Gumleaf
October 3rd, 2008, 08:41 PM
07:00 AEST Sat Oct 4 2008
By Emily O'Keefe
Telstra has issued an apology to some of its customers who were delivered the shocking news that they had "passed away" this week in an embarrassing bungle.
A glitch in the company's new billing system is believed to have been responsible for Telstra sending out deceased estate letters en masse to some of its customers.
"We apologise profusely if anyone has received these letters in error and we will correct the matter straight away on our database," a Telstra spokesman told ninemsn. The letters included a "Deceased Customer Form" to enable the accounts to be cancelled or transferred to another person.
Telstra customer Dawn Blanchette told ninemsn the letter came as an unpleasant surprise when she received it on Wednesday.
"It was quite shocking and terrible timing actually," she said.
"It just happened to be a really bad day for me because it was the second anniversary of when my mother had passed away."
Ms Blanchette said she had been met with a "blasé" attitude when she phoned Telstra the next day, despite being told about 1000 of the letters had been sent out.
"They just said it was a problem with a new billing system and apology letters would be sent out, but they didn't seem too worried about the mistake at all."
By Emily O'Keefe
Telstra has issued an apology to some of its customers who were delivered the shocking news that they had "passed away" this week in an embarrassing bungle.
A glitch in the company's new billing system is believed to have been responsible for Telstra sending out deceased estate letters en masse to some of its customers.
"We apologise profusely if anyone has received these letters in error and we will correct the matter straight away on our database," a Telstra spokesman told ninemsn. The letters included a "Deceased Customer Form" to enable the accounts to be cancelled or transferred to another person.
Telstra customer Dawn Blanchette told ninemsn the letter came as an unpleasant surprise when she received it on Wednesday.
"It was quite shocking and terrible timing actually," she said.
"It just happened to be a really bad day for me because it was the second anniversary of when my mother had passed away."
Ms Blanchette said she had been met with a "blasé" attitude when she phoned Telstra the next day, despite being told about 1000 of the letters had been sent out.
"They just said it was a problem with a new billing system and apology letters would be sent out, but they didn't seem too worried about the mistake at all."