[2001 ZTS]

I occasionally have to send a pretty biting e-mail as part of my work. I posted one before. Some are true classics. He is my latest patented "nastygram" to the supplier of a new satellite (data/voice) service to one of my ships.

Instead of the expected $700 invoice for one month I was shocked to find it cost $9200 for one month. Somewhere in the system there was a problem. It may have been my ships hardware or the computer but regardless there was no way for me to find out about the problem till the bill came.

I made some changes in July but had no way to know if they were effective because the provider would not disclose airtime and usage to me even though I am the account holder. For "privacy reasons" it would take a police or court order to disclose. I told customer service that there invoice was a crime hung up. I tried politely many times since to get anything at all and this morning I just snapped.......loosed it.......... and started typing:

Subject: Unacceptable

XXXXXXXX:

I find the current XXXXXXXXX situation completely unacceptable. Regardless of where in the computer and satellite system the fault may have been, or may still be as I have no way of knowing, there must be some mechanism somewhere where the account holder can get the answer to the very simple question: “Is using our XXXXXXXXX costing our company up to $800 a day?”.

From the very first meeting I disclosed all the details of the previous MSAT system include monthly costs of $1500 which we were hoping to improve upon.

As a new customer with new equipment someone at either XXXXXX and/or XXXXXXXX should have been monitoring our account/usage to see if we remain within the set bounds and to inform us when they are exceeded. When an average of 50 individual calls per day costs a total of $25 one day and $800 the next day a red flag should come up somewhere and the customer informed. If I were to sell 25 tonnes of fuel to a ship one day and 800 tonnes the next I would tell my customer they obviously have a leak in their ship. My daily costs using XXXXXXX has behaved the exact same way, $25 one day and more than $800 the next.

The XXXXXXX system is advertised as a system suitable for use by individuals in remote locations such as prospectors, foresters, fishermen and the like. Are these same individuals expected to each bring with them an entire IT department to monitor their system? My people already have full time jobs and I expect those whose job is in the business of providing a satellite service to be able to detect when there is obviously a problem and to give their customers that information.

If I am still employed after disclosing the situation to the owners in a meeting Monday I will be recommending discontinuing use of the XXXXXXX system. XXXXXXX may not seem like an important customer but what seems to be forgotten is that XXXXXXX is part of a much larger organization, XXXXXXXX. XXXXXX is often a place to test new ideas and equipment. Had I been pleased with the service received I would have shared my experience with the parent company who in total are involved in the management of approximately 50 vessels spread over half a dozen companies and partnerships.

As an employee, for now, of a company with the best reputation in the industry just one submission to an industry newspaper or magazine stating that I had found a way to slash satellite bills to a sub $CN1000 level, had a reliable system and received a good level of customer service as well could have resulted in the world beating a path to XXXXXXXX’s door.

Andrew XXXX
Superintendent Special Projects
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That one goes on the wall.

Anyway money talks, the invoice now "does not exist" and now rather than having to deal with customer service and sales people I now have a direct line to the head office. They want a chance at those 50 other ships SO BAD.