Group urges Globe boycott; not a rate hike, firm insists

Consumer group Txtpower on Wednesday called for a boycott of Globe Telecom services starting February 8 while the Ayala-owned company said the group should first hear out its reasons for not following a National Telecommunications Commission to suspend its new unlimited text messaging rates. "Consumers should make their power known to Globe and like-minded corporate scum who disrespect consumers and who defy the law," the group said in its website (www.txtpower.org). Globe spokesman Jones Campos said that before calling for a boycott, Txtpower should hear out the telecom firm's reasons for coming up with a new unlimited texting service. Campos disputed Txtpower's assertion that the new rates for its prepaid unlimited text service was a "rate hike". "How can you compare the promos and say there was a rate hike? They are two entirely different things," Campos said. "Technically, if they really want a rollback, then we should rollback to P1 per text message because that is the real price of one message," he added. Veiled rate hike Txtpower said the boycott would address what it called a "barefaced and shameless" defiance of the NTC. The group added that even with the NTC order, Globe is still accepting registration to the promo ordered suspended by the regulatory body. "Globe fully deserves to be boycotted and hated by its subscribers. The company continues to disobey a valid order from the NTC and insists that it has a right to impose a 100-150 percent price hike for its unlimited texting service without any public hearing," Txtpower spokesperson Anthony Ian Cruz said. The NTC ordered Globe on Monday to suspend its new mobile phone SMS rates and restore its old buffet texting promotional prices, pending a public hearing to be conducted by the regulatory body. The order was in response to a complaint by consumer group TxtPower that the new service was a veiled rate hike. As of posting time, Globe said it has yet to submit a formal reply to the NTC order but would do so within the day. Globe's Campos said they are still looking forward to an amicable settlement of the issue. "We really hope we are not affected by the boycott. But really, we should all settle this first and talk about it because if we don't there will be no end to the conflict," Campos said. Old vs new rates Last February 1, Globe announced that the company's four-day Unlimitxt now costs P80 for four days (P20 per day), compared to the previous charge of P50 for five days (P10 per day) of the old Unlimitxt. The new promo also includes options for day time unlimited texting which stretches from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and costs P10, and nighttime unlimited texting which also costs P10 and covers 10 p.m. to 7:59 a.m. of the following day. Txtpower said that the new promo virtually imposes a 100 percent rate hike on the price of the unlimited text messaging service. Globe senior vice president Rodolfo Salalima on Tuesday said it will not suspend its latest unlimited text service due to legal constraints "There are legal and other compelling reasons why we can't comply with the order. We will file a motion for reconsideration tomorrow (Wednesday)," Salalima said. "Contracts binding on Globe have already been generated. In fact, payment has already been received by Globe. Even Congress can tell us to do away with the contracts. We can be held liable for punitive damages," he added. -GMANews.TV