I have been travelling and had not got my mobile broadband (minimax USB) account paid up to date so I arrived back home to find out that it was not working. No problem, I thought, I will just pay the small outstanding amount and get it reactivated. How quickly I had forgot how hard it is to deal with Telstra!

I called up Bigpond and followed through about 4 levels of options to get to the "specific" area for help with my problem. I wanted billing to find out how much I had to pay and get it sorted out. I found out then that apparently it was not billing nor even relevant to my account. They told me I had to talk with Telstra Mobile and gave me a 1300 number to call and then put me through.

After a period of waiting I talked to the next person. I answered a range of questions to prove who I was and then they asked what help I needed. I said I wanted to fix up my account and he said that he was not billing, but would put me through to them.

When the phone was answered it was actually a collection agency which seemed odd? They then surprised me further by stating that I owed $900 on my account! Now I found this hard to believe as my original plan was no data charges with 20 hours a month usage at $49.95. This figure was essentially the whole contract price over the 2 years! I then asked what it related to and was informed that it was $600 bill for data charges in one month! Of course they could not explain how it happened, so they attempted to put me back to Telstra Mobile. After a period of waiting they came back on saying that the lines did not seem to be working, so they gave me a "direct" number to call for Telstra Mobile.

I called the direct number I was given and got a voice recognition system that asked me to "speak in a few words what your topic of interest is?". I stated "mobile broadband" at which it replied "you want to ask about transfering your mobile to pstn... please waite". At this point I started to desperately hit the 0 button to get an operator!

The person came onboard and asked how they could help. I explained that I was interested to know about my account and they went through details to verify me again, and then they asked what my issue was that I needed help with! I explained I wanted to know how the data charges were on my account and they explained they were technical support and put me through to the "appropriate department".

A voice come on the line after some waiting and asked what I wanted, and I explained the situation again at which point they said I had been put through to the wrong department! I asked if they were Bigpond by any chance and got a confirmation. The operator then proceeded very nicely to explain I needed to call a different number for the right place for help. I asked if this was the original number I had been giving for Telstra Mobile and which had just transferred me to Bigpond and she confirmed it again!

Now a small funny interlude. While I was waiting for her to transfer me back, in frustration I stated loudly to my flatmate "this is why people commit suicide - trying to deal with Telstra!". The lady came back on line and stated she was still trying and reminded me "I am still on the line in the background". We just laughed as I am sure they did in the background as well!! :)

Finally I got through to someone who could help after Bigpond stayed online and demanded that they help me. They explained the extra costs were data charges and I asked them to state that explicitly, which they then did. I explained that I would not get charged on my plan and had 20 hours a month unlimited data. They then stated I had gone over the 20 hours which is what incurred the charge. This was a shock as I only use it in emergencies or while travelling! I asked what it showed, and there were quite a lot of 5 minute connections showing up.

Now I am not one to use the Internet for less than 5 minutes. It takes more than 5 minutes on the CDMA modem to download my mail messages! I started to perceive where the error was in the bill. I explained that I had tried to connect quite a few times without success - it would disconnect again. The logical reason for the charge was that they were charging me for these attempts as their charges are based on 5 minute time units. After stating this to them, they went to "consult" the technician. After a wait, they came back and said they would credit it back to me.

After getting this sorted out and paying the outstanding amount (now much smaller!), I asked how it would be reactivated - would it be automatic, or do they have to do it? They thought they could and called the activation centre, but after another wait they said I would have to go to a Telstra shop to have it reconnected!?

So, all this frustration and stress took how long to sort out my problem? About 2.5 hours I was on the phone constantly, either talking to someone or waiting for someone to answer!

Again, this is why I HATE dealing with Telstra!!!!