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Ringing up a hefty bill
Telekom to make good the error of overcharging senior subscriber
By SIMREN KAUR simren@thestar.com.my
A RETIRED businessman said he could not take it “sitting down” when he was overcharged by over 100% by Telekom Malaysia Bhd for a subscription package.The complaint lodged by the businessman, who wished to be known only as Yong, 68, was initially rejected by the company.
However, the company later admitted there were errors in the billing and agreed to provide him with a rebate after Yong visited the TM Bhd outlet in Bayan Baru, Penang, accompanied by a reporter from The Star yesterday.
“I’m happy that my struggle for justice has been worthwhile,” he said.
Yong said he was billed RM334.11 in September when his monthly bill never exceeded RM150.
Double take: Yong, 68, bringing along his erroneous phone bill to successfully fight his case at the Bayan Baru TM Berhad outlet in Penang..
“I happened to scrutinise the bill and noticed that I was overcharged for the ‘BlockBuster Deal 1MBps’ which I signed up on July 27 this year.
“I will also be charged 10 sen per minute for calls to handphones and other fixed lines nationwide,” he said.
However, Yong said he was charged up to RM0.90 per minute for calls to Kuala Lumpur and mobile numbers.
“How can this be so? It is clearly stated that I should only be charged 10 sen per minute,” he said.
Yong then filed a complaint with the TM Bhd outlet in Bayan Baru on Oct 13 and the matter was referred to the company’s headquarters.
However, he received a letter from TM Berhad on Oct 21 claiming that the bill was correct.
“I was not satisfied as they did not even give any reason as to why I was overcharged,” said Yong, who then called The Star to seek assistance.
Yong then approached the TM Bhd outlet in Bayan Baru again accompanied by a reporter.
TM Bhd Bayan Baru customer service officer Norhashimah Yacob said they checked through the system and found errors in the billing.
“The mistake is regretted. We will provide Yong with a rebate for the amount he was overcharged in his future billings,” she said.
Yong said that Telekom subscribers should check their bills regularly to ensure there were no discrepancies.
“If I were illiterate, then I would not have been able to do anything,” he said.
