Dear Claudienne,

I am requesting your urgent intervention regarding a deeply concerning issue involving Flow Jamaica and my elderly mother, who is a pensioner. The matter pertains to a wrongful charge and the refusal of Flow Jamaica to refund her hard-earned money.

On August 15, 2024, my mother made a routine mobile top-up of $2,900, which was confirmed via SMS. However, despite receiving confirmation, the credit did not reflect in her account, forcing her to make another top-up of $2,900 the following day. Upon contacting Flow customer support on August 16, 2024, we were initially told that no payment was received. However, after further investigation and a follow-up call on August 17, it was confirmed that both payments had indeed been made on August 15 at 07:45:59 and August 16 at 21:34:04.

Despite this confirmation, my mother incurred unjustified out-of-plan charges due to a $75 charge for a caller ringback tune — a service she has never requested. This unauthorised charge dropped her balance below the required $2,900 for her plan’s renewal, causing her to lose $2,900 worth of credit.

I have previously requested that this spam feature be removed from her account, yet it continues to plague her. When I asked for a refund of the $2,900 (which amounts to $3,625 with tax included), Flow outright denied the request, leaving her burdened with a loss she cannot afford.

This situation reeks of predatory business practices, targeting vulnerable customers like my mother.

I believe that the issue of unauthorised charges, such as these caller ringback tunes, should be scrutinised, as I am certain that my mother is not the only victim.

I trust that with your intervention, justice can be served.

PD

Dear PD,

Tell Claudienne has been in communication with Flow in regard to your concerns.

Flow has sent the column the following email:

“Mr PD’s issue was brought to our attention in September 2024. The issue was resolved following the reimbursement of the mobile credit between September and December 2024. Additionally, PD has confirmed seeing the reimbursements on three separate occasions. Flow would like to thank PD for his patience, understanding and for being a loyal Flow customer.”

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 876- 936-9436 or CELL/whatsapp # 876-484-1349 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.