Death proved no barrier to Telecom's listing charges

JULIE MIDDLETON

Telecom will no longer charge people for altering home telephone listings after a customer dies, following a challenge from the Consumers' Institute.

According to Consumer Online, Pauline Newland, who lost her husband Harry last December, was told that deleting his initials would cost $45. Nor could she leave the listing as it was, because a Telecom operator told her the company couldn't "have a contract with a dead person".

She was unimpressed: her power company and bank had changed her customer details for free.

"It's not that $45 is a lot of money - it's the principle," said Mrs Newland.

According to Telecom's head of consumer marketing, Victoria Crone, "the $45 reflects the costs involved in changing the customers' records".

But when the Consumers' Institute raised the issue of bereaved customers, Telecom decided the fee would no longer apply to those whose partner had died.

The Consumers' Institute said that by charging Telecom had been out of step with commercial practice - and suggested that some of its staff needed sensitivity training.