By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

IS the once smug and confident Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. self-destructing? We’ve heard so many and varied complaints about the deteriorating services of PLDT since the past couple of years but we have generally let this pass uncommented thinking it’s all part of the Competition’s propaganda.

You see, for all these years, we’ve remained loyal to the PLDT, partly for sentimental reasons and partly, for a deep-seated belief that the pioneer is always the top one.

We believed wrong.

Three solid, nerve-wrenching weeks and our office phone at the The Pangasinan Star that suddenly went dead (after having just paid in full the month’s bill) went unrepaired. This, after having made repeated follow-ups with the Dagupan office, and getting the answer: “Pupuntahan na po iyan. Antayin niyo na lang.” Not a shadow of the familiar yellow-shirted man — who once quickly responded to such problems in the past –knocked at the door.

After waiting in vain for three weeks, we decided enough was enough and called up the Competition whose rep showed up at the door in an hour. In under a week, with all the requirements submitted, we had a new phone.

Only God knows how many calling clients we lost while PLDT took its own sweet time responding to a customer’s distress call.(By the way, the PLDT repairman came start of the fourth week; by the time we already had switched to the Competition.)

What’s with PLDT service these days?

* * * *

If a mediaman-friend of ours is correct, the answer is even more damning (that may be too unkind; maybe “even more telling” is a less offensive substitute phrase) to the so-called “leader in the telecom industry.”

Our press colleague said what’s actually happening is PLDT, for some reason or the other, waits for customer repair requests to “pile up” to a substantial number in Dagupan and neighboring areas before, and believe this or not, calling in the technician from Tarlac — yes, Tarlac!

That would mean of course, that the Dagupan office has no such character on standby at the local office. We can only surmise that PLDT has really so downgraded its Dagupan office (once the nerve-center of the firm’s operations in northern Luzon)– or it has really ran out of repairmen to do the job. Either way, it doesn’t look good at all for a “giant PLDT.” The least it could have done to distressed customers is to tell them an estimate of the waiting time – and not give them the song-and-dance routine when they follow up their requests for repair.
It’s not only insensitive, it’s totally unprofessional!

* * * *
That’s not all.

PLDT is also now giving many (all?) of its Tele-Tipid clients reason to curse it. All of a sudden, the budget Tele-Tipid cards they buy forP150 cannot anymore load into their phone. Those who happen to ask PLDT are told the company is now introducing its Pwede cards – and the Tele-Tipid cards in the market are no longer good for loading.

At first, they said PLDT-Smart would have all the remaining Tele-Tipid cards in the sales outlet consumed first before rolling out the Pwede. Now, it seems they have reconfigured the once Tele-Tipid lines to Tele-Pwede lines – without proper notice – such that the poor customer’s attempt to load his supply of Tipid cards into his unit are all summarily rejected by that metallic, repetitive voice on the phone – “You have an invalid number.. please call your nearest PLDT office for assistance. Or words to that effect.

You’ve been had.. by your friendly phone company. Please smile. Good day!