I recently decided that it would be a good idea to decrease my Woosh phone credit limit to $50, as I don't usually make more than $20-30 worth of toll calls in a month. What I failed to realise, and what the customer support rep failed to advise me when doing this was that on the bill date (1st of the month) I would be automatically toll barred for exceeding my credit limit (As the rental is $59.95/m) until I made payment.

So I got the lovely e-mail this morning (before my bill had arrived even) to say that I am now toll barred. The bill arrived at 10.50 am this morning (The 2nd) after the toll bar e-mail.

So thats cool, i'll just give CS a call and get them to make the credit limit higher, and I can't see why that would be a problem seeing as I voluntarily reduced my credit limit to well below what they originally credit checked and approved me for.

As it was after 8pm this evening when I got home and checked my e-mails and rang CS they advised me that sorry, the accounts department arent back in until tuesday so it's stiff bickies until them, no toll calls. Hmmm, they are quite happy to take a payment off me 24/7 but can offer no other account support what so ever.

While on the phone I also remember that I need to remove my credit card details from the account as I got rid of my credit card. Couldn't do that either. So what do you CS people actually do? Last time I rang you couldnt help me with a technical problem so I fail to see what your function is at all

And to make it worse I then see that my bill (e-mailed to me 2nd June) is due, in full on June 6th (Tuesday). WHAT? 4 days notice? Thats just crazy. When I enquired about my options to pay my bill now the response just added insult to injury. "If you aren't going to pay by credit card sir you must pay by Direct Debit" Now I don't know about you but I have worked for places that take payments by Direct Debit and I have a pretty good understanding of how the system works, and wouldnt touch it with a 50ft pole! At least with a credit card I have some decent protection against them dipping into my account.

Now it gets worse even. The CS rep then informs me that the payments are attempted quite early in the morning, and that becase my payment was due to come out on Tuesday (the same day as their accounts department opens again) that it is quite possible that my now non-existant credit card will be attempted and as a result of the transaction not being approved my account will be immediately disabled for non payment. He advises that I call them first thing Tuesday but can't promise I will get them in time.

Now I don't know about you but I find this pretty shocking. I mean 4 days to pay my bill and then im disconnected?!?!?! Telecom used to give me something like 14 days and if it the payment was late (which it never was) I think they charge a few bucks and send you a nasty letter. But 4 days and disconnect! That just isn't good enough.

And of course, as soon as I finished that call the gateway crashed (Again!). Now i'm past annoyed.

I never even consented them to take regualr payments by credit card. When I signed up originally on Feb I put my account several hunderd dollars in credit with my credit card, and paid for the modem and gateway, they never said they would store those on file and take future payments with them. The girl on the phone advised me that I would be cool to pay by cheque once the credit ran out and I didnt think any more of it. This month is the first month that I wasn't in credit for. Aparently she was wrong and I have to pay by either CC or DD.

Really not happy with the situation, that could have easily been resolved with a CS team that can actually serve customers. Im still waiting for a call regarding my poor internet service despite being line of site 100m or so from one of their main Wgtn cell towers.

They are pushing their luck