Goodbye TFC

I was planning to get TFC for our parents' stay here so they wouldn't feel too homesick and bored at home. Last February, I checked online, called up TFC customer service and enrolled my details. Luckily, they have a contract for 6 months but we need to return the dish at the end of the contract. Sounds good to me since we wouldn't be able to see all shows anyway once our parents are back in the Phils, so we would be cutting the service after the 6th month period.

Since we lived in a townhouse, we still need to get Strata approval for the dish installation. Come March 2, I sent my application form, together with the approval from the Strata Manager. I was told before that the installer will call me within 24-48 hours of receipt of my application. On the same date, our credit card was charged for the first month fee of $39.99.

I waited for the entire week and I never received a call from TFC nor from the installer. I checked my fax transmission again and it was sent successfully. Since they've already charged hubby's card, then they must have received our application. On March 9, I received a call from TFC confirming our application and that I will have to wait for 24-48 hours for the installer to call me. After 3 days of waiting, I gave them a call telling them that I need it to be installed on Saturday, 13th of March, otherwise I'll cancel the service. They gave me the name and number of the installer and they said it was assigned to him a few days ago. I gave the installer a call confirming the day of the installation and he said either Monday or Tuesday but he'll call me to confirm.

Come Tuesday morning, I still didn't received a call so I called him up again asking if he'll install today as promised. He said that he can't but he will try to install before Friday.

At that point I was getting mad. Its been 2 weeks since I applied and until now I can't seem to get a confirmation when the installation's gonna be. With everyday it gets delayed, it shortens the time our parents can see Filipino shows which defeats the purpose of getting the service in the first place. Also, in my 3 years stay here in Australia, I always received prompt services from any supplier, regardless if I paid for the service or not. The most that I had to wait was 2 weeks after the scheduled date and that is understandable because the product has to be ordered overseas. But this one, its only the installation and I cannot understand the delay... well, the installer was saying he doesn't have the equipment now and it will only arrive on Thursday or Friday.

After hearing that, I told hubby that I wouldn't call the installer again for follow-up. But if by Friday, I still won't hear from him, I will call TFC and cancel the service and have the payment reimbursed to us, the reason being, our parents will only have a month left to use TFC. Really no point of having it installed this late.

Friday afternoon, with still no communication from the installer, I called up TFC and explained that it has been 3 weeks since I applied and several follow-ups later, I still don't have my TFC, so now I want to cancel the application. I also informed them that the installer said he is still waiting for the equipment to arrive. After a few minutes of being on hold, the customer service representative told me that they wouldn't be receiving the equipment until the 25th of March so if I can't wait that long, they will just cancel my application and refund the money. March 25th is too far away. By then we will be busy going out on weekends, then its Holy Week so really, we cannot make use of our TFC 24/7! So I decided to just cancel it.

Then, all is well... until I got a call from the installer at 9pm on Friday and our 15-minute conversation goes on like this:

Installer: hi, is this Gracy, this is XXX from TFC.
Me: Hi, How are you?
Installer: this is regarding your application noh. Sorry, kasi natabunan ang email mo eh.
Me: okay na po. napa cancel ko na din sa TFC, naitawag ko na po kanina.
Installer: Hindi, hindi. Bukas, first thing in the morning, pupunta ako sa inyo. I-i-install ko na.
Me: Di bale na po. Napa cancel ko na naman tsaka wala po kami bukas. May pupuntahan po kami.
Installer: Maaga ako pupunta. Sige na, para ma install na natin.
Me: May lakad po kasi kami bukas.
Installer: Tumawag ka na ba sa akin?
Me: Opo. Tumawag po ako last week, sabi nyo po sa Monday or Tuesday ang installation, tapos Tuesday, tumawag po ako, sabi nyo po sa between Wednesday to Friday. Nung di po ako nakareceive ng call nyo kanina, pina cancel ko na. Kasi nga 3 weeks na pending ang application namin tapos na charge na ang credit card namin pero wala pa din.
Installer: Ganito yun Gracy ha, yung next na billing sa inyo, one month after pa ng installation so hindi naman kayo i-bi-bill kaagad.
Me: okay lang po. Kasi yung reason talaga is uuwi na po sa Pilipinas yung mga magulang namin next month so wala nang gagamit ng TFC.
Installer: Naku, pa install mo na. Di ka mag sisisi. Ma eenjoy mo lahat ng shows. Ang ganda ganda ng shows namin. O ano, install na natin sa Sunday.
Me: Ay, hindi na nga po kasi napacancel ko na diba?
Installer: Yung cancellation, yung may last say tayong dalawa naman. Kung sabihin mong i-install na natin, hindi na nila i-ca-cancel yun.
Me: Hindi na nga po kasi nga di na rin sya magagamit. Next time na lang po, pag bibisita ulit dito ang parents ko ng matagal tagal, papakabit ako ng TFC.
Installer: Sige na, libre na kita ng first month. 5 months na lang babayaran mo kasi matagal ka nag antay eh. Para lang makabitan ka na. Ano lang ba yung $40, libre na kita.
Me: Wag na po, kakahiya naman sa inyo. Tsaka uuwi na nga po ang parents ko so wala nang gagamit ng TFC.
Installer: hindi kasi kakahiya naman sayo. Kasalanan ko naman na hindi ko nainstall. Sayang din, at least ikaw, approve na. Matagal ang approval ng installation alam mo ba yun?
Me: Okay lang po. May approval na kami sa Strata. Di naman po kami lilipat ng bahay in the next few years. Di bale, if babalik ang parents namin papakabit na lang kami pero for now po, cancel na po yung application namin.
Installer: Pasensya na talaga ha?
Me: Okay lang po. walang problema. Sige po. Bye.


Ang kulit diba? Paulit ulit na lang ang sagot ko! at bakit, biglang pede na i-install kinabukasan??? At sabihan pa akong "ano lang ba ang $40"? Hay naku talaga, I can easily earn that $40 noh. Wala po tayo sa Pilipinas, hindi po pe-pedeng pa petiks petiks ka sa trabaho (ako lang po ang pede maging petiks). Your service sucks, you gave TFC a bad name (kanta yun ah). For you to just keep on postponing the installation without letting me know is not acceptable. Clearly, the equipment is there, you are just too busy to care that someone is actually waiting for you to do your work, and now, when Head Office sends you a letter regarding the cancellation, you panicked. Kainis lang. Di ko tuloy napanood ang ASAP sa Boracay. hmmp.

Anyway, i told my Filo officemate about this and she is also having problems with TFC! She kept on calling them explaining that she needs the dish to be moved from one room to another because her mom needs it in the other room. Until now, nothing has been done. And when she calls their number, she has to explain what she wanted done over and over that it gets really frustrating. I asked her if we had the same installer but she said a different name.

Why is it more difficult dealing with Pinoys than with other nationalities??? Buti na lang, maayos kausap ang Driving Instructor namin, at least natututo na kami mag drive paunti unti...