News Corp’s Queensland outpost Queensland Newspapers has admitted a billing error affecting newsagents going back, in some cases, eight months. They advised newsagents by email over the weekend and have indicated they will add the amount they are clawing back as a miscellaneous line item in the Dec. 14 bill.
This is appalling behaviour by News Corp. It’s the sort of big business vs. small business story you would read about in a News Corp. tabloid.
I urge newsagents to request News Corp. to provide an itemised accounting of the amount sought, to provide thirty days for verification and to agree that newsagents may take as long paying off any amount they agree to as it took the News Corp. system to allow the amount to build.
News Corp. should also compensate newsagents for the time it will cost to verify their claim. I’d suggest a discount of 25% to the additional amount the company says is owing is fair.
If News was being really fair, however, they would credit the whole amount owing. The goodwill such a move would generate would be well worth it – far better than what they are doing now.
News Corp. is wrong to seek full recovery in one week. There is a useful precedent in how energy companies can recover adjusted amounts owning where there as been a billing error.
Further, it is wrong of News Corp. to publish only a total owing in a short email. The company needs to provide affected newsagents with a full and thorough accounting and them to provide newsagents with reasonable time to verify the claim.
The company appears to have discovered the billing error early in November. Why it has waiting until now to communicate is odd.
no email here
just tried to hop on I services but it seems to be playing up , had at look at my latest statement and its correct for a subagent but cannot look at the older ones to see what the price was when I was a supplying agent
copped a similar letter with iservices overpaying home delivery commission for 4 weeks.
calculated to about $8k they wanted to claw back. Paying it off now in 10 installments.
Gary they should offer some compensation for the error.
No email here.
No email here.
Just an important follow up on the SM drama, had further discussions with News Qld this afternoon, and one that should ring major alarm bells with all of us. I have been very forceful with them and demanded to speak to someone with some pull. I was informed that my SM supply had changed around the end of July, was reduced by a large amount. I explained that this was when I handed back our run, and no longer doing subbies. I was informed that the original calculation by News was based on the total supply prior to the my handing back the run, and then applied to the entire period ie March to October, was told this was an error on their behalf. This miscalculation meant that I did not owe them $2700 but now only $600 ????? How is that possible???? I informed that we will not be paying any part of our account until the whole amount is reversed off our account. Then they will have to provide me with all the new details, I will then contact them in the new year sometime to discuss a repayment plan. Make sure you stand your ground, they have no idea what they are doing.
Rick I am shocked that News Corp. has handled this in such a sloppy way. Thanks for sharing your latest discussion with them.
They charged us freight on Saturday Cairns Post for month when they were being bought up free on the IGA truck. There has been on refund.