had happened and was not just following scripted procedures.  So he got me to fax the details through that day this time to a different number and he would get back to me in a few days to say if he hadn't recieved the info to pass on.

Over two weeks later I ring the CSD to chase up my problem again only for them to explain the situation and go through all the scripted procedures the helpdesk goes through again.  They initially tell me that the fax had no been recieved and the issue had been closed....why had no one told me again?  Anyway I emailed again the documents requested and get a call today from the same person I delt with a couple of days ago to say he had recieved the documents and had spoken to the other person I had delt with in their department and he had actually recieved the fax and passed it on to accounts but they had closed it again because they couldn't find the payment and it would be my bank at fault.  Firstly I told incorrect info the other day and secondly why didn't anyone ring me and say hey look this is what has happened our end you need to go to you bank.  Problem is that I have sent them documentation saying that the money has left my bank acc and has not returned.  So now I have to wait another week, while accounts look back into it again but I am now just going back round in circles.  Sick of having to deal with a third party and communication seems to be done electronically with no proper communication between parties.  I actually said why can't I deal with someone from accounts, but I got told doesn't work like that but I actually spoke with someone when they called me some time back. 


I know this is a weird issue something has gone very wrong somewhere but Telstraclear just don't seem to want to communicate with me about the problem, it eventually comes back as not a problem TC's end.  I have to do all the chasing and they do not seem to want to work with me in the accounts dept in finding out what happened.  Something has gone wrong somewhere, I have the evidence that the money has left my account(proof of trace) yet it has been lost, at their end or through the dps payment express system.  I actually rung dps to query the situation, they told me I could reverse the payment through the bank but I am scared that if I do that, it will actually show up as a reversed payment on Telstra's system which then to them will say that I still owe them a payment.


Started dealing with this issue at the beginning of Feb, its crap that I am having to chase them up and deal with different people everytime.  They not keeping me informed and keep closing the enquiry without even discussing it me.  Very poor customer service.

Just deciding now on what the next step I should take, not holding my breath for a successful outcome next week

Chris

P.S. I must be jinxed as I actually had major issues with vodafone recently too, but eventually got it sorted.