About a week later I was having trouble with my remotes and after spending an hour on the phone with their IT it was determined that the remotes were worn out and I would have to get new ones. Then they told me they would cost $50.00 each. I was not impressed and phoned their Loyalty division. I explained what had happened and that I had talked to someone on Saturday and they were giving me a tv and knocking my bill down but if they didn’t give me free remotes then I was going to have to rethink my position. The lady I spoke to said they weren’t sending me a tv, that they didn’t give tvs and that they would knock $15.00 off my bill and if I didn’t like that that I could go to Eastlink. I thanked her and told her that she had made my decision a lot easier. I then called Eastlink and re-scheduled my appointment to be connected.

Over the next two weeks (before the transfer took place) I received several phone calls and even a letter from Bell asking me to reconsider. I explained what Eastlink was doing for me and they couldn’t match it so I was switching. I’m not sure exactly what day I received the tv but I did call them that very day. They again denied that I was getting a tv and I asked if that was true then who sent me the tv. They said “you got a tv in the mail?” and I said yes. I told them that it had come from Atlantic Mobility and I said is that not you? All they would say was “we don’t give tvs out.”

The switch took place on March 5th. I contacted Bell to find out where to send the receivers and got into a whole new argument about having to give 30 days notice or have to pay for the next month. I was VERY UPSET and told them so. That equated to several phone calls over the next few weeks regarding the bill but ultimately I did pay the 30 days notice.

THEN I received my bill from Bell Aliant. Although we had a bundle with Bell our tv was through Bell Express Vu and the phone and internet were through Bell Aliant and they were billed separately. The bill was for $415.86 and included the price of a tv. Then it all began to make sense to me. All along I thought I had made an agreement with Bell Express Vu for the tv and it turns out it was Bell Aliant. What can I say? It was very early on Saturday and all I remember hearing was Bell. I guess the tv threw me off and I assumed it was Bell Express Vu. Anyway I called and explained to them about the mix up. They didn’t care about the mix up. They claimed that I owed them for a tv. I said I had the tv still in the box, (I never took it out of the box) and I would return it. They said no. You can’t return it. I said oh yes I can. They said you signed for it so you accepted it.

I tried to return the tv at the mall in town but they don’t take that kind of stuff there so mailed it back to Atlantic Mobility. I then paid the balance of the bill ($72.01, including another 30 day penalty which I again argued about to no avail) but I refused to pay for the tv. I recently received another bill where they are looking for the payment for the tv. I again called and explained that I had returned the tv and the lady said you can’t, they don’t take them back and that I had made a contract with Bell and I couldn’t break the contract and it wasn’t their fault that I misunderstood who I was talking to etc etc ad nauseum. I said you signed for it so you accepted it. I flatly refused to pay for a tv that I don’t have and I stated that they are not going to get the tv and my money as well and she said that they would send it to a collection agency. I told her she could shove it where ever she wanted; I would not pay it.

The next day I sent an email to Bell Aliant but I haven’t heard back from them despite their claim to respond within 24 hours.

Is there a time frame after making an agreement by phone that was solicited by them that I have to change my mind? And if so shouldn’t they have explained that to me? They never said that I couldn’t return the tv. They just said if I kept it and changed my mind that I would have to pay for it. I don’t consider that I kept it. First of all I didn’t even know where it came from since Bell Express Vu denied sending it and I believed my contract with them over the tv was nullified since they told me to go to Eastlink.

Today I received another “Friendly Reminder” from Bell Aliant to pay the $305.98. I am angry that they are prepared to send this to a collection agency rather than deal with me directly.

If anyone is entertaining any thoughts of getting Bell either Express Vu or Aliant for their services I hope they think long and hard about it. Thier Customer Service is the worst I have ever dealt with. They apparently don’t have any superiors, no one can do anything and they “don’t care” about anything that you have to say. They are like automated voices. It was the worst decision I ever made.

To be continuted…..