I recently received a visit from a Digicel representative with the objective of seeking to entice me to sign up for their new Cable and Internet service.
Upon querying when I would receive my bill if I signed up, I was informed that there are two billing cycles. Cycle one runs from the middle of the month for 27 days. This works out to 13.5 payments in 365 days. Cycle two runs from the first of the month to the 31st. Which as we all know is 12 payments for 12 months in 365 days.
Having never heard of a 27-day month I called and spoke with a supervisor who informed me that it “was company policy to bill every 27 days.”
Simple math would show that if there are only 100,000 customers paying an average of $300 per month and they are now billed for an extra 1.5 months every year that is $4,500,000 extra revenue generated every year for a service they are not receiving. Maybe I am just old fashioned but in my all my years on God’s green earth I have never heard of a 27-day month.
Seeing how many representatives Digicel has hitting the streets to sell their product one can only wonder how many unsuspecting citizens are going to be making 13.5 “monthly” payments for 12 months’ service.
The relevant authorities need to investigate and correct it so that hard-working citizens are not deceived in these tough economic times.
G Gibbons
Maraval