Phone bill

I have always been grateful and delighted that when my telephone malfunctioned a few times, Telkom responded almost immediately and fixed the phone. Indeed, the impression I have from Telkom is the best possible. As evidence of outstanding service, I received on March 26 a reply to a March 13 letter in which I informed Telkom that my phone was out of order. Their letter stated the problem with the phone, how it was being solved and the date that my phone would work again. Knowing how busy all technical staff must be at this time of the year, I was very glad to receive the letter and I publicly thank the company for its kindness.

However, a small problem disclosed in the March 13 letter remains unresolved. I do not know whom to contact at Telkom. Briefly put, the issue is that I sent a one-page fax to Surabaya, East Java, and the telephone went dead, apparently still connected to the phone in Surabaya; the February bill showed an eight-hour call to Surabaya, at the price of Rp 797,720 before tax. I was told that I would have to pay the bill before asking for clarification from the company.

I have nothing against paying my bills on time, in fact I believe it is my duty and I don't mind paying for something that is correctly charged. So I tried to pay my March bill while waiting for a response from the company, but I found that I had to pay the February bill first. So now I have two outstanding bills and that makes me uneasy.

My uneasiness has increased as I have learned that if my phone were disconnected, as done after three months of non-payment, I would have to pay a reconnection fee of about Rp 1 million. Furthermore, I have been told that I might even have to buy a new phone line for my house. Maybe the people who told me about this didn't have the right information. On the other hand, I am puzzled and ask if the information is valid.

I thank the company in advance for any clarification they may be able to provide me. I take this opportunity to wish Telkom continued expansion and increased good communication within Indonesia and between Indonesia and the world. I thank The Jakarta Post, also, for being a medium for dialog and understanding.

REGINA H. SHRIMPTON

Jakarta