TM: Unsatisfied new 500Mbps Unifi customers may terminate without penalty

TM has issued a response following MCMC’s statement that they have launched investigations on the misleading Unifi upload speed fiasco. TM still emphasised that the mention of “200Mbps upload” for its 500Mbps Unifi fibre broadband plan is a mistake and they have made the necessary corrections on 2nd September. The correction was done quietly and more than a week after the plans were initially revealed.

According to the broadband provider, the correct upload speed for the 500Mbps plan is 100Mbps, and not 200Mbps as shown on their Unifi portal, FAQ and leaflet on the 24th of August 2020.

No penalty to terminate for new subscribers

For customers that are not satisfied with the situation are allowed to terminate without penalty. TM says that new customers that signed up from the 24th August are entitled for the 30-day Try Me period and may opt not to continue with them without any penalty.

On top of that, TM will be calling up customers that have signed up for the 500Mbps package since 24th August to inform them of the error and on the options available to them, starting tomorrow, 21st September 2020.

Below is TM’s statement in full:

In response to the statement made by MCMC this morning titled “MCMC Siasat Aduan Pengurangan Kelajuan Pakej unifi Berbanding Tawaran Awal”, Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) would like to assure all our customers and stakeholders of our commitment to consumer rights and protection. We regret the error and have issued a clarification statement regarding the matter on Friday night. We continue to be transparent in informing our customers on this, and are tightening our processes to ensure this does not recur.

In the meantime, we will give our full cooperation to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in their investigation.

We would like to reiterate that there has been no change to the upload speed configuration for the new unifi 500Mbps package.

A correction was made to an error in the upload speed for our 500Mbps package stated in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), unifi Portal and leaflets on 2 September 2020. The correct upload speed configuration for 500Mbps is 100Mbps instead of 200Mbps stated in the earlier version of the FAQs, unifi Portal and leaflets.

We wish to update that all customers are still within the 30-day Try Me period as we just introduced the package less than one month ago on 24th August 2020. Hence, customers can opt not to continue with us without any penalty.

We will be calling the customers who had signed up for the 500Mbps package since 24 August to inform them of the error and on the options available to them, starting Monday 21 September onwards

We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and assure our customers that all of our channels, including our website and marketing materials have been updated to reflect the correct information.

For any queries please reach out to our customer service representatives at our call centre 100, TMpoints nationwide or virtual agents via myunifi app.

Thank you.

But what about existing customers?

The 30-day trial offer is only applicable for new Unifi subscribers and there’s no mention of existing Unifi customers that have switched to the new 500Mbps plan. According to the FAQ of the Try Me campaign, it is only applicable to New residential customers and this means existing customers wouldn’t be able to enjoy the penalty waiver if they wish to terminate their broadband plan.

[ UPDATE 21/9/2020 11:30 ]: TM has informed us that existing Unifi customers that have recently switched to the 500Mbps plan can revert to their original plan without penalty. More details here.

TM needs to do more to compensate for the mistake

It is easy for TM to just allow new users to leave without penalty under its 30-day trial promo. However, changing fibre broadband providers isn’t exactly a seamless experience. Those intending to terminate may probably have to take leave from work just to return the equipment at their nearest TM point.

On top of that, they would need to make a new appointment with a new broadband provider and take another day off again just for the new installation. If the customer is living in an area with limited ports, they could be at risk of having no ports available once they terminated their Unifi account. Customers may also have to endure internet downtime during the switch.

Although TM views this as a minor mistake, it is a serious issue when it comes to consumer rights. Customers have been misled into thinking that they have a good deal and now they have to endure the trouble because of the provider’s mistake. If customers do wish to terminate, it is only right for TM to help make the switch as seamless as possible without any interruption.

At the same time, MCMC has confirmed that they have found elements that infringe the rights of consumers and they will not hesitate to take further action against TM. Back in July, the MCMC has issued RM4.6 million worth of fines to telcos for not meeting standards. Among the top 5 telcos, TM was slapped the least number of compounds amounting to RM200,000. As a comparison, Celcom, Digi and Maxis were slapped with compounds amounting to more than RM1 million each.

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