I'm having an experience with Orcon that seems really, really weird to me and I'm wondering if anyone has had anything similar and/or can provide any suggestions! This is really long and boring sorry :(

My flat has been with Orcon for a long time, probably about 2.5 years. It's been fine. The account holder recently moved out, so we transferred the account to my name. This was done over the phone in mid-March. At the time, the Orcon employee mentioned the plan we were on is an older one that they no longer sell (200GB), but that because we were transferring account holder we would stay on that plan, unless we wanted to switch to unlimited - but she suggested just getting the account transferred for now and I agreed and was cool with that anyway because 200GB has always been enough. She mentions the first bill will be a bit weird because it'll have a partial month charge plus the next month. The switch itself goes fine!

When I get my the first invoice under my name the amount is kinda unusual, like $3 more than normal or something, but I figure that's what the Orcon employee mentioned about the partial month, so just paid it without studying it (mistake!).

The next invoice I get is for about $100 more than normal/than I'm expecting. I am like wha?! and upon inspection see they've charged for a 30GB plan then an excess data fee. Our previous invoices (under previous account holder's name) had a line for the 30GB plan and a line for a 170GB add-on so the total data allowance was 200GB - now it was like the 170GB add-on was just dropped off, unknown to me and contrary to what the Orcon employee had said when I transferred the account.

This is craziness; we would never use 30GB or less. I email Orcon and ask why we are being charged for excess data, weren't we on the same 200GB plan? They reply to the tune of "No, we no longer offer that plan, so you were transferred to the basic plan we offer which is 30GB. If you'd like you can switch to the unlimited plan but this will cost $10 since it is mid-billing cycle. Our billing department may consider crediting the excess data fee if we request."

I reply something like "This seems wrong. We weren't told the plan was being downgraded, in fact we were told it was no longer offered but that since we were transferring an existing account we would stay on it - so yes, please let me know if the excess data fee can be waived, since we didn't know the data allowance had been downgraded and thought we still had 200GB". They reply something like "No, the plan was changed when you took over the account because the previous plan you were on was phased out. You can change to an unlimited plan and request a credit for the overage which is still subject for approval." I'm paraphasing but the emails are kind of robotic and weird like they're not really understanding what I am asking - so my next email is longer and more like "Why aren't you getting how crazy this is? Please let me know why the plan was changed without you telling me so." In particular by now I'm weirded out by how the offer of crediting the excess data change seems to be contingent on me going to the unlimited plan. Of course if I stayed with Orcon I'd want to switch to that plan, but in my mind, if they agree that I didn't agree to or know that the plan was being changed from 200GB to 30GB, then the offer of crediting the excess data charge shouldn't be contingent on me upgrading the plan (and paying to do so since it is mid-billing cycle?) - so they need to address the actual issue of why the plan was changed without us being told.

They reply again but it is a very similar response, only even crazier because now crediting the excess charge is contingent on signing up to the unlimited plan for 12 months (the current plan's original 12 month had ended) - "I have checked this with my supervisor; I was advised that we can credit the excess data provided that you will stay on the unlimited data plan for the next 12 months. Also, I want to confirm if you agree to pay $10 plan difference which will reflect on the next invoice so that we can change the plan to unlimited data effective immediately." (Now the $10 is a "plan difference", when originally they'd said it was a "fee for changing mid-billing cycle"?)

The initial situation and Orcon's responses just seem to crazy to me! How can it even be a thing that the ISP would downgrade the plan without telling you when you transfer account holder, charge $100 excess data fees on your next bill, then say you need to switch plans and sign up to the new plan for 12 months to avoid paying the excess data fee from before you even knew they'd downgraded your data allowance? At this point, I'd basically rather just pay and switch ISPs (if I have to sign up for 12 months anyway I don't see why I wouldn't switch?), because these people seem like robots. But it just seems ridiculous that they'd let it get to that point when I don't think it was a mistake on my end (they honestly did not say they were changing the plan at any point!)?