Erik Hanøy runs and pays his father’s phone bill. Suddenly he discovered that Telenor had upgraded the subscription.
The 85-year-old father, who never surfs, was set up for a more expensive subscription with 8GB.
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– Raised prices without his consent
He initially thought his father had been called by a salesperson, but eventually found out that the telecoms giant had upgraded the subscription itself.
– They have increased the prices without his consent. I find that very strange. It’s like buying pizza and soft drinks at the store, and then the store adds a pack of chewing gum without you being allowed to decide, says Hanøy.
– They can’t just raise prices and change subscriptions without asking people, he adds.
Erik Hanøy’s father lives in a retirement home and is no longer able to handle subscriptions and invoices himself. When Hanøy contacted Telenor, he was informed that Telenor had informed his father about the upgrade by e-mail.
– He is never on his e-mail, he states.
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– Phased out the subscription
Telenor confirms that the customer was upgraded.
– This customer was on an outdated subscription which has been phased out in favor of a new subscription adapted to today’s use and with more content included. He had a subscription with 3 GB included, and was transferred to one with 8 GB. In addition to more data, the subscription has Databoost, Orden and Nettvern+ included in the subscription, says press manager Anders Krokan to Nettavisen.
The price was therefore changed from NOK 299 per month to NOK 429. Krokan says that Telenor gives a NOK 70 discount for the first 24 months. The monthly price will therefore be NOK 359 in this period.
– It is understandable that the customer reacts to a higher monthly price, it is also understandable that the customer should not need such a large amount of data. In such cases, we are very happy to help recommend another subscription that suits the customer better, he says.
– Adjusted to the nearest level
Telenor today offers another subscription that has 2 GB included for NOK 329.
– Why wasn’t the customer also transferred to “Litt 2 GB”?
– Since the customer had 3GB before, and we know that for the vast majority of customers data usage increases over time, we have adjusted this customer up to the nearest level, which is 8GB. The customer has thus gained more security and more data. We cannot treat all customers individually when we make this type of adjustment, says Krokan.
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– Must be notified
Is it the case that Telenor can upgrade customers to 8GB without asking? If so why?
– It must be notified no later than one month before the change comes into force, the customer can then assess whether he or she wants to switch to a new subscription, or whether it should be changed to another subscription we offer, says Krokan.
Erik Hanøy ended up complaining to Telenor.
– It is probably only one percent who complain, so then they continue. They collect money on it, he says.
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Provoked by the customer service
Hanøy says that the father has now got a subscription that better suits his needs. But he still has to pay the invoice for the new subscription they didn’t want.
– What provokes me most is that it is not possible to stop the invoice. All you have to do is delete it and send a new one. They say it was “absolutely impossible” to delete the bill, says Hanøy, who has spoken to Telenor’s customer service.
He should rather be reimbursed the amount by the telecom giant after he has paid.
– Now I will follow along. When I get that money back, I will change my subscription. Then I don’t want to be a Telenor customer anymore. If they have not subtracted, then I will make it a personal hobby to follow this case, concludes
– Why can’t the bill be deleted instead of the customer having to wait for the amount to be refunded? asks Nettavisen Telenor.
– Telenor sends an invoice after the price change has come into effect, and the customer can use the notification period to decide which subscription they want before the invoice is sent out. Since Telenor invoices subscriptions in advance, changes to subscriptions will be reflected on the first invoice after the change. Then it will automatically be calculated what the customer will have back on the previous subscription and what he will have to pay for the new subscription, says Anders Krokan.
