Have advice on fighting with Salt ??

Tech, TV, Mobile, Internet and Geek Corner
1
Hello all,

Wondering if anyone can offer some advice on how to win against some Salt shinanigans.

Situation

. Salt and I agree a 24month contract.

. Included were unlimited talk and txt from CH to EU/GB, US and Australia.

. At 22months, I call a normal US number I've called many times for free.

. Midway through the call, Salt drops the line. I immediately call back, thinking it's just a routine, normal dropped call as occasionally happens.

. Bill later shows the call before the line drop free, the immediate call back is 140chf.

. I call and ask: "We agreed unlimited to the US, have you changed my plan mid contract?".

. Salt: "No, we have not changed your plan at all. You still have the same contract we agreed. Yes, you still have unlimited. However, we have re-zoned the US and it's no longer included in the unlimited group".

. Me: You can't just start charging me for calls to the US that were sold as unlimited, you must notify me, I did not receive any post/txts/emails/calls.

. Salt: Now if you want to call the US, you only have 600 minutes, this new billing period (starting after the 140chf call) you have already used up 300 minutes (without knowing of the limit), if you want unlimited US you must immediately start paying an additional 20chf per month.

. Me: But my 24 months are not up yet and I must start paying another 20chf on top for what was already agreed in my base rate contract, plus 140chf for a US call?

. Salt and I: Raised a complaint ticket to their backoffice billing dept for review, I checked back 5 days later with no answer still, and the date the 140chf will be automatically taken from my credit card is looming close.

Questions

Looks like I will have to quickly change from Salt.

However, in the meantime, I don't feel the 140chf surprise "re-zoning" charge is reasonable.

Not feeling very optimistic.

Any advice on fighting with Salt on this one?

Thanks for any thoughts,

MakeABigWish

2
Do you have legal insurance?

3
Thanks for offering some ideas.

I haven't purchased it as a specific entity. Perhaps I have it included as part of something I've purchased but don't realize full benefits.

4
I am sorry to read about Salt. I was with them, had astronomical bills, and didn't realise that I could have bailed out after 24 months. By the time I eventually did (after some years), they insisted on giving them a 2 month notice.

5
You need to send them some form of written Comms pointing to your contract and telling them there is a mistake in the bill and hence you will not be paying the 140 CHF.

I would do email to start with and give them 2 weeks to confirm.

If not answer then tracked letter (the 2 CHF one to start with) and don't pay that portion of the bill.

Then see how it goes.

I agree with you that you have a contract and they cannot unilaterally change it. Should have warned you of the change and given you a way out if you not longer are interested in the product that has changed. Not a lawyer but in a case like this (i.e. where the product is worse for you), I believe it needs an explicit communication and not a random email of "look at our new plans".

K

6
I would send a letter in German to Kassensturtz, Ombudsman, CEO of Salt and any other body that might help, all cc -ed or copied in detailing the situation as above.

I would also remove your credit card from your Salt account...

7
Thanks all for your thoughts.

You are really showing me how I need to get serious with them about this.

I also appreciate how you are waking me up to how I need to start switching to writing, documenting, removing my credit card, etc.

On some intuitive level, I know what you are saying makes sense but I can now see I've been in some kind of fog about this and needed you all to wake me up.

Thanks for spelling out these options to me.

8
Another idea is plaintes.ch (as addition and not substitute of the above advice).

9
Don't understand ..... this website does not seem to work on either safari or firefox .... just get a white screen.

10

HTTP Error 500. Failed to load resource: the server responded with a status of 500 ()

11
As a general rule, you hold more sway over companies if they can't just come and get your money. Perhaps in this case not a lot, but it's easier not to give your money to a company that is misbehaving than to try to get it back...

12
I'm worried that not paying the 140chf will cause me bigger problems in other areas of life with my financial reporting records.

In the US, we have the whole credit report industry looming over us where we do all kinds of tricks to make sure our credit reports are spotless while wrestling with unfair creditors.

Here I'm not sure what kind of reporting dings here in CH will impact me if I ever want to become a citizen or simply do future business with Salt or other mobile phone companies.

13
You are far from that situation at this point. Do a search for debt collection.

14
I have salt swiss plan but I remember getting a notification about re-zoning this summer. I use it only for local calls and local unlimited internet so I didn't even read the details. However I agree, changing the definition of call zones doesn't seem right with regards to existing contracts unless there's a small print somewhere in your contract.

15
You've quit your 24 month contract already right? Here fixed term contracts usually have a roll-over with a notice period to cancel it.

16

plaintes.ch is up now.

17
After lots of frustrating phone calls, Salt has just agreed to drop the charge.

Hurrah !!

Thank you everyone for all your ideas and energy !!