Dear Editor:
We've had the Olympic Games, now we've got the annual Telus Games where the future of your bill is a mystery.
As one of their longtime, so-called "loyal" customers I'm told I have a discount rate of $42 per month for basic phone and Internet service. The catch is that every year that rate jumps back to the usual rate unless you phone them and threaten to take your business elsewhere.
This time my latest bill for February jumped to $67. So I phoned them once again, and someone from the customer loyalty department said he could reduce my bill by $10 a month for six months. Then I'd have to phone in again.
Well, two days later I decided to phone them again and ask for the customer loyalty department to see if I could do a better deal. And guess what. Now I'm back to $42 a month but only for six months. Then I have to phone and play the game again.
How can you have any respect for a company that charges whatever rate you'll accept, it seems? This is the result of deregulation of the telecommunications industry.
My trust and respect for Telus is gone, not to forget B.C. Hydro either with their smart meter games. If you can't trust a company to charge you a fair rate, then you certainly can't trust the company.
Jim Ervin, Burnaby
