teepoole's dashboard

I've had an upgraded eFax number for about three years, and while I've never been happy with their customer service (it's always a long and painful process if I have a question or problem), the service has worked fine.

In March I called customer service to change my eFax number to a new area code after a move, and was told by the rep that as a courtesy they would keep the old number active for three months at no charge. I said we didn't need it, he could go ahead and cancel it, that we rarely use the fax number and I would be notifying my clients of the new number. He persisted, I finally agreed to let him keep it on there under the condition that it be automatically canceled after the three month period was up. He assured me that it would be.

It's now been three months, and I just noticed a double charge for eFax on our statement. First through the live chat and then by phone we attempted to get eFax customer service to understand what had happened. After close to an hour, they disclosed that the previous person who took the change number request put it in as a "saved cancellation" that comes with three months free.

Apparently, eFax customer service personnel get commission for saving account cancellations (vs. nothing for just changing a number), and this guy decided to "reframe" my request as a result.

After going round and round with eFax customer service about whether or not I had originally asked to cancel my account (I finally got them with the question: "If I really wanted my account canceled, why would I have walked away that day with an EXTRA number in a new area code?") - they decided to give us a one-month credit. When asked for a refund to the card instead, they said they could not do that. That a refund "did not apply to me."

Huh?

In the end, tired of the running around we always have to do when eFax customer service is involved, we requested to cancel the account. Initially eFax said no, they planned to keep the account open. Come again? NO, we said, please cancel it immediately and refund the money for the extra, unwanted line that's already been charged.

After an hour and a half and a whole lot of frustration, the rep agreed to close the account and refund the payment for that extra line. But given their track record, I'll be monitoring my bill.