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_Allan

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#96067 19-Jan-2012 14:38
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The two degrees pay monthly billing system is driving me nuts!

First there is a:
 2 degrees alert: Good news! Your included plan mins, texts & MBs have been renewed for the mth.  To Check bals dial *100*4# or log into Your 2 degrees.  Enjoy!

Then later that same day you get another Text message saying:
Hi, We've emailed this months bill for $xx.xx  Payment is due 19 Jan.  You're setup for auto payment on the due date.

Seven days later another Text Message:
Hi.  See your email for this months bill for $xx.xx due in -2 days.  If you've set up an auto payment there's no need to do anything.

2 days pass and another Text Message:
Hi there. Thanks for your payment.  This has now been credited to your account.  Have a great day.

Text message are distracting when they arrive!  You may have heard the saying - If you want your boss's attention then text him/her instead of email.   That because we have the tendency to drop what we are doing and view the text message when it arrives.

I am getting pretty angry at 2 degrees because I do not need to be interrupted by these text messages.  This is because:
  1. I know the account rolls over each month.  That is the arrangement we made.
  2. I do not require a text to say read your email.  I read my email on an oftenly basis!
  3. I know and they know that I am set up for automatic payment, so I do not require am monthly text telling me so!
  4. I do not require a reminder that you are going to credit my account two days in advance.
  5. I do not require a text saying you have credited my account.
Can I ask if this irritate any other customers?  If it does can you let 2D know?  You can phone them or  email them at paymonthlycare@2degreesmobile.co.nz   If enough people ring or email them they may stop sending this unsolicited texting.

 There must be some powerful reason why 2D will not stop sending these message, but I the customer is getting pretty irate!





_Allan (my blogmy tweetscompany tweetscompany web site)
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Spong
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  #570862 19-Jan-2012 15:13
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+1

As an on-account customer also paying by VISA automatically, I can't see the point of all these txts and some of them have arrived when I was enjoying a sleep in over the weekend. Best be done with them if possible Smile
 




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2degreesCare
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  #570876 19-Jan-2012 15:51
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Thanks for the feedback guys. I'll definitely pass this on to the teams that look after this.

These texts are just a friendly reminder to let customers know what's happening with your account. We just want to give customers a heads up that we're going to take money from their bank account in case they go overdrawn, then we can get flack for taking money without letting them know. :0\

We also send a text because we know it's going to account concern, it's the one bit of info we can be sure of. However, we are looking at alternative notification methods, such as email, for customers that may have iPads, Media Pads etc that are not able to receive SMS.

We also suppress auto-payments texts between 9pm and 8am so customers aren't inconvenienced at un-sociable hours.

Kind regards
^POB


_Allan

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  #570897 19-Jan-2012 17:03
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@2DegreesCare.  How about providing us with an option to supress them entirely.  I have telephoned your help line and they have refused my request to stop sending the text messages in question.  If I the customer say “Please do not send these Text Messages” – surely it cannot be that difficult to comply?





_Allan (my blogmy tweetscompany tweetscompany web site)
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amford
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  #570898 19-Jan-2012 17:04
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Maybe there could be some options under our account online. We could select the notifications we wish to receive each month. Those people concerned with there account going overdrawn can tick the box. I too find the texts annoying but i appreciate that they arrive in the decent hours of the day :)

alasta
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  #570962 19-Jan-2012 19:27
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I am in exactly the same position and I totally agree.

I use an iPhone, which beeps when a message is received and then provides a couple of subsequent reminders if you don't read the message immediately. This means that when 2degrees send me these pointless messages I have to drop what I'm doing or put up with the phone squawking at me until I do. It's irritating in the extreme. 

SteveON
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  #570964 19-Jan-2012 19:33

Its only a text message, however I normally receive 80 a day.

SaltyNZ
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  #570970 19-Jan-2012 19:50
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SteveON: Its only a text message, however I normally receive 80 a day.


Well that wouldn't be us; we got it down to a mere 79. 




iPad Pro 11" + iPhone 15 Pro Max + 2degrees 4tw!

 

These comments are my own and do not represent the opinions of 2degrees.


 
 
 

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timmmay
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  #578729 8-Feb-2012 15:20
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The whole point of direct debit is that you're not bothered with bills. Sure email the bill to me, but don't notify me constantly, I just don't care and I reset being bothered.

wsnz
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  #579146 9-Feb-2012 10:20
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I think this will result in a case of damned if they do, damned if they don't.

After speaking with colleagues who subscribe to 2Degrees, they were divided as to whether they wished to receive these text messages. Some said that they liked to know when DD's were coming up and/or had been processed because they did not maintain high balances in their transaction accounts, while others did not care whether they were notified or not.

timmmay
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  #579148 9-Feb-2012 10:21
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Making them optional and able to be changed from the website would be sensible.

julianz
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  #579237 9-Feb-2012 12:42
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I'm either way on the text messages, although I would probably use an option to disable them if it were available. The thing that drives me nuts is the negative 2 days "this months bill for $xx.xx due in -2 days". That makes me want to scream!

2degreesCare
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  #579252 9-Feb-2012 12:58
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julianz: I'm either way on the text messages, although I would probably use an option to disable them if it were available. The thing that drives me nuts is the negative 2 days "this months bill for $xx.xx due in -2 days". That makes me want to scream!


Would '>' be better? 

crackrdbycracku
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  #579258 9-Feb-2012 13:04
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I like being a 2 Degrees customer. 

The thing about these messages that annoy me if the 'if you set up an automatic payment then...'.

Yeah, I did.

If 2 Degrees know I have an AP an email saying "Hi, we noticed you have set up an AP would you like to keep receiving reminders about your bill? Tick 'yes' or 'no' at the bottom of this page and reply and we will sort out the rest".

Now that would be cool.  




Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

julianz
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  #579298 9-Feb-2012 14:21
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<i>Would '>' be better? </i>

Aha, is it trying to say something like "approx 2 days"? Dunno, I'd write ~2 myself but I'm not sure all that many people would get that.

On the whole I can live with it though, I just assumed it was because the programmer of the message subtracted 2 dates in the wrong order...

2degreesCare
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  #579303 9-Feb-2012 14:57
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They're restricted with the # of characters in each SMS. I'll suggest it, you never know...

As for restricting them by choice, we're not able to offer that atm. Until that changes we're stuck between a rock and a hard place with customers wanting (needing) to know if a transaction has been taken from their account to others who say 'just take it'. We err to the former as we know it will lead to protests.

^POB





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