fido sucks

Ha ha, they do not!

So no mobile blog posts from me for a while :( I know you will all be very disappointed. Here is the email I sent to Fido on their complaints page. I am certainly not expecting any response but what the heck.

I am writing to complain! I have been with Fido since April 12 and am appalled. My Blackberry Curve received a wireless software update on April 23. I tried to install it and my phone crashed -- error 523. I rebooted it several times to no avail. I went online and found out I needed to restore the OS with the Desktop Software Manager but despite Fido's claim that the Curve is compatible with Mac out of the box
- I could not install the DSM on my Mac OS 10.4.

I went to the Fido stall at the Dufferin Mall where they said they could not help me but they called what they refer to as customer service. I would not call it that.

At one point, while on hold, I spoke with the sales rep at the counter who told me that she understood how frustrating it can be because she is also a Fido customer. Not even Fido's own sales reps will endorse the company they work for it seems.

I was on the phone for an hour and a half - first with M_____ and then finally with G_____ whose best advice was that I find a friend with a Windows computer and try to do the reinstall!?!?!?!?! I am not sure how this counts as customer service. It felt like a giant middle finger being waved in my face.
I went to Wireless Wave where I purchased this phone and where they DO understand what customer service means, and the sales rep took me to his friend with a Windows computer. We tried to restore the phone 5 times, again to no avail.

Once again I called "customer service" and spoke to A___. She told me that now that I had spent a fruitless 2 hours finding a Windows computer to use, downloading software and trying in vain to restore the phone, Fido would agree to replace the phone but ... and wait for it! I have to do it over the phone and by mail (even though I am standing in a mall surrounded by phones and Fido sales people) ... but I cannot start the process now because the Fido computers are down!

So I have to wait on Sunday until after 6 p.m. for A___ to call me. More hours of my time. And then I will have to wait 5 days for my new phone ... which I will then have to program. More and more hours of my time.

I asked A___ if the phoneless week would be deducted from my bill but she said that she could not do that. Another giant middle finger waving in this customer's face.
She did offer me unlimited incoming calls for 3 months which I accepted but that barely compensates me for the time I have put in to dealing with this issue. I expect Fido to deduct any time that I am without the phone from my bill. Please let me know what you plan to do as soon as possible.

Arf arf arf!

More Fido Sucks stories.

UPDATE: The Fido woman yesterday told me to call after 6 pm today but i just got an email from them that points out that customer service closes at 5 pm on Sundays.

So I am on the phone with J___ now. Well I am actually on hold waiting for the person who can cancel my contract.

UPDATE: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE: H____ commiserated with me. He understands my frustration. He is also a Fido customer and goes through the same things. I told him I do not need counselling for how to cope with the horrors of being a Fido customer. I told him that I commiserate with him because he calls himself a customer service representative and works for a company that does not do customer service.

H____ says Fido will charge me $500 to cancel the contract even though it is them that cancelled their contact with me by denying me service.

H_____ tried to blame RIM. I pointed out that my contract is not with RIM but with Fido. Fido requires that I go through Fido for all services and so Fido's relationship and deals with RIM are not my concern. If Fido cannot negotiate reasonable terms with RIM, they should not pass on unreasonable terms to their customers.

All H_____ can offer is to exchange my phone and ensure that I receive the replacement by May 4 at the latest. I asked to speak to someone who can make this happen and he told me that he was the highest person I can speak to. After 45 minutes on the phone he finally agreed not to charge me for the 10 days when I will not have phone service as if he was doing me a HUGE favour. He added a $20 credit to my account. He told me several times that this was a big exception

Houssin did point out that the other big telecom companies are just as bad. That may be true but I do not see how that excuses Fido.

I had to get off the phone because of other engagements but I'll be back!