GLOBE TELECOM has been my mobile operator for the last four years,
and I have been a very loyal subscriber. I'm prepaid because my mom
doesn't trust me with a postpaid plan, but still, I could have easily
bought a new car with all the cards I bought from Globe. But that's
not the issue.
I have been perfectly contented with Globe's service since 1998.
I haven't really been paying much attention to their Customer Service
because I know how to use my phone and Globe's Value Added Services
(VAS). But ever since Globe launched their new service Globe XTM (it's
a service that allows you to send a text message of 480 characters
or an email for only 1 peso by using WAP over GPRS), I have had lots
to complain about.
First, Globe states that GPRS is available for both prepaid and postpaid
plans. Wow! How great. I tried this at first by configuring my phone
and it actually worked. I spent hours surfing the various WAP sites
I could find using my phone. And the great thing was, it was for free.
Globe only charges you if you download stuff from their
site.
I eventually bought a new Globe SIM card because I wanted to change
my number, and lo and behold, my GPRS didn't work anymore. At first,
I didn't fret. Maybe I needed to have it activated. So I called their
customer service center and told them to do so. That was more than
a month ago. Until now, they haven't activated my GPRS. I've memorized
all of their CS representative's lines and these were the responses
I kept on getting:
"We'll forward your concern to the technical department. Please
monitor your GPRS in the next 24 hours." or "We apologize
for the inconvenience. We will try to remedy your problem ASAP."
and the classic "We are currently upgrading our network. Please
rest assured that your problem will be resolved when we're finished."
During the last month, my concern has been forwarded 17 times. They
have apologized more than 10 times and they have upgraded their network
a total of 14 times.
Apparently, I'm not the only one with this problem. I know at least
a hundred people at www.esato.com who are so willing to happily murder
a few executives at Globe Telecom. Me, I'd just like to burn their
building down. Are you one of us?
Anyway, we noticed that prepaid sim cards starting with certain numbers
can access GPRS while others can't. Numbers starting with 9 can use
GPRS. My old number started with a 9. But numbers starting with 2
can't. What the hell is this? They never said anything about having
your cell number starting with a certain digit in order for you to
access GPRS! That is totally unfair!
Also, they released this new service: MMS or multimedia messaging
service. Sounds cute huh? I know. That's why I spent 25 thousand pesos
to buy a Nokia 7650 so I can
use MMS to send pictures I've taken with my new camphone to my friends.
Ooops. When I called CS to activate my MMS, they said "I'm sorry
Ma'am. MMS is available only for Postpaid subscribers!" in a
cheery tone. That moment, I wanted to cheerily strangle her to death!
In their website, www.myglobe.com.ph, they have a FAQ. One of the
questions in that FAQ was "Is MMS available for all Globe Telecom
subscribers?" Their answer? "MMS
shall only be available for GHP Postpaid and Prepaid except for Touch
Mobile." This can be found in https://www.myglobe.com.ph/myglobe/mms/inner1.asp#22.
So is this false
advertising? The bastards! They said Prepaid can use it! They Lied!!!
They fucking LIED!!!
The point is, I really like Globe. They have oodles of services I
can't get from the other company. I won't say the name but it starts
with an S and sounds like Mart. But why does Globe give me grief and
sorrow? Why do they neglect me and pay so much attention to Postpaid
subscribers (they even have their own hotline)? Don't they know that
they get more money from prepaid customers? Why?
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Ice Cream, 22, has been on the Internet for six years. She maintains a channel
on Undernet and its Web site and has ten cyberfriends and knows them
on real life. She loves Robert Jordan and Harry Potter
