Sneaky Telstra and pensioner discounts

Here I was thinking it was just another task I had to do for my parents.  They regularly ask me to ring different companies on their behalf because their English is, let’s say, hopeless.

They get all muddled on the phone and thoroughly confused (Italian migrants).   It’s tough enough working out which ‘number’ to select on the automated service.

You know that lovely lady who tries to direct you to the ‘right department’ and you end up going around in circles.

Anyway, they have been loyal Telstra customers for decades and having phoned them recently, we were told they were eligible for a pensioner discount on their land line service.   Read more

Telstra’s sneaky trick costs you money

Q. A few weeks ago you gave a number to ring Telstra to extend the rings on your mobile phone before it goes to message bank. Mine goes to message bank so many times. I was driving at the time and didn’t get the number. I hear your show most Sundays while I’m traveling to my children’s sporting events. I love the show.

Josie’s answer: Thanks for listening to Money Matters and happy (and humbled) to hear you love the show.  This was one of my Money Saving Tips without the BS (boring stuff) that I do at the end of the show.

I was doing one of my usual rants and raves and implied that the phone companies are very sneaky as they set the number of rings on our phone to about 3 or 4 and then it goes to message bank.

As a result, we have to pay to retrieve the message and then ring back.  Furthermore, the person who has rung you has also paid for the call.   Basically a blatant rip off.    Most of the phone companies are doing this to boost their profits. Read more