Skyetel auto enables billable services without notice
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@scottalanmiller said in Skyetel is a scam:
I think that the situation here is that Jared has discovered a fringe use case that just isn't foreseen and was overlooked (and is eleven cents so no one has thought about it before.) No one is scamming over eleven cents, that's ridiculous, and if any of us posted this, Jared would be the first to tear into us.
Should those services be mentioned somewhere so that in this bizarre edge case there is a warning that you might lose a few cents for services you didn't check? Sure, I'll bite and say that that might make sense to have it somewhere so that people aren't surprised on an edge case like that by a few cents that they had not anticipated or to know to look to go turn it off in case they aren't going to want it.
But what needs to be understood is that this is a port of active numbers. Porting an active number that you don't want to use is really odd. Nothing wrong with doing that, just totally bizarre. If you don't care about the number why bother porting it? Because this is so weird, I think it has fallen through the cracks of simply being a use case no one anticipated. I certainly would not think of it, the nature of porting a number creates the assumption (which is almost always correct) that you also plan to use it. Otherwise we'd expect that you'd get a new, immediate number rather than doing an "expensive" port.
But jumping from "someone made a mistake and didn't anticipate that anyone wouldn't want this situation because everyone else probably does, I know I do" to "it's a giant scam trying to get my eleven cents" is a crazy leap that just doesn't add up.
@scottalanmiller this edge case was never really considered. We'll be adding the following to our port in page ASAP:
- Once your number finishes porting, usage and feature costs will begin billing immediately
- Caller ID Lookups & Spam Prevention is enabled by default.`
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@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
@FATeknollogee said in Skyetel is a scam:
@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
@FATeknollogee said in Skyetel is a scam:
@Skyetel said in Skyetel is a scam:
@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
But this is just theft. Also why is is -$10.11? Terminating those calls most certianly does not cost that much.
@JaredBusch please note that the Port In Fee was $10, the actual usage for this number was only $0.11. So you only spent $0.11 in usage for this number for the month of April thus far.
I wasn't going to be the one that pointed that out...but calling some a "thief" without fully vetting (aka understanding) the charges...that's why I said this thread is just a "pissing" contest.
Theft. 100%. They enabled services with no authorization.
Bra, if you feel that strongly, just cancel your service.
If you had any clue on how services worked, even if I wanted to...
I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I do have a decent idea how these things work.
Again, if you feel (like you've said) that @Skyetel is a thief & scam, simply re-port the DID somewhere else. No need for the bitchfest & name calling.
In the grand scheme of the world, neither you or I are that important, life will go on...man, these are first world problems, bitching over 11 cents.
Ever seen a kid that doesn't know where/when their next meal is coming...them are real problems. -
@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
Also, that said, it does not fix the fact that they are little better (if at all) than Nutanix by not letting anyone post numbers. Even if they themselves refse to post them.
Secret pricing is pretty common. I don't like it either, but it is totally different than not being allowed to report call quality issues, outages, or such. Not even related. One is something you know before you get a service (even when secret to others) and agree to. The other is hiding something you find out that you aren't getting after you are stuck with a service.
There is really no comparison here. Totally different situations. And the pricing is only not "public", but it's not exactly "secret". You can find out my pricing simply by clicking on the Skyetel account and selecting "chat" and asking. That's open to everyone reading this and to people who aren't. So while they prices are definitely not public, they are open to all.
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@Skyetel said in Skyetel is a scam:
@scottalanmiller said in Skyetel is a scam:
I think that the situation here is that Jared has discovered a fringe use case that just isn't foreseen and was overlooked (and is eleven cents so no one has thought about it before.) No one is scamming over eleven cents, that's ridiculous, and if any of us posted this, Jared would be the first to tear into us.
Should those services be mentioned somewhere so that in this bizarre edge case there is a warning that you might lose a few cents for services you didn't check? Sure, I'll bite and say that that might make sense to have it somewhere so that people aren't surprised on an edge case like that by a few cents that they had not anticipated or to know to look to go turn it off in case they aren't going to want it.
But what needs to be understood is that this is a port of active numbers. Porting an active number that you don't want to use is really odd. Nothing wrong with doing that, just totally bizarre. If you don't care about the number why bother porting it? Because this is so weird, I think it has fallen through the cracks of simply being a use case no one anticipated. I certainly would not think of it, the nature of porting a number creates the assumption (which is almost always correct) that you also plan to use it. Otherwise we'd expect that you'd get a new, immediate number rather than doing an "expensive" port.
But jumping from "someone made a mistake and didn't anticipate that anyone wouldn't want this situation because everyone else probably does, I know I do" to "it's a giant scam trying to get my eleven cents" is a crazy leap that just doesn't add up.
@scottalanmiller this edge case was never really considered. We'll be adding the following to our port in page ASAP:
- Once your number finishes porting, usage and feature costs will begin billing immediately
This is expected, I cannot think of anyone that could intelligently claim otherwise
- Caller ID Lookups & Spam Prevention is enabled by default.`
This is huge IMO.
@Skyetel add one more thing:
- Any port in charges will not be billed until the first bill cycle completes
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@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
@Skyetel add one more thing:
Any port in charges will not be billed until the first bill cycle completes
You mean... to clarify when it is going to hit your bill so that you aren't surprised by the $10, in your example, so that you aren't surprised later?
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@scottalanmiller said in Skyetel is a scam:
@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
@Skyetel add one more thing:
Any port in charges will not be billed until the first bill cycle completes
You mean... to clarify when it is going to hit your bill so that you aren't surprised by the $10, in your example, so that you aren't surprised later?
I'm not surprised by the port in charge, no. But I was surprised a month later to find it still on my account as a negative amount.
Their billing system could use some better detail for what these charges are prior to a statement cycle. I had no place (that I could find) to see that information.
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@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
@scottalanmiller said in Skyetel is a scam:
@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
@Skyetel add one more thing:
Any port in charges will not be billed until the first bill cycle completes
You mean... to clarify when it is going to hit your bill so that you aren't surprised by the $10, in your example, so that you aren't surprised later?
I'm not surprised by the port in charge, no. But I was surprised a month later to find it still on my account as a negative amount.
Their billing system could use some better detail for what these charges are prior to a statement cycle. I had no place (that I could find) to see that information.
or perhaps a separate invoice for just port in so it isnt as confusing. It is not a nice feeling for the customer to see a negative balance in their account and not know what it is about.
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@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
I'm not surprised by the port in charge, no. But I was surprised a month later to find it still on my account as a negative amount.
Okay, just verifying that I understood what you mean. If you look at the April bill, do the charges not appear there? My current charges like number porting show up there, even before the invoice comes out.
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@IRJ said in Skyetel is a scam:
@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
@scottalanmiller said in Skyetel is a scam:
@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
@Skyetel add one more thing:
Any port in charges will not be billed until the first bill cycle completes
You mean... to clarify when it is going to hit your bill so that you aren't surprised by the $10, in your example, so that you aren't surprised later?
I'm not surprised by the port in charge, no. But I was surprised a month later to find it still on my account as a negative amount.
Their billing system could use some better detail for what these charges are prior to a statement cycle. I had no place (that I could find) to see that information.
or perhaps a separate invoice for just port in so it isnt as confusing. It is not a nice feeling for the customer to see a negative balance in their account and not know what it is about.
In theory, it should be in his April statement right now if things are working correctly. I don't have a port charge myself this month, but last month I did and that's where it goes, in real time. There are "end of month" things that are calculated and show up later. But those things that you are billed for show up as soon as they happen.
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@scottalanmiller said in Skyetel is a scam:
@JaredBusch said in Skyetel is a scam:
I'm not surprised by the port in charge, no. But I was surprised a month later to find it still on my account as a negative amount.
Okay, just verifying that I understood what you mean. If you look at the April bill, do the charges not appear there? My current charges like number porting show up there, even before the invoice comes out.
This is correct - if you click on the month and change it to the current month, you'll see all "Transactions" we made on your account (like Port In fees or Purchasing a Phone Number)
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@IRJ said in Skyetel is a scam:
...It is not a nice feeling for the customer to see a negative balance in their account and not know what it is about.
Really, damn, are you that sensitive?
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@FATeknollogee said in Skyetel is a scam:
@IRJ said in Skyetel is a scam:
...It is not a nice feeling for the customer to see a negative balance in their account and not know what it is about.
Really, damn, are you that sensitive?
It's not about sensitive. Accounting departments can be incredibly cranky about things being negative and not "due". Negative usually means past due, and can get people up in arms.
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@DustinB3403 said in Skyetel is a scam:
@FATeknollogee said in Skyetel is a scam:
@IRJ said in Skyetel is a scam:
...It is not a nice feeling for the customer to see a negative balance in their account and not know what it is about.
Really, damn, are you that sensitive?
It's not about sensitive. Accounting departments can be incredibly cranky about things being negative and not "due". Negative usually means past due, and can get people up in arms.
And they should be. That's not really the issue. Although why accounting would see an "under the hood" transactions in a pay ahead account I'm not sure, but assuming an edge case... they need that visibility, definitely. But if you go under the current month, rather than last month, I suspect it is there as expected.
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@DustinB3403 said in Skyetel is a scam:
@FATeknollogee said in Skyetel is a scam:
@IRJ said in Skyetel is a scam:
...It is not a nice feeling for the customer to see a negative balance in their account and not know what it is about.
Really, damn, are you that sensitive?
It's not about sensitive. Accounting departments can be incredibly cranky about things being negative and not "due". Negative usually means past due, and can get people up in arms.
If an accounting dept. is going to get cranky before they know the details of a transaction, that's on them!
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@FATeknollogee said in Skyetel is a scam:
@DustinB3403 said in Skyetel is a scam:
@FATeknollogee said in Skyetel is a scam:
@IRJ said in Skyetel is a scam:
...It is not a nice feeling for the customer to see a negative balance in their account and not know what it is about.
Really, damn, are you that sensitive?
It's not about sensitive. Accounting departments can be incredibly cranky about things being negative and not "due". Negative usually means past due, and can get people up in arms.
If an accounting dept. is going to get cranky before they know the details of a transaction, that's on them!
Like JB getting cranky before understanding that $10 of that bill was for the Porting charge.
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@Dashrender said in Skyetel is a scam:
@FATeknollogee said in Skyetel is a scam:
@DustinB3403 said in Skyetel is a scam:
@FATeknollogee said in Skyetel is a scam:
@IRJ said in Skyetel is a scam:
...It is not a nice feeling for the customer to see a negative balance in their account and not know what it is about.
Really, damn, are you that sensitive?
It's not about sensitive. Accounting departments can be incredibly cranky about things being negative and not "due". Negative usually means past due, and can get people up in arms.
If an accounting dept. is going to get cranky before they know the details of a transaction, that's on them!
Like JB getting cranky before understanding that $10 of that bill was for the Porting charge.
After 26 days of community hibernation, Dash is back.
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@JaredBusch I can confirm that your suggested changes have been made to our Port In page. I'm sorry that you found our billing system confusing and I have refunded your $0.11. (I actually had to give you $1 - our system won't let me go lower than that lol)
I wish that we had had a chance to speak about your frustration prior to you posting this on a public forum. Creating a "Skyetel is a Scam" post seriously hurts us and I would have rather treated this as an opportunity to introduce you to our customer service team.
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@DustinB3403 said in Skyetel is a scam:
@FATeknollogee said in Skyetel is a scam:
@IRJ said in Skyetel is a scam:
...It is not a nice feeling for the customer to see a negative balance in their account and not know what it is about.
Really, damn, are you that sensitive?
It's not about sensitive. Accounting departments can be incredibly cranky about things being negative and not "due". Negative usually means past due, and can get people up in arms.
Exactly. Negative balance leave the impression being behind, not current.
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@Skyetel said in Skyetel is a scam:
I wish that we had had a chance to speak about your frustration prior to you posting this on a public forum. Creating a "Skyetel is a Scam" post seriously hurts us and I would have rather treated this as an opportunity to introduce you to our customer service team.
aka hidden it like your pricing.
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@DustinB3403 said in Skyetel is a scam:
It's not about sensitive. Accounting departments can be incredibly cranky about things being negative and not "due". Negative usually means past due, and can get people up in arms.
Normally the system is pay ahead only, that he was able to port with no money on the account is odd. It is, under normal circumstances (and this is pretty standard for trunk providers for many reasons) standard to only allow you to pay ahead and send a notice when you are getting low on funds so that you can "top up", either manually or automatically. Under normal conditions here, I wouldn't expect a possibility of being in the negative.
