Dear Editor,

The Government has charted a course for the 2030 vision to make Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families, and do business. This vision is made difficult when residents have to deal with some companies.

While, patience is a virtue one will need Michael the archangel’s patience to sort out the issues.

Flow has upgraded its customer care system and even with the upgrade doing business is painstaking.

Recently I added credit to my prepaid phone. This increased my credit balance to over $5,000. After adding the credit I received a message informing me that I have received a reward of 3GB any-use data, 600 on net minutes and unlimited social for 5 days.

I accessed the data by turning on my mobile data for which I used for the 5 days. On the fifth day I received a message stating that I had used just over 2GB of data. Later that day I received a message that my current balance is 0.00.

Initially I was going to move on with my life, but I wondered how quickly can over $5,000 credit flow away. So I called the Flow 100 number and got the automated customer care service. That never worked out and I was sent to the WhatsApp virtual assistant called Lila.

Lila transferred me to one person, who transferred me to another person. I was not getting anywhere so I asked to speak to someone. I was then directed to call this number 1-800-804-2994.

I called the number and it was another virtual assistant with voice recognition. This was a roller-coaster affair trying to get the assistant to understand that my over $5,000 credit had been ‘raptured’.

I was then transferred to a WhatsApp agent, then to another agent. I explained to the agent my situation for the past over one and a half hour, I then got the following message, “Thank you for that information, I would need to have the issue escalated for you, which would take 24-72 hours to be resolved.”

I then messaged Flow at 876-620-2200 four days later (96 hours), went through two WhatsApp agents, then I was told that the system is down.

I gave them a day’s break and messaged a day later. I was put on a virtual merry-go-round again and got nowhere.

I then asked someone to represent my cause at a store in the old capital six days later, and was told that once the mobile data was on when the free period ends if the mobile data is not turned off the credit will be eaten off.

I enquired if $5,000 credit would just run out without any notice in a minute, the customer agent was not very accommodating and at the end of the day the issue was unresolved.

I got to understand that my credit issue is not unique. Several persons have shared their experience of their credit disappearing and not getting any redress when customer care is contacted. Is this the way forward?

Flow need to implement a system where your credit is not automatically swindled away.

Can the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) come to our aid?

Hezekan Bolton

h_e_z_e@hotmail.com