Dear Editor,
I KNOW I might be too constant, but these things I personally experience and they affect me, so I choose to highlight them with the opportunities granted to me by the media. Last Saturday, I activated a three-day data plan on my mobile phone with GTT. I received the usual confirmation message that the plan has now been activated. I tried browsing but I could not. I waited over an hour, restarted the phone and tried again with the same results. I called the operator on 0488, got through and stated my problem, after which I was ordered to restart my phone and try back and if no result, call again.

I did as instructed and got the same result and I called GTT again. I spoke to another operator and listed my problem and what I did. The operator told that something is wrong with my phone and I have to take it into the Brickdam office. It was late, so I couldn’t make it and on Sunday I visited a GTT promotional stand at Parika and I told the guy there my problem. He look at the phone and told me he has to put back in GTT’s address, which would cost me $iooo.

I bluntly told him I cannot pay for that when all the time it was the same phone I used to access the internet and if it’s an error with my phone, the GTT usually configures it free of cost, but he said I still have to pay, so I collected my phone and visited the GTT office on Monday. A staff member looked at it and told me it’s ok, so I asked him what about my data plan that I had paid for and could not use; he said that he could not do anything about it, so I left and within half an hour of leaving, the internet was cut off from my phone. I called the operator once again and explained my problem, only to be told that if I pay for three days GTT doesn’t care if I used or didn’t use it, when the time is up it will be disconnected.

I asked about my unused data and if it will be rolled over and was told no, unlike Digicel, if you activate a plan and doesn’t utilise the data, it will roll over or add up any time you activate another data plan. In GTT’s case, if you don’t utilise all your data from the plan you paid for, it would be lost unless you activate another data plan within an hour after your time is up for the plan you activated. You will receive a text message saying that.
Editor, on Wednesday 14th, I again activated another day plan and receive the confirmation text at 5:59am. Fifteen minutes after browsing the newspapers online it stopped browsing.

I noticed the GTT sign and bars going on and off and ‘emergency calls only’ appearing periodically. I assumed it was a problem with GT&T and it was confirmed with other GTT users around, who were experiencing the same issues, so naturally I assumed that the situation would be remedied later in the day. A few times I attempted to call the operator on the 0488 number and a recording would come on saying that they are aware of the situation and are working to rectify it. Now I didn’t get to use my data again and at 6am Thursday I received another text message saying that my subscription has expired and gave me the option to apply again.

I decided to call the operator again and was told that they were not aware of any problem and I should have called in immediately. I informed the operator of what I had stated above and she told me that she could not do anything and wished me a good day. Knowing that more than one operator answer s the phone, I tried again and the other operator said that she had checked my activity and noticed what I told her, but she too didn’t know of any problems GTT was having and that she would post my issues with some technicians and they will see what to do. At 2:30 pm I was still hoping for some sort of justification, but got none.

Editor, this is not the first issue I have had with GTT and it is frustrating, because to me they are blatantly robbing Guyanese and the service they are providing is unacceptable. For quite a while now the $500 pre-paid phone card has been unavailable and the vendors don’t know what will happen with it. I purchased phone cards during the rainy season from vendors at Stabroek Market and sometimes the card is wet or extra cold and when you scratch it, some numbers are likely to come off, making the card useless.

You then have to call GTT and give them the serial number on the card and they would check to see if the card has been used before, or if not, they would put the credit in your phone. More than once I’ve had to call and sometimes they put the credit in and sometimes they don’t. Many times I would call with regard to the same problems and I am always given different solutions.

It might not be too much for someone to make an issue of, but just assume out of the thousands of customers, a significant amount experience the same, that will be millions of dollars that are being collected for nothing. I ain’t able with that heat GTT!

Sahadeo Bates
647-3997