Looking for an alternative to True

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Big Boy
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Looking for an alternative to True

Post by Big Boy »

Don't get me wrong, I think the True Internet and TV service are excellent, and don't want to lose the excellent product, but it is no good for my blood pressure. I made a rare trip into Bintablock a few days ago with a friend into a multi screened bar, which is regularly recommended on this forum. The service (not True) was attrocious. Give me True any day. I'm definitely not looking for something like HD Prime - that is what drove me to True in the first place.

I love the service True provides, but I can't get on with the people they employ in their shops. They just don't have a clue what they are doing. True don't have the ability to send out bills, so every month we are totally at their mercy regarding what we pay. I know, give or take 200 Baht what the monthly bill should be, and after much arguing with the assistant behind the desk, we normally come to a figure approximately correct.

I noticed every few months the bill dramatically increases. I say no, they say yes. Resistance is futile - if you don't pay the ransom, they put a big box across your TV screen saying pay up or else (in Thai).

4 months ago I paid the ransom to get the service restored, and have been monitoring things monthly. Everything has been good. Last night, the box appeared on each TV - pay up or else.

Back in to argue with them. No mister, you should have paid on 24th - you are late.

But we've been told we have to pay the 6th of each month.

No you upgraded to Sports. New date is 24th.

Yes, but when I tried to update to Sports on 24th, you (same chimp) hid behind your phone and said I had to come back on 1st of month (there's another rant on here somewhere) - your day off.

Anyway, after much making of a big scene, I gave in and paid the ransom again, even though we have all the receipts, but they haven't mastered the ability to read yet. There doesn't seem to be anybody in charge, so I'm stumped.

I've tried speaking to head office, but they're as useful as a chocolate fire guard.

What I am looking for is an honest sports provider who has the ability to produce a simple invoice that I can pay every month. Is there any alternative to True that has the ability to produce transparent, easy to understand bills? This is such a simple requirement - I don't understand why they have to make it so hard.

I want to walk, but am not aware of any credible alternative.
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

Post by caller »

I can't help you BB, but once a month, just before the 1st, I wander into True at Bluport and wait by their payment machines, someone comes over, I show them my account number from my phone, that's keyed into the machine, the bill amount comes up - same figure each month - and I pay my bill by card, that's it.

My biggest gripe with AIS and True is finding the right package. Seems I got lucky with True.
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

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They can't do our bill on those machines, we have to speak to one of the chimps sat behind a counter. That's where it all starts to go wrong.

- I go to the machine that gives us a queue number.

- An over zealous ticket monitor always intervenes - you need to use a bill payment machine, ignoring my protests that the bill payment machines can't do the job. After about 10 minutes (my blood pressure rising) - you can't pay bill here, have to go to counter (it happens every month, but is beyond the chimp's comprehension).

- I go back to the first machine, and press the bill payment button and receive a ticket.

- That ticket is no good, the ticket monitor keeping a very close eye on this stupid Farang, takes our ticket and give us another - resistance is futile.

- Assistant behind counter presses her button, and our original number pops up above her head. She does her make up etc waiting for us to go to counter (another chimp has mischievously taken that ticket, so we have to wait for our chimp issued number to be displayed).

- Assistant presses her button again, and we can go to the counter.

I'm sorry, I'm usually a very patient person, but the sh*t we have to go through at True every time winds me up. Normally, I sit outside to avoid the bullsh*t, but today, because I was about to be conned out of a stash of money, I went in to have a very public rant.
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

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Big Boy wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 4:49 pm They can't do our bill on those machines, we have to speak to one of the chimps sat behind a counter. That's where it all starts to go wrong.

- I go to the machine that gives us a queue number.

- An over zealous ticket monitor always intervenes - you need to use a bill payment machine, ignoring my protests that the bill payment machines can't do the job. After about 10 minutes (my blood pressure rising) - you can't pay bill here, have to go to counter (it happens every month, but is beyond the chimp's comprehension).

- I go back to the first machine, and press the bill payment button and receive a ticket.

- That ticket is no good, the ticket monitor keeping a very close eye on this stupid Farang, takes our ticket and give us another - resistance is futile.

- Assistant behind counter presses her button, and our original number pops up above her head. She does her make up etc waiting for us to go to counter (another chimp has mischievously taken that ticket, so we have to wait for our chimp issued number to be displayed).

- Assistant presses her button again, and we can go to the counter.

I'm sorry, I'm usually a very patient person, but the sh*t we have to go through at True every time winds me up. Normally, I sit outside to avoid the bullsh*t, but today, because I was about to be conned out of a stash of money, I went in to have a very public rant.
I appreciate that you are obviously less than enamored with the service levels by True, but is there any possibility that your attitude might be a contributory factor - if you approach them that they are all “chimps” then maybe they deliberately adopt that attitude?
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

Post by JWWhite »

Dannie Boy wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 5:17 pm
Big Boy wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 4:49 pm They can't do our bill on those machines, we have to speak to one of the chimps sat behind a counter. That's where it all starts to go wrong.

- I go to the machine that gives us a queue number.

- An over zealous ticket monitor always intervenes - you need to use a bill payment machine, ignoring my protests that the bill payment machines can't do the job. After about 10 minutes (my blood pressure rising) - you can't pay bill here, have to go to counter (it happens every month, but is beyond the chimp's comprehension).

- I go back to the first machine, and press the bill payment button and receive a ticket.

- That ticket is no good, the ticket monitor keeping a very close eye on this stupid Farang, takes our ticket and give us another - resistance is futile.

- Assistant behind counter presses her button, and our original number pops up above her head. She does her make up etc waiting for us to go to counter (another chimp has mischievously taken that ticket, so we have to wait for our chimp issued number to be displayed).

- Assistant presses her button again, and we can go to the counter.

I'm sorry, I'm usually a very patient person, but the sh*t we have to go through at True every time winds me up. Normally, I sit outside to avoid the bullsh*t, but today, because I was about to be conned out of a stash of money, I went in to have a very public rant.
I appreciate that you are obviously less than enamored with the service levels by True, but is there any possibility that your attitude might be a contributory factor - if you approach them that they are all “chimps” then maybe they deliberately adopt that attitude?
I agree perhaps the "chimp" is at the other side of the counter
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

Post by Gregjam »

I sympathise with Big Boy as I cancelled our True service for the very same reasons. What really did it for me was getting a number and when it came up someone jumped in. I had to practically force to wife to question it only for her to be told to wait and then when she talked and told them she was just told to get another ticket. She had to practically forcefully restrain me from not only telling the teller what I thought of their attitude but also the person who pushed in. We now have a good internet from TOT at a fraction of the price and I will wait until a suitable alternative is available. Until then I noticed that the cable tv we now have seems to get a signal from a Burmese supply which has the 'good' channels although the signal quality varies and cuts out intermittently. We pay peanuts for this so I am not complaining and most of the live stuff is at the same time as her Lakorns (I have yet to organise the cable supply to the other rooms yet).
If Big Boy was as annoyed as I was I can understand him using a derogatory term and suspect this is a milder version of what he really felt. I try to treat everyone as an individual and judge by their actual performance but when dealing with True it seems to be a common failure to offer any kind of service except bad.
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

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Gregjam wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 5:53 pm I sympathise with Big Boy as I cancelled our True service for the very same reasons. What really did it for me was getting a number and when it came up someone jumped in. I had to practically force to wife to question it only for her to be told to wait and then when she talked and told them she was just told to get another ticket. She had to practically forcefully restrain me from not only telling the teller what I thought of their attitude but also the person who pushed in. We now have a good internet from TOT at a fraction of the price and I will wait until a suitable alternative is available. Until then I noticed that the cable tv we now have seems to get a signal from a Burmese supply which has the 'good' channels although the signal quality varies and cuts out intermittently. We pay peanuts for this so I am not complaining and most of the live stuff is at the same time as her Lakorns (I have yet to organise the cable supply to the other rooms yet).
If Big Boy was as annoyed as I was I can understand him using a derogatory term and suspect this is a milder version of what he really felt. I try to treat everyone as an individual and judge by their actual performance but when dealing with True it seems to be a common failure to offer any kind of service except bad.
He may well be frustrated, but to describe someone as a chimp is wrong. I would have thought a moderator should have censured the use of the derogatory terms but then he is a moderator.
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

Post by Nereus »

.. if you approach them that they are all “chimps” then maybe they deliberately adopt that attitude?
After close on 30 years of similar treatment from government officials down to Tuk Tuk drivers, I honestly believe that very few of any of them have the logic capacity to think like this. It is not confined to just True!
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

Post by caller »

What package are you on BB? I can't tell you too much about mine, but it has the premier football obviously and various other English programmes and some Thai stuff that Pam likes, although she often picks up Korean stuff via youtube.

It seems odd you can't pay via the machine so I guess yours is a tailored package that the machines haven't been programmed for?

I find AIS more irritating as they only accept credit card on their machines, thus have to wait for change all the time to feed the machine.
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

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I won't bite guys - if you're that interested give it a try yourselves.

As I've said, I am very patient, but I can't hack it at any True shop in Hua Hin. If there was another company who offered an equal service, I'd move like a shot. However, if they've got not competition, they can employ who they like, with no heed to the consequences.

I have been grossly overcharged today for about the 5th time. I had 2 Thais with me, and they couldn't make any sense out of the attitude of the counter assistant. There seems to be no alternative, so I guess I need to accept being ripped off every 4 months.

I am very sorry if I've offended some of the more sensitive members, but I take great exception to being robbed of my money. As I said, we've got full proof of payment, but if I don't pay their ransom, they block my screen. Maybe in April when it happens again, I shouldn't lose my temper, but reward them with a hefty tip.

[Edit] To appease the more sensitive, reference to monkeys has been removed.
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

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Big Boy wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 6:59 pm I won't bite guys - if you're that interested give it a try yourselves.

As I've said, I am very patient, but I can't hack it at any True shop in Hua Hin. If there was another company who offered an equal service, I'd move like a shot. However, if they've got not competition, they can employ who they like, with no heed to the consequences.

I have been grossly overcharged today for about the 5th time. I had 2 Thais with me, and they couldn't make any sense out of the attitude of the counter assistant. There seems to be no alternative, so I guess I need to accept being ripped off every 4 months.

I am very sorry if I've offended some of the more sensitive members, but I take great exception to being robbed of my money. As I said, we've got full proof of payment, but if I don't pay their ransom, they block my screen. Maybe in April when it happens again, I shouldn't lose my temper, but reward them with a hefty tip.
Yep, take them in some peanuts!!!! :thumb: :laugh:
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

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Big Boy wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 6:59 pm I won't bite guys - if you're that interested give it a try yourselves.

As I've said, I am very patient, but I can't hack it at any True shop in Hua Hin. If there was another company who offered an equal service, I'd move like a shot. However, if they've got not competition, they can employ who they like, with no heed to the consequences.

I have been grossly overcharged today for about the 5th time. I had 2 Thais with me, and they couldn't make any sense out of the attitude of the counter assistant. There seems to be no alternative, so I guess I need to accept being ripped off every 4 months.

I am very sorry if I've offended some of the more sensitive members, but I take great exception to being robbed of my money. As I said, we've got full proof of payment, but if I don't pay their ransom, they block my screen. Maybe in April when it happens again, I shouldn't lose my temper, but reward them with a hefty tip.
If you believe you have been overcharged or even as you say robbed, then you needed to report it to the police or a consumer protection agency such as Office of the Consumer Protection Board of Thailand http://www.consumersinternational.org/m ... f-thailand
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

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caller wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 6:30 pm What package are you on BB? I can't tell you too much about mine, but it has the premier football obviously and various other English programmes and some Thai stuff that Pam likes, although she often picks up Korean stuff via youtube.

It seems odd you can't pay via the machine so I guess yours is a tailored package that the machines haven't been programmed for?

I find AIS more irritating as they only accept credit card on their machines, thus have to wait for change all the time to feed the machine.
I have a basic package (for Mrs BB) plus Family Sport on the main TV with a couple of add-ons to give me the additional sport I need. The various ticket monitors all insist on paying through the machine, but I say it won't work. They then waste about 10 minutes of my time trying.

I then select bill payment, which seems logical to me and get a ticket. That always upsets the ticket monitor. They snatch the ticket off me and issue me with a ticket for a nonsensical reason. The bill payment number comes on the board, but I have to wait because I no longer have the ticket. Another 10 minutes wait and my newly issued number is displayed.

Why have a ticket machine with 'Bill Payment' as an option if you can't use it?

LOL - AIS machines - I get on fine with them.

Anyway, back to the question. "What I am looking for is an honest sports provider who has the ability to produce a simple invoice that I can pay every month. Is there any alternative to True that has the ability to produce transparent, easy to understand bills? This is such a simple requirement."
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

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JWWhite wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 7:06 pm
If you believe you have been overcharged or even as you say robbed, then you needed to report it to the police or a consumer protection agency such as Office of the Consumer Protection Board of Thailand http://www.consumersinternational.org/m ... f-thailand
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Re: Looking for an alternative to True

Post by huahin4ever »

Don't you get the bill every month from True in your mail? We do, and I pay through Internet Banking. Now the last 3 years I have paid for 1 full year. This has given me discount and 1 extra month free every year. I have Platinum package with all the add ons such as Discovery, Disney etc. Have 3 tuners. I paid approx. 31000 for 1 year which is in fact 13 months. Not cheap maybe, but not to expensive either imho.
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