Will Telstra Come to The Party?

[Carry Pine]

Today 12/2/10, (not bragging) I was involved in a rescue in a pool. It involved split second decision making and I ended up in the pool fully clothed and saved a kid. After it all I realised one hearing aid was still attached and working but the other was on the bottom of the pool. I got that one working a little later.

But the Next G phone (a cheap one- no blackberries here)) was in the pocket! And it's stuffed. Tried drying it out but isn't working. I'm going to ask Telstra for a replacement but I'm not going to beg forever. I'm going to give it a week from today.

I am 14 months into a 24 month contract and I am prepared to do the publicity thing like a letter in the press thanking Telstra but:

Will they come to the party and give me a replacement phone?

Yes or No ?

Graham

[Enfield Guy]

Just go and buy another one. Save yourself the heartache. They wont help you.

[China]

They won't replace it, if you have contents insurance it may be covered

[woodcutta]

I was going to write a long response - unfortunately I dont have time
The pigs are just coming in to land.:wink:

woodcutta

[Bob38S]

I applaud your split second decision making - well done - you have given that kid and family a gift that is beyond value.

I wish you "lots a luck" with Telstra - if they were smart they could do themselves a powerful, customer friendly positive image but that would require someone who would sacrifice a few $$ for positive advertising they could not buy - sorry - it's not going to happen.

In the corporate world of high and higher executive salaries you have to pay, pay, pay and then just to be different you pay some more.

I would really love to be wrong - but I don't think so.

[Cliff Rogers]

Good one ya. :2tsup:

I'm glad the hearing aids survived.

Don't hold ya breath with bloodyTelstra.... they chased a dead man's wife for a $500 account that he ran up by mistake using mobile internet on the wrong plan while he was in hospital dying of cancer... :~

The Cancer Foundation took the bill & paid it for her. :2tsup:

[John Saxton]

Well done CP :2tsup:I hope that you do get the phone issue settled but please excuse my cynicism particularly where Telstra is concerned.

Go back some years in a different era whereby it might have been replaced, but then there were humans involved with some degree of humanity.

I do hope something Karmic and good will come out of your good deed.

Cheers:)

[jmk89]

:wts:

[I_wanna_Shed]

Good on ya Graham! What a great action you performed there! :2tsup: :2tsup: :2tsup:

Although, on the Telstra front I wouldn't bet anythign on it - but then again they may come back and surprise you.

[Big Shed]

Whilst I am not a Telstra "lover", in fact I would probably go without a phone if Telstra was the last telco on earth, I really don't see why they are copping a "caning" here.

First of all they haven't even had a chance to respond to CP's request, but more importantly, why should Telstra replace a phone damaged in this fashion?

If anyone should be replacing this damaged phone, and without being asked, it is the parents of the child you so heroically saved.

I can honestly say if that had been my child or grandchild, I would rush out out and buy you the bestest phone I could get my hands on.

[jchappo]

:whs:

[Mr Brush]

If it was only water (as opposed to coffee, soft drink, etc.) phones can often be dried out without leaving any residue inside to cause problems.

The battery, however, will almost certainly be stuffed. Depends on the battery technology of course - some of the newer types have built-in short circuit protection.

If you can find someone with the same phone, it would at least be worth borrowing their battery to try on your phone before giving up on it.

A big :2tsup:from me too on your actions at the pool. When compared to a life (and a young one at that), all these other issues pale into insignificance.

[Dills58]

Well done CP, one would like to think your actions would drag some sort of human decency out of Telstra but unfortunately we as customers are only numbers. (small fish in a big pond). As Enfield Guy suggests, get yourself a cheapy till your plan is up then decide if Telstra still deserves your business.
Dills.

[nihilism]

If it was only water (as opposed to coffee, soft drink, etc.) phones can often be dried out without leaving any residue inside to cause problems.

The battery, however, will almost certainly be stuffed. Depends on the battery technology of course - some of the newer types have built-in short circuit protection.

If you can find someone with the same phone, it would at least be worth borrowing their battery to try on your phone before giving up on it.

A big :2tsup:from me too on your actions at the pool. When compared to a life (and a young one at that), all these other issues pale into insignificance.

They can, however there are two other factors that come in to play, the first being the amount of clorine and other salts in the water which will leave a conductive and coorrosive residue behind. The second being the fact that it was probably on at the time it was drowned which may have caused some circiuts to have been damaged due to short circiuts.

The best way to "dry" such a device is to soak it in methelated sprits and then alow it to dry natually before attempting to turn it on.

[Charleville]

more importantly, why should Telstra replace a phone damaged in this fashion?




I agree. What has the matter got to do with them?

When we prang a car to avoid hitting a child, do we go to the State Transport authority and ask for a new one?

You might as well go to Nokia or Motorola or whoever was the manufacturer of your phone and ask them for a new one. Why Telstra? Telstra is just the carrier, no different to a builder of roads in relation to cars.

You might as well go to Optus and tell them your story and see if they will give you a new phone just to win your business but I see no reason for an "entitlement" philosophy in relation to Telstra.



.

.

[Carry Pine]

Dear Contributors,

Well it's not often that someone is able to say this but i think everybody was correct in what they said.
No, Telstra did not offer me a phone. I was given 2 options over the phone: Pay off my contract in one hit and receive a new phone or pay off monthly until the contract runs out. When I visited the telstra shop they asked why I just didn't buy a new phone, which I did but at Dick Smith because the Telstra shop didn't have any.

The good side is that on Tuesday the Principal of the school offered to pay for the phone if I was prepared to 'give' it to the school when my contract ran out. He also put a nice comment in the school newsletter.

No the kid's parents didn't do anything (perhaps they didn't hear about it). I know what I would be doing if someone pulled one of my kids out of the water.

As far as trying to rescue the phone, i tried everything except 'nihilism's' metho treatment. The sim card survived.
The hearing aids survived despite one laying on the bottom of the pool for a few minutes. I did the drying out thing with those crystals in a jar.

Problem with the whole setup was that the school trusted the 2 lifeguards supplied by the pool. The rescuing is usually the responsibility of 2 teachers. The 2 guards were 25metres away and probably thinking about their girlfriends. Ultimately the school (Principal) is responsible and it is a real pity that you can't trust anybody these days. One of the lifeguards disappeared later and when we found him he was testing the quality of the water. Didn't see the need to be there at the pool!

Thanks everyone for the comments and the encouragement.
Graham

[Eldanos of KDM]

Of course they won't replace it: Unless you had insurance on it (Which Telstra doesn't offer)

If you call them, though, explain what happened, and if you get a nice operator they'll for sure be able to offer you an early upgrade. Especially because you are so far through your contract.

Of course, you might have to start a new contract, but the old one willbe cancelled. t's fine if you were going to stay with them.

I reckon that's the only chance you've got though. Telstra aren't very cool to deal with in my opinion, that's why I left them

[Carry Pine]

Of course they won't replace it: Unless you had insurance on it (Which Telstra doesn't offer)

If you call them, though, explain what happened, and if you get a nice operator they'll for sure be able to offer you an early upgrade. Especially because you are so far through your contract.


Thanks for the interest but please read my first paragraph and see what i was offered.

Graham

[chambezio]

Carry
What a great and noble thing you did!!!!!
Did you have a choice? NO. You just reacted to a situation
Did you have time to "disrobe"? NO you just reacted to the situation
Should you be compensated? Well?

Of coarse you should!!

OK, you don't want to have a ticker tape parade down George Street, all you need is your "out of pocket expenses" covered.
I agree with that.
Someone should be able to organise something for you AND it should not be you.
What has happened to common decensy? Surely someone involved with the school could organise something for you?
Will you do the same thing again if presented with the same situation or will you think "Wait a minute, last time I did this..." NO you would do it again in a flash!

This story makes me mad! I'm sorry

Carry you are atop bloke and I hope it doesn't poison you from future help of your fellow man

[Carry Pine]

Chambezio,

Thanks for the kind words. As I said the principal agreed to pay for the phone- pity this one is bloody hard to read with my old eyes. I had one called 'the granny phone' before. Now i know why.

I wasn't going to go on with the story but after jumping in fully dressed with size 11 shoes i found I wasn't so agile in the water. The best i could do was (standing on the bottom of the pool over my head) hold the kid up so he could breathe. By then a parent had dived in and brought him to land. Would you believe that parent (also dressed) had a bronze medallion in surf AND still water rescue- but had never used the skills.

Of course I'd do the same again. Funny though. Every other rescue i've done, it has been bloody obvious what was going to happen. Once i had time to put on a set of flippers on the shore knowing a guy was going to get caught in a rip on a deserted beach. I will always remember the guy saying, 'mate- you're a strong swimmer!' Didn't ever see the fins. But the kid in the pool gave no warning.
There were pool lifeguards on duty and I was the starter. I sort of assumed that everyone was doing his job..............wrong.

Cheers

Graham

[Scribbly Gum]

Gold Star from me Graham!
Teachers are often unsung heroes in so many other ways. What you do day in and day out at school gets no recognition, and yet is vital in helping form the minds and characters of those kids that you look after.
That you have done this for so long is a great credit to you, and Mittagong owes you a big thank you.
For what you did at the swimming carnival as well as the lifetime of teaching, no thanks can repay.
But we thank you anyway, and one little kid is mighty glad that Mr Perry was in loco parentis that day.
Good on you:way2go:
SG

[Carry Pine]

I'd be no good in the floods up your way Scribbly Gum.

Graham