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This plan has been a major hot button in the telecommunciatons industry. I have worked for two phone companies, and this has always been the number one topic of argument by customers in the wrong.
Many, many eons ago, customers were offered this plan as a way of protecting themselves, kind of like the protection plans offered on items we buy today, like DVD players, computer, and big screen TV's. Much of the time, as the average person does, customers would refuse to add this plan to their accounts due to the monthly charge involved. Many felt it would never happen to them, so there was no need for it. Later on, when customers had an issue with their phone and needed it repaired, they would call the appropriate office, have a trouble ticket created, then would have the maintenance plan added when the rep offered it to them. It was much better than having to pay a service charge for their phone to be repaired.
This is when the abuse started. Over 90 per cent of the customers who did this would make the repair call, agree to have the maintenance plan, and set a date and time for the repair technician to visit their residence. Then, after their phone was repaired, the customers would call back into customer service and have the maintenance plan removed. So, not only did they beat having to pay a repair charge, they also got out of having to pay any monthly charges at all.
Nowadays, if you order new phone service and accept this plan, it becomes effective immediately. But, if you refuse to have it and then later on add it, it does not become effective until after 30 days, and it's thanks in part to the scheming customers mentioned here. This is always mentioned to the customer, yet they always tell a supervisor "nobody ever told me this". It got to where any time a customer refused the plan, or called to have it taken off their account, I always noted it that they were told, including the date, exact time, and the verbal response by the customer. Not that it did any good. Sometimes we still would have those who would get the right supervisor to get the repair charges off their bill. And, these charges included technicians that visited the customer's residence but did no repairs, and the reason for this much of the time is because of the customers who would refuse to let the technicians into their clean, immaculate home, complete with white carpeting and furniture that nobody was allowed to walk or sit on.
My favorite customers were the ones who had the plan, but never noticed it until years after it was added. When I worked for Bellsouth in 2002, I remember the man who called in to trim his services, and raised hell about this monthly charge on his bill for maintanence. "I never authorized this, and I demand a credit!" Upon looking at this man's account, the maintenance plan had been on his account since 1987! So, fifteen years went by before he noticed he had this "unauthorized" service on his account, and he wanted credit for it. Sometimes customers like this would win and get their credit, but not for fifteen years worth. The most I remember was a customer who was given one year, and even that was a bit too much.
I admit, I normally refuse maintenance plans offered to me when I buy merchandise at local retailers, but since I am not technically saavy to work on electrical wiring and phones, I have that plan on my line, and it has been worth having a few times.
Many, many eons ago, customers were offered this plan as a way of protecting themselves, kind of like the protection plans offered on items we buy today, like DVD players, computer, and big screen TV's. Much of the time, as the average person does, customers would refuse to add this plan to their accounts due to the monthly charge involved. Many felt it would never happen to them, so there was no need for it. Later on, when customers had an issue with their phone and needed it repaired, they would call the appropriate office, have a trouble ticket created, then would have the maintenance plan added when the rep offered it to them. It was much better than having to pay a service charge for their phone to be repaired.
This is when the abuse started. Over 90 per cent of the customers who did this would make the repair call, agree to have the maintenance plan, and set a date and time for the repair technician to visit their residence. Then, after their phone was repaired, the customers would call back into customer service and have the maintenance plan removed. So, not only did they beat having to pay a repair charge, they also got out of having to pay any monthly charges at all.
Nowadays, if you order new phone service and accept this plan, it becomes effective immediately. But, if you refuse to have it and then later on add it, it does not become effective until after 30 days, and it's thanks in part to the scheming customers mentioned here. This is always mentioned to the customer, yet they always tell a supervisor "nobody ever told me this". It got to where any time a customer refused the plan, or called to have it taken off their account, I always noted it that they were told, including the date, exact time, and the verbal response by the customer. Not that it did any good. Sometimes we still would have those who would get the right supervisor to get the repair charges off their bill. And, these charges included technicians that visited the customer's residence but did no repairs, and the reason for this much of the time is because of the customers who would refuse to let the technicians into their clean, immaculate home, complete with white carpeting and furniture that nobody was allowed to walk or sit on.
My favorite customers were the ones who had the plan, but never noticed it until years after it was added. When I worked for Bellsouth in 2002, I remember the man who called in to trim his services, and raised hell about this monthly charge on his bill for maintanence. "I never authorized this, and I demand a credit!" Upon looking at this man's account, the maintenance plan had been on his account since 1987! So, fifteen years went by before he noticed he had this "unauthorized" service on his account, and he wanted credit for it. Sometimes customers like this would win and get their credit, but not for fifteen years worth. The most I remember was a customer who was given one year, and even that was a bit too much.
I admit, I normally refuse maintenance plans offered to me when I buy merchandise at local retailers, but since I am not technically saavy to work on electrical wiring and phones, I have that plan on my line, and it has been worth having a few times.
and they break down once a year on average. I just skip down to the business a few doors away, ask for help, and the nice tech fixes things. 
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