You may recall the fun I had with my wireless internet bill in thailand..... " Thai Bureaucracy .... "
Well I've been having a similar problem with my satellite TV company now.
I've been suscribing for a year now, get a few sports channels, BBC, movies, action and Australian channel. It's about $30 per month, not too bad and Indo TV is totally woeful.
However, last months bill they decided, without any warning, to change the billing method. Previously the maid would take all the months bills and go and pay at the post office (I think..... to be truthful, I gave her the bills and the money and they all got paid each month, I don't really need to know much more about the process)
Anyway, I digress, in last months bill was a letter,
"we have now decided that the methods of payment are via ATM with the following banks, an exhaustive list followed but did not include any of the banks I use ( I have 3, one for aussie $, one for US$ and one for Indo rupiah) or via direct debit, another list and it did include my bank this time."
by now I have been cut off because I was 2 days late on the bill!
So trundle off to the bank to sign up for direct debit, this takes approx 2 hours, costs my a little extra money but, never mind, that's life. However, it will not start until next month.
OK - give the maid some money and ask her to go pay this months bill.....
she returns, sorry mister, cannot!
Hmmm, I had invited some friends around for a BBQ and to watch the State of Origin rugby match on TV - but no satelite, so I get on the phone and begin trying to explain, not having much luck but the guy says he'll send a technician around tomorrow, I try explaining the tomorrow is too late, so he then asks me do I speak bahasa indonesian, I reply in the negative ( i do a little, but i am getting annoyed and didn't want any mis-translations, this is the english helpline after all!)
I finally agree that a technician will come tomorrow and sort everything out. I then ask can I have a discount since I have had no TV for 2 weeks - he replies rapidly, and, I assume crossly, in Indonesian. I hang up.
Technician turns up the next day, 3 hours late. fiddles with the satelitte for an hour or so, and then tells me I need to pay the bill!
Yes, thanks for that, can I pay you? Nope.
A week later, I get a call, blah blah blah, you need to pay your bill, yes i am trying etc. direct debit starts next month etc. OK you can pay you bill at the BCA bank direct into our savigns account there.
OK - I'll do it later today...
And we'll reconnect your satelittle once you do!
OK, sounds ok. So today I head done to BCA bank, wait in que with money and bill in hand......
no prizes for guessing what I was told.....
yep you are correct,
"Sorry sir, have to use the ATM outside for this"
"but, i dont have an ATM card with your bank, can I just deposit money into this account number? "
"Maaf Pak, tidak bisa" (=Sorry sir, cannot!)
So I am still without TV and still have not been able to pay this flaming BILL!
Well I've been having a similar problem with my satellite TV company now.
I've been suscribing for a year now, get a few sports channels, BBC, movies, action and Australian channel. It's about $30 per month, not too bad and Indo TV is totally woeful.
However, last months bill they decided, without any warning, to change the billing method. Previously the maid would take all the months bills and go and pay at the post office (I think..... to be truthful, I gave her the bills and the money and they all got paid each month, I don't really need to know much more about the process)
Anyway, I digress, in last months bill was a letter,
"we have now decided that the methods of payment are via ATM with the following banks, an exhaustive list followed but did not include any of the banks I use ( I have 3, one for aussie $, one for US$ and one for Indo rupiah) or via direct debit, another list and it did include my bank this time."
by now I have been cut off because I was 2 days late on the bill!
So trundle off to the bank to sign up for direct debit, this takes approx 2 hours, costs my a little extra money but, never mind, that's life. However, it will not start until next month.
OK - give the maid some money and ask her to go pay this months bill.....
she returns, sorry mister, cannot!
Hmmm, I had invited some friends around for a BBQ and to watch the State of Origin rugby match on TV - but no satelite, so I get on the phone and begin trying to explain, not having much luck but the guy says he'll send a technician around tomorrow, I try explaining the tomorrow is too late, so he then asks me do I speak bahasa indonesian, I reply in the negative ( i do a little, but i am getting annoyed and didn't want any mis-translations, this is the english helpline after all!)
I finally agree that a technician will come tomorrow and sort everything out. I then ask can I have a discount since I have had no TV for 2 weeks - he replies rapidly, and, I assume crossly, in Indonesian. I hang up.
Technician turns up the next day, 3 hours late. fiddles with the satelitte for an hour or so, and then tells me I need to pay the bill!
Yes, thanks for that, can I pay you? Nope.
A week later, I get a call, blah blah blah, you need to pay your bill, yes i am trying etc. direct debit starts next month etc. OK you can pay you bill at the BCA bank direct into our savigns account there.
OK - I'll do it later today...
And we'll reconnect your satelittle once you do!
OK, sounds ok. So today I head done to BCA bank, wait in que with money and bill in hand......
no prizes for guessing what I was told.....
yep you are correct,
"Sorry sir, have to use the ATM outside for this"
"but, i dont have an ATM card with your bank, can I just deposit money into this account number? "
"Maaf Pak, tidak bisa" (=Sorry sir, cannot!)
So I am still without TV and still have not been able to pay this flaming BILL!
NB - story continued in the comments section....
4 comments:
they just rang again.
converstation consisted of me explaining that i cannot pay this month but want to
and he asking if i had a particular bank account or atm card
no i only have such and such...
so why u not have this one?? cos i dont!
but u can pay with ATM card then?
but i have organised direct debit but that starts next month....
oh
how can i pay ?
wot is ur hand phone number?
you've got my house phone , why u need my hand phone?
you have ?
no i dont?
u dont have a hand phone ?
no.
why not?
why u need it? i am at home today - you can ring me here again, in fact you are talking to me now.
yes, but you dont have a hand phone??
No I dont
at this point i gave up because my bahasha indonesian (and patience) was begining to wear thin.
so my maid then spoke with him for the better part of 15 minutes, and they still do not seem to have a solution...
well, finally, a simple solution to a silly problem.
My driver has an ATM card that matches. I gave him the money and he transferred it for me.
phew.
Turns out that didnt work either....
I got an Indo friend from work to ring them and berate them and she finally got it sorted, (though the guy on the other end insisted that she had to give me mobile number to them before he could help......?)
and I even got a discount for the 2 weeks that it was cut off!
now watching TV again i'm wondering why i actually bothered. hehe
update,
but actually, it was my special babe who organise it all, just tell the driver to do it!
Post a Comment