Paying Du Bills

Ok, so here it goes, for the past 2 months I have had a wonderful adventure, it's called Du. I really really really tried to be supportive to this new network, I really really really tried to appreciate their teething problems that arise due its new existence, I really really do appreciate that those poor guys and gals in the customer care centre are working with NOTHING! They will try and help you but they have no rights to the following:

• to reactiviate your account
• reset your password
• reset your username
• tell you what your code is

As for Du, well I read the welcome package I was sold the number and was provided with thousands of locations to pay for this number of mine, but alas when the time came to make a payment in person, there existed only four in payment points in Dubai.

• Al Ghurair Centre (do people still go there?)
• Jumeira Plaza (was under construction)
• Al Khaleej Center (supposedly in deira)
• I think Ibn Battuta
  

So I thought ok let me try the only method since I am not passing by any of those places any time soon. I go to register online and receive a code (which I'll call the code) which one assumes it is a one time registration code that you don't need to remember 'cause you'll register your own password and user name.

I register my credit card and make a payment, and wait..... It doesn't go through, I call the customer care line, they check and then somehow it has gone through so I'm assuming rather than 10 minutes to reconnect it'll take 1 hour as I ask 'how long till my phone is re-connected?' the response did surprise me a bit '1 day ma'am'

I waited a whole day thinking it's ok, they've just started, I then tried using the phone after 24 hours.... nothing. I call back and they ask me again about when and how I made payment and how it should be through. They also tell me that they will log in a complaint and it should be done in a couple of hours.

4 hours later still no connection, I call back very nicely, patiently and actually very demurely as an unfortunate horrible motorcycle accident had taken the precious life of one of their young colleagues (May God Almighty rest his soul and tide his family through these most difficult times with patiences and prayers). I tell them that my line has yet again not been connected and we're at the weekend, I'm told that it should be resolved soon. They log another complaint. I call back in a few hours and they told me that someone will get back to me.... so I inform them that I am aware that no one will be contacting me anytime soon as it's the weekend so I'll still have to wait a couple of days.

Surprisingly (I'd expected Sunday) I got a call on Saturday from someone with slightly more authority who informed me that the reason why my phone has not been reconnected was not due to my bill payment or non thereof, rather that I need to pay 80% of my limit.

Excuse me? What limit? Who established it? Why was I not informed? Based on what was the limit defined?

Apparently my limit was one thousand something AED and I'd only paid around 750 AED so I needed to pay a further 261 AED. Why? Cause that's how it goes.

So I stall. I decide I will only make my payment next month following receipt of the A4 trendy envelope of more than 30 pages of double sided colour print detailed bill. (Re-cycling plant anyone...)

Today I went online to try and pay my bill... I had noted everything in my iMate but it crashed and all its messages and notes went into cyber heaven... I tried logging in, I'd forgotten my username and password, I call Du.

They tell me that Du to them not having a software to reset the password they will have to cancel my online registration so that I may register again and they would assume that this time if I may please "write it down somewhere" in that lovely tone of 'Oh I'm sorry you didn't write it down but one would assume you'd forget dahling!'

So I explain, that unfortunately the device where I kept my info has crashed and I am not really well today so please excuse me. Then in my sugary dumb chick voice say "I'll make sure to do that next time thank you"

I go back online hoping that now I can register and go ahead... right? wrong! Can't register... so I log-in and then I click on Pay Bill and get 'Please enter a recipient for this number. This recipient can be used to do SMS recharging'

huh?

wait, what sms recharging? I enter my Du number and it says:

'Discover the simple and easy way to manage your payments anytime.

Invalid customer status - [xxxxxxxxxx] '

So I enter my other number - nope nuthin'

I call again with a lot of frustration and explain to the CC rep that it's nothing personal with them that I'm frustrated but I unfortunately can't do anything, so he asks me to log-out and log-in and try again.

Nuthin'

He then recommends that I pay by sms which will send an indicator to deduct payment from my already registered credit card and voila! Okay fine anything until we crack the website dilema.... and how do I do that? Simple, send a message to 135 typing in "pay (space) (amount)" I must then enter any three digits from my code. what code....?

you mean my password? no your code ma'am

you mean my username? no your code ma'am the code that you received via sms when you first registered (that which went into cyber heaven). Oh you didn't write it down, I suggest you do so for next time...

Oh and ma'am I'll log in your complaint do you still want to be unregistered and then registered once again? How long will that take? a while (meaning more than a couple of days) no just leave it alone!

well look ma'am we're really sorry but you should keep the code and we really don't have a software to reset... My tirade blows him away as he loyally tries to defend his organisation... I say: " pleeeeease stop coming up with reasons why things are not possible cause this really frustrates me" yes ok ma'am but I'm really sorry that this has happenned you see....on and on"
I reiterate several times, that as a frustrated customer it does not help by saying yes but... so please refrain from giving Du an excuse.... they have none.

And I left it at that... so where do I complain? I called my Du friends and said that I need to complain... (I won't mention their reaction) and told me to call the customer care center....