Telecommunications company apologises to Limerick widow for sending bill to late husband
THREE Ireland has apologised to a County Limerick resident for billing her late husband after she had closed his account.
Catherine (Kay) Connolly Ryan, of Doon, contacted the Limerick Leader to highlight what has happened to her so that the same “does not happen to other emotionally fragile people following a bereavement.”
“I am not going to starve for the sake of €60 but there are many more elderly and infirm people out there who have to navigate so many institutional minefields after the death of a loved one,” said Ms Connolly Ryan, who is aged in her mid-60s.
Her husband, Mr Ryan – who was a very popular teacher in east Limerick – passed away on March 25 after a long illness
“My husband’s mobile phone account was with Three Ireland and the payment of €60 per month came out of our joint AIB account which naturally reverted to a single holder account once he died. A payment of €60 came out of this account on May 14 after the account had been closed down for some time,” said Ms Connolly Ryan.
Over three months later, the money has not been refunded said Ms Connolly Ryan, who included copies of her bank statement to the Leader as proof. Since she noticed the money taken out in May she has made numerous calls to Three.
“Firstly, it is very difficult to get through to a ‘flesh and blood’ person and when I persevere, I’m back to ‘groundhog day’ and ‘the matter is in the process of being settled’. On one day I made two calls to Three and both times, I ended up in tears of sadness and frustration as I have to go through my late husband’s details each time!
“This network is supposed to be in the business of communication but empathy and fair play is sadly lacking on their part. If I owed €60 to Three I’m sure it could be taken out of my account in nanoseconds by pressing a few buttons. Why can't the same efficiency and courtesy be afforded to ordinary customers trying to recoup a refund?” asks Ms Connolly Ryan, a former principal of Barna NS.
To “add insult to injury” a letter from Three closing Mr Ryan’s account “thanks him for being a Three customer”.
“It’s obvious he is deceased. In earlier correspondence, I pointed out to them that as he has passed away, he no longer requires a phone service. I concluded that I would certainly pass on the gratitude of Three to him when next I meet him! That letter did not grab their attention,” said Ms Connolly Ryan.
It’s the old adage, ‘It’s not about the money, it’s about the principle’, she says.
“That €60 refund is destined for the disaster fund in Beirut but I will not concede to Three that easily. Apology must be forthcoming and as a lesson for others, I would wish that apology to be made ‘public,’ so that the same does not happen to other ‘emotionally’ fragile people following a bereavement,” said Ms Connolly Ryan, who also made contact with ComReg.
Following a media query from the Limerick Leader, Three Ireland issued an apology this Tuesday morning.
“Three would like to offer our sincere apologies for any upset caused. Our process in these difficult circumstances is designed to be as prompt and compassionate as possible, and to prevent further undue upset and intrusion.
“Due to an internal systems error, there was a delay in processing a refund on this occasion.
“This has now been resolved, and the refund will be returned in the coming days,” said the spokesperson for Three.