Can True Really Do Anything About An Unpaid Bill?

[tragickingdom]

Somewhere far in the past I had a few numbers from GSM1800 (AIS) they had a kind of weird promotion that ran out after two years. Because GSM1800 had no internet capabilities I only used them to make an occasional call. I was making maybe for 100Baht on calls every month. My promotion was however closer to 1800 Baht. I was under the impression that when the promotion ran out I simply would be charged subscription fees plus the real costs of the calls which were than still based on the place where you took out our subscription and could run into 20/25 baht per minute. Never mind, the promotion expired but they simply extended it without my permission and they did not allow me to cancel the numbers.

Even though my lines were cut I was getting bills for years running in the tens of thousands of baht. They phoned me at home sent me letters and even threatened to go to court (Which I would have loved). To make a long story short, they stopped sending reminders after 5 years or so. If you look in villages you would see that half the population have unpaid phone/internet bills. Those companies do nothing but only spring into action when someone with the same name / social security number apply for other services from the company.

[candypants]

the dude has no doubt that the OP like most people did not read the true contract he signed. this would explain his obligations

the dude is an ass, with a sad and tired schtick.

[PalMan]

Even if a company has well-automated customer service departments which you can contact electronically as opposed to walking into their office in person - in fact especially if they do - the employees (including supervisors and managers) generally function within very strictly defined rules and don't have leeway to waive them in the interest of making/keeping customers happy - the computers are usually set up specifically to not allow such fiddling for very good reasons. And they don't have training or compensation schemes to give the employees any reason to try to buck the system anyway, very few people actually care if the customers are happy or not.

And the companies have very little incentive to improve this situation since all their competitors have as bad or worse levels of customer service.

If the contract says you have to notify the company in person or in writing or whatever in order to cancel the service, and of course the bill has to be paid in full before you can cancel, and you signed the contract, then it's no one's problem but your own if you happen to be overseas at the moment.

Again and again - this is Thailand, don't expect things to work the same here as they do back home. And least of all don't expect things to be logical according to your standards of logic - they are doing exactly what makes sense for them in their own context.

[KunMatt]

Yep...

Call them and pay it out...

Then thats one less worry...

Unlike your absurd answer I would call them and tell them you would pay for services rendered, but not after it was switched off. You may even be able to negotiate a better deal since they usually will take something over nothing.

If not just pay what you owe and no more. And I really doubt they can do anything about your stay in Thailand as they really have no power over that. Course, doubt you will ever be able to use thier services but who cares? Not sure how credit issues are done in Thailand like being sent to collections, but you have a good case against them for the unused service.

^ This,

I'm sure it's the same with TRUE, but we went on holiday for a couple of months and missed payments to TOT who promptly cut off our internet until we paid up again. TRUE will also have cut off your service when (if) your gf decided that she didn't want to use the internet anymore and just stopped paying them.

However, you still have an ongoing signed contract with them so get a new SIM, call them and square it all off. Something that you could've done like a responsible adult much faster than creating a thread here just to see how you can get out of your responsibilities.

[Evolare]

Actially similar happend to me we signed up for a 12month 3bb subscription in 2009-2010 but went back to sweden...they kept charging us but when we got back we had a debt for two years....after a few rounds of discussion we paid for i think 3-4 months for this time period and then it was cleared. So i think mpst can negotiate bit some are more difficulto than others i have no experience with true however.

[Evolare]

Maybe it was different for us as we signed for a 12month promotion and not an ongoing...and that they made the mistake continuing to bill us i dont know. And as we only had paid 7-8 months when we left.

[AlphMichaels]

She's a Television Queen. She's on Facebook less than HRMTK.

While I'm grateful for all the all responses, most of them don't deal with the specific question asked, that being what exactly will they do to me?

The True Police will meet you at the gate on arrival. You'll be cuffed and taken to standard Thai jail for one week. They'll release you back to the True Police, whisked away in a Lavishly adorned advert laden "True EVERYTHING" songthaew whilst chained to the handrail. You'll arrive at the True Payment Processing Center to pay your bill and then taken away in the same songthaew only to be dropped off in front of a Lady boy bar where the girls have 3 day growth beards, hairy legs, and exclaim "Hello handsome man" in deep raspy voices.

KIDDING!!!! Pay the bill when you get back. You may get blacklisted on future service with them..., just like in the west.

[robertson468]

How is the 'right thing' to validate absurd business practice? How can you mandate that I pay an arbitrary bill using morality as an excuse when the company has acted contrary to any moral standard? What medal do I get for being better than them? I reject this arbitrary standard.

What exactly has True done that is an "absurd business practice" and "acted contrary to any moral standard", or are you talking about them holding you to a contract you voluntarily entered into and didn't bother to cancel?

Sophon

I assume "BudRight" signed the Contract, having read it? If that is the case you have no moral grounds to refuse to pay the outstanding amount. If you didn't read it, then you are still at fault by signing a document that made you obliged, by Contract, to carry out certain actions, such as paying on time and cancelling after a given period of time if no longer required. This is not an arbitrary standard, but common business practice, which of course you are not prepared to admit, because you are in the wrong. Now you are in the wrong and in a "pink funk" because you are worried as to what True can do to you and are hoping to hear all sorts of nice platitudes from OPs on this Forum. Again, you are wrong! Most dislike not only what you have done but your continued stance of not holding up your hand and admitting your dishonesty. Most business people love characters like you - especially when they are caught and hung out to dry.

[PalMan]

You have to be more specific than 'switched off', was the contract cancelled?

Most likely not, which is why they're continuing to charge you.

I believe what you're actually asking is:

'Since I'm on a different passport number, than the one used to register for the internet, can True still track me down if I don't pay the bill? '

The answer is: who knows, maybe.

Pay the bill, cancel the contract and chalk it up to experience.

Ultimately, the responsiblity for cancelling the contract comes/came down on yourself or your girlfriend.

Even if he dosen't pay he should still cancel the contract.

Do it in writing with a witness so they can not say he didn't cancel it. At least it will stop growing.

I'm pretty sure most such contracts require the bill to be paid in full as a condition of being able to cancel.

For those that do even allow cancelling before the term of the contract is up, if they subsidized your hardware as part of the package you many not even have that option, you may have agreed to a minimum/fixed term.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

In Thailand no agreement is valid or enforceable beyond the point when both buyer and seller are both happy..

If you don't feel like paying you stop, the company are then free to stop providing the service.

Companies also stop providing contracted services whenever they feel like it, but still send you the bills as if they were still providing the service.

That's just the way Thais work.

The company doesn't expect anything different.

Foreigners spouting their "if you signed a contract you must pay it" are just objects of amusement to both Thais and Thai companies.

[jcb2001]

I switched to True Optic Fibre recently (on True's suggestion) but forgot to cancel my old True internet service. I just assumed once I started the new service the old one would be cancelled automatically. Not so, and I had to pay for two months of service for something that I didn't use, but was still connected. Lesson learned, don't assume anything in Thailand.

Same happened to me. True preys on falongs who are use to dealing with legimate internet companies in their home countries. I will never use True services again. I have found adequate sources that do not require a contract or your name to get the internet. For example,(DTAC and AIS). They may not be as fast as True, but they are pre-paids and work well.

[HeijoshinCool]

How is the 'right thing' to validate absurd business practice? How can you mandate that I pay an arbitrary bill using morality as an excuse when the company has acted contrary to any moral standard? What medal do I get for being better than them? I reject this arbitrary standard.

What exactly has True done that is an "absurd business practice" and "acted contrary to any moral standard", or are you talking about them holding you to a contract you voluntarily entered into and didn't bother to cancel?

Sophon

I assume "BudRight" signed the Contract, having read it? If that is the case you have no moral grounds to refuse to pay the outstanding amount. If you didn't read it, then you are still at fault by signing a document that made you obliged, by Contract, to carry out certain actions, such as paying on time and cancelling after a given period of time if no longer required. This is not an arbitrary standard, but common business practice, which of course you are not prepared to admit, because you are in the wrong. Now you are in the wrong and in a "pink funk" because you are worried as to what True can do to you and are hoping to hear all sorts of nice platitudes from OPs on this Forum. Again, you are wrong! Most dislike not only what you have done but your continued stance of not holding up your hand and admitting your dishonesty. Most business people love characters like you - especially when they are caught and hung out to dry.

I'm thinking the smiley you used at the end of your diatribe is quite appropriate.

[Soutpeel]

True preys on falongs who are use to dealing with legimate internet companies in their home countries. I will never use True services again. I have found adequate sources that do not require a contract or your name to get the internet. For example,(DTAC and AIS). They may not be as fast as True, but they are pre-paids and work well.

....Farangs hardly appear on True's radar in the scheme of things, never mind preying on them...

[Dumu Ali]

The finance department has a section to deal with outstanding debts and has different levels of action depending on the amount owed and age of the debt, if basic efforts to contact and amicably settle things then they have further courses of action - it is believed in the age of computers it is the best policy to pay or debts and close all unwanted services to protect your balance - to answer your question - All good businesses implement debt recovery and fraud prevention measures and chasing absconders is important to protect our society from abuse, if you agree to Internet then you agree regardless of whether you use it or not.

[Dumu Ali]

PS I use True and the service is 5 star - top speeds and home visits to set things up and fix if ever necessary, just the idea of a thread asking can I sign contracts and disappear hahaha? sounds ludicrous or have we run out of seriously bad people and reasons to complain?

[Faranguy]

True has an interesting angle. I signed a 1 year contract, I paid for
6 months. No mail, no email, no contact. Eventually they cut me off
when the time had come. No problem but I would have liked some warning to avoid being cutoff.

So, I paid for another 6 months. Again they cut me off when I ran out of time. One would think I met all contract obligations for a one year contract at this point.

Anyway, I am only in my place for one more month so I asked for 1
month service. They said no, I must pay another 6 months which would
throw me into another year which I did not want as my new place may not
have the infrastructure to support ethernet.

I tried to cancel my subscription and return the modem 3 times at
different locations. They refiused and said I must pay for one more
year.

So you people think I should just pay them 9000 baht and forget it?

I will wait and see how big their guns are. It is always cheaper to be the defendant.

[PalMan]

Whereas True on my contract I've had with them for 6 years now, they continue my service for long period of time, the longest over 11 months, without my paying the bill at all.

When they cut me off - never less than six months, I go in and make a payment, sometimes only a couple months' worth, they turn me back on and away we go for another stretch.

Excellent bandwidth, excellent customer service, but obviously how their computerized system treats you is almost arbitrary, depends on what plan you sign up with during what period.

[jvs]

I tried to cancel my contract a few years ago,they gave me a hard time and told me i would have to pay for three more months.

The were firm on that.Two days later i had my gf call them to tell them the farang had left already and she had no money to pay the bill,within 90 minutes the came by and picked up the dish and receiver.The end.

[Beetlejuice]

The only absurdity I see in this case, is on the part of the OP, not with the ISP.

Firstly, if the said Internet service was initially installed in the OP`s name and then he goes away but lets his GF or anyone else still use the service without transferring names, that is not the fault of the company, but means legally the OP is responsible for paying the Internet service fees, because the service contract is in his name, plus no one it seems has bothered to officially give the prescribed notice to the ISP that they no longer want this Internet or made any efforts to pay outstanding monies due, but rather ignored the situation in the hope that the problem will go away.

I was taught always to leave doors open for me in case I ever decided to return, but in this case it appears the OP would rather try to dodge making any payments and put up with all the inconvenience of wondering what actions the ISP company may take against him, including the strong probabilities that he will be blacklisted by other service companies. Also considering that just under a 2 year period the Internet bill would only have accrued the most of about $400, so why doesn`t the OP do the right thing by terminating the service and paying any balances owed?

It is the actions of these types of people that make situations more difficult for expats living in Thailand and gives the Thais more reasons to be wary, less trusting and adding more chances of increasing the Internet fees for all of us, or in other words, we pay more to cover the costs of others like the OP, who are without moral compass and prefer to abscond leaving others to pick up his tab.

This fool is definitely of a type of character I would not want to become involved with, either in business or socially, because he is a shirker of responsibility, and I sincerely hope that there is a court summons or bailiff waiting to welcome him, if and when he returns to his condo.

What to do about an unpaid bill? Answer; pay it.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Beetlejuice

[jpduggan]

Given that I would be paying them for something that they didn't provide and they have no way to collect on it, why don't YOU pay it?

Since you never received any Internet and I have no way to collect from you, that would make exactly as much sense. Message me and I'll send you the account number. It would be one less thing for you to worry about.

Mmm.. I can see the problem now ,you are just an a..hole who dos'nt want to pay bills and asks for advise but when you dont get the answer you want you turn nasty, Makes me wonder how many unpaid bills are you after running away from at home. I suppose you would like us to pay them as well.

[candypants]

such a good little group of citizens