You've got to love call centres

Today I had to make a few calls regarding my imminent move.

First up, I called Foxtel to query why I had received a bill for $3 since I cancelled my service a month or so ago. I asked the call centre guy what the charge was for. He said that $3 was the cost of sending a bill. I pointed out that the amount owing on my account was $0, so they had billed me $3 to tell me that I didn't owe them anything. He laughed and admitted that it was rather silly, and said he'd cancel the charge. So a small win for me, if you ignore the fact that I spent about 10 minutes on the call (most of it on hold).

Next, I had to call Dodo to talk to someone about moving my internet to my new house. Whenever I call Dodo I feel like I'm talking to retarded people. They really struggle to grasp simple concepts. I had sorted out most of the details, and thought it was odd I hadn't been asked what date I wanted the changeover to go into effect, so I said "Now I need the change to happen on 13 June."

"Oh no" she said, "this takes four days - your current service will cease in four days time and recommence at your new place on 6 June". I explained this wouldn't work for me, as I wouldn't be moving in for another week after that, and she said she would have to talk to her manager. Because it's so complicated and all. She came back and told me I would have to call back next week - four days before I wanted my service transferred. They can't book anything in for the future. Although I have a sneaking suspicion that when I call back next week they're going to tell me the process will take a fortnight . . .