Picture the scene….

You’re moving house – it’s hard work at the best of times, but you want to be prepared so you request your utility moves in advance giving them plenty of notice since you are to move house over Christmas….(bad timing I know!)…

So come official move in date – 4th January. Slingshot Broadband still haven’t sorted my broadband? I call them up on the 5th January to be told that they still only have skeleton staff since Christmas and that it can take at least 10 days to reconnect me – blaming the incumbant NZ Telecom etc… Poor show!

I wait patiently until the 10th January and still no broadband? As a Network Systems Engineer myself I know full well that it’s technically possible to get reconnecting within 48 hours or less… so I ring them back, this time to cancel my services completley – internet, tolls the lot…. bye bye Slingshot…. Won’t miss ya?

But wait it’s not over yet – in cancelling I am left with a credit on my account for $95.73 dollars which I am reliably informed by their helpdesk person can be refunded by their finance department the following Friday (since they only process financial claims on a Friday…??)…so I wait, giving them the benefit of the doubt, Friday arrives, but rather fatefully it turns out to be Friday 13th January 2012…..This is surely an ill omen?

After seeing a distinct lack of action from the Slingshot Broaband Finance Department I decide to ring their helpdesk, first call takes me 16 minutes to get through a wait well beyond the tollerance levels for most consumers out there, but I am determined to speak to someone. I did, only to be cut off after about 5 minutes of pulling teeth….Second attempt to call them, it takes me 26 minutes to get through so I’ve invested nearly an hour of my soul into resolving this debacle….I get through only to be informed the Finance Department have left for the day, and the helpdesk seem either unwilling or lacking in the necessary knowledge to help me any further.

Fast-Forward through the weekend to today!!

I ring Slingshot hopefully for the last time this morning, and after waiting a further 8 minutes to get through (obviously still on their skeleton crew) I am transferred to the financial team, the lovelly lady on the end of the phone, let’s call her “Rita” because that’s the name she gave me hears my story, and then informs me of two imutable facts (from her point of view):-

1) It takes 10 days to cancel my account (You’re kidding me??!!!)

2) I have to wait for the natural billing cycle of 27 days for my money back (I think not!)

Since she is unwavering in her point of view I politely raise a online helpdesk ticket (since I get a written record, reference number etc…) asking them to kindly point me at the exact terms and conditions that state I have to wait so long for my money back, and oh by the way I am seeking legal advice (always helps to mention this for some reason?)

Guess what!! I get a response back within 4 hours that says the follows:-

Hi Damian

Thank you for using Slingshot’s Online Help.

My apologies. I have re requested the credit to the correct date and requested that this be refunded to you asap. This should occur within the next 5 working days. My apologies that this was not corrected sooner.

I hope this helps to resolve your query. If it does not, please do not hesitate to reply to this email or to contact us on #############.

Kind regards,

##############
Slingshot Support Team

I have hashed certain details to protect the guilty….

Sigh….Has customer service sunk so low in this day and age? I have always worked in a customer focused capacity, even when my role no longer requires such a front facing demeaner. It saddens me when I am treated like this because I know others out there are clearly treated the same way.

So there you have it, that is why I will NEVER use Slingshot Broadband in New Zealand ever again…

Feel free to comment here if you have had similar problems with them. As the public/consumers need to be made aware so as to make an informed decision when exercising their consumer rights.

I also welcome and invite comments from anyone within the Senior Management Executive for Slingshot Broadband and to get in touch with me if they would like any further feedback. That is if they want to fix this and improve things for the future…