Bob’s* provider offered a discount to customers signing up for more than one service. Bob already had his broadband service covered with the provider so signed up for a mobile plan as well to get the discount. He then discovered he was not receiving the discount. He queried why, and his provider advised that because his broadband plan was one that had been transferred from a company the provider had purchased years before, they did not recognise his ‘grandfathered’ broadband plan as one of theirs. From Bob’s provider’s perspective, he had only signed up to one service with them and was not eligible for the discount unless he changed to a new broadband plan.
Bob was not satisfied with this response. His position was that he was the provider’s customer, he was using two services provided and billed by the provider, and met the conditions for receiving the discount. Bob submitted a complaint to TDR. A Resolution Practitioner was assigned to assist.
The Resolution Practitioner attempted to help Bob and his provider reach an agreement. They could not reach agreement, so the next step was for the Resolution Practitioner to decide on the matter. The Resolution Practitioner weighed up all the information submitted, and the conversations held with Bob and the provider.
The Resolution Practitioner considered the terms and conditions of the discount itself to be the most important document. There was nothing in the discount’s terms and conditions that excluded a retired plan still being honoured by the provider. The Resolution Practitioner found it reasonable that if billing relationships for both broadband services and a mobile plan existed, then that the discount should be applied.
Bob’s complaint was upheld. His provider was directed to apply the discount and apply a credit to Bob’s account backdated to when he first became eligible to receive the discount.
*Names have been changed to protect our customers’ identities.