TICO BULL by Rico – Who sends a fax anymore? I can’t remember the reason why but some months ago I set up an account with eFax, a company offering online the sending and receiving of faxes.
This post is not to gripe about the service, I never really used it, so I can’t comment either way; it is about the eFax business practice, more particular that of cancelling an account.
On the eFax website they make it easy to sign up. But once you do, you are now in a trap: there is no way to cancel the account online, it can only by done by a phone call or chat to their online support.
You cannot cancel by fax. The irony!
In my case, every month for the last several months I got the reminder of my account with efax when charges appeared on my card account. And each month I have been somewhere else other than home to connect to the chat or call they toll free number that doesn’t work outside the U.S.
Until finally today, when hell or high water, I was going to cancel this damn account. No matter what.
Calling the 800#’s from outside the United States or Canada is useless, it isn’t free.This is true for most 800 numbers from the US or Canada, hence, the importance of online account setup and cancelling.
From Costa Rica, when dialing an 800 number to the U.S. or Canada, a very pleasant voice will tell you that your call will incur charges,if you continue with your call. Click. Hanging up stops the charges. And is in most cases when calling some 800 number for something or other, you can spend lots of time before you will talk to someone to help you with your problem.
A toll free number that did work from Costa Rica, I remember sometime last year was that of the Bank of Montreal or BMO as it is known up there, but the call would automatically cut out at exactly three minutes, just about when I got to talk to a live person. And had to restart the process again, until finally I gave in and make a direct long distance call.
But back to efax. Surprisingly the chat opened in less than one minute. I had tried the chat on several occasions and never got past the wait for the next available agent. Something always came up or the internet connection died. In Cuba in June, totally impossible. Then I would forget about. Until next month.
After explaining my situation to the online agent, I never got “why would you want to close the account?” but bombarded with offers, among them an offer for a waiver of fees for two month “to continue using the service for free and then can call back to cancel, if I really want to” to downgrading the account (lesser charges).
No thanks, cancel the damn account!
Next, while the agent says he has to look up my account, I am asked to give reasons for my wanting to cancel.The choices are 8. I choose 9, “I don’t use the damn service, I type”.
Minutes go by, the agent looks up my account, offers me a copy of the terms and conditions agreement where it clearly states no refunds – hey, had to try for a refund, no? – and a reconfirmation that I really want to close the account.
“YES, CLOSE IT, PLEASE.”
“Can I help you with anything else,” the agent politely asks.
“Do you really have to ask?”, I type. The next line, disconnected, the equivalent of a hang up.
Is my account closed? Yes, two emails later confirm the account closure, one on the day of the chat, then another today, a day later. Two confirmation dates.
A third email confirms even further the account closure, I am now referred to “as a former customer” they want my opion. Really?
Again, can’t speak for the service, but their online business practice of making it nearly impossible to close an account, sucks.
Beware, don’t get caught in the eFax trap!
Article first appeared on TICO BULL, reposted with permission.
