We've heard people complain about Globe Telecom 'robbing' them in broad daylight. And the company still gets away with it.
We have heard of people in the past cursing the company for its alleged thievery. And we could only commiserate with them.
Now, it is my term to curse it. And for good reasons. Last July 4, we loaded P300 for our Globe prepaid line. Globe acknowledged it within seconds by thanking us for reloading. The following morning, when we tried to send a text message Globe did not send it. Instead, it explained, that our load left was only P0.80, and asked us to reload before the company deactivates the number.
Accompanied by Atty. Ian Feleciano on the afternoon of July 5, we went to the Globe office in a mall on Delgado Street, Iloilo City to complain. We were told that Globe would investigate and would inform us the results of its investigation before July 9. It made good its promise—about the only good thing it has ever done to its customers—because on the afternoon of July 6, we got a call from Globe. A lady informed us that our load ran out because we used it up on the Internet.
What? That’s strange. My mobile phone happened to be a “dual” that is, with two SIM packs that yours truly fitted for two rival telecoms, one for Globe and the other Smart. We have tried to connect with either Globe and Smart Internet but failed; we planned, but never did, of dropping by their respective offices to have our unit reconfigured so we can use our phone to surf the net.
Anyway, our unit is capable of surfing the net in hotspots offering free wi-fi connections like Tib’s Rock resto in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.
We have repeatedly attempted to connect with the cyberspace through our Globe account and each attempt failed because Globe kept on asking for a number code based on the model number of our gadget, which we did but it was always rejected.
The entire night of July 4 until dawn, our phone was being recharged and unused. And it shocked me to be informed by Globe that during that time, we had connected with the net “29 times”. Again, how did that happen when we were asleep the whole night?
As we mentioned above, our gadget was “dual”, meaning, fitted for two SIM packs. Only my load for Globe was eaten up. Our Smart load on the same mobile phone was intact and served as our main line during the time when we were still wondering how in heaven, or in hell, that "broad daylight robbery" by Globe happened.
We dropped by the Samsung kiosk at a mall along Delgado and queried a sales lady. Our unit automatically shuts down if unused for a few seconds although it still can receive calls or text messages.
Does it surf the internet on its own like the night of July 4 when yours truly plugged it in to recharge the whole night? The Samsung lady answered in the negative.
Yours truly is not the sole victim of this "broad daylight robbery." Our friend, Atty. Ian Feliciano, says he himself and some of his kins and friends have been victims, too.
A P30-load may disappear for a few hours despite being unused, he narrates, because of unsolicited messages, mostly promo offers that do not benefit its customers. These junk pieces of information are alleged charged against Globe's customers.
We no longer wonder why Globe does not invite public sympathy whenever news break that its towers are being sabotaged by rebels to compel it to pay “revolutionary tax."
We no longer wonder why people are indifferent to the fate of its communication towers as magnets of attacks by the revolutionary taxes. The more Globe towers are being demolished, the more it elicits smiles from its victims, it seems.
We can only hope as we do for its thousands of victims to remain rational and not put the law in their hands. Its victims should never pray for more Globe towers to topple for it to learn the value of upholding consumers’ rights.
This opinion piece is not paid by Smart.
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