Old-fashioned service brings satisfaction with a smile

While many companies continue to automate jobs once performed by people, there are some that recognise not all progress is necessarily for the better.

Take telco company Pennytel, who give customers the comfort of talking to a real person straight away, whenever they have a problem.

Rather than negotiating a complex menu of options only to be frustrated in the end, Pennytel customers enjoy getting through to a real person at the end of the line when they call their provider.

Satisfied customers, Donald, 80 and Lindsay, 69, both from Ballarat, recently joined Pennytel. In a follow up to our first interview with them, we discuss further why they wouldn't go anywhere else for their mobile service.

Lindsay: Reminds me of the old days. I can just ring them up and there's someone you can go to that's not a machine. You can talk to someone and they sort the problem out quicker and more efficiently. They won't put you onto a machine. Yeah... I'm very happy.

Donald: Means the world! If they look after you, you can look after them. Other companies try to grab me but I say "no no no." I'm really satisfied. I wouldn't move anywhere else.

Lindsay: I always remember sales spiels or upselling. With Pennytel I don't get any of that, they don't give my number out.

Lindsay: I use them mainly to keep in touch with family and friends - yeah, communication with family. Calling and texting mainly, I don't really use it for anything else. It's especially good if you're travelling - I only travel just short distances and down to Geelong, Melbourne and maybe the Grampians, weekends away in Warrnambool and so on and you stay connected.

Donald: Pennytel keeps me connected to family and friends, and to my medical contacts. I ring my sisters up in Shep and Mooroopna and I've got lots of good friends. I have a medical alarm bracelet that I use through the phone too.

Lindsay: Simplicity, I avoid unnecessary things.

Donald: That they're friendly when I ring them up.

Lindsay: For sure! With my 3gb it's only $15 per month or something, anybody can afford that. It's affordable, half the price of competitors and it's worth what I get for that price.

I have handsfree in the car which is necessary and my phone has all the features but is not over the top.

Donald: Ohhh for sure - glad they started up. Other companies rip you off but not Pennytel.

Lindsay: It's gone that far now, the young ones have got mobiles now at school. Wouldn't have dreamt it years ago, there's satellite systems. Who knows what the future is.

Donald: Oh yeah it's changed. I go way, way back to when there was none of these mobiles. I manage the mobile, it took a while to learn it but I can use it now.

Lindsay: Keep advertising and make sure they keep doing what they're doing. They're just as serviceable as the main ones and are on par with the top two!

Donald: I'd run it the same way they're running it now, I've got no whinges about that. It's the mobile company I've been looking for a long time and I just saw it in the paper.

Donald: I think for oldie people like me it's one of the best companies around. They cater for the older person, pensioners - and they give you a good deal.

For any of those other companies you're talking to a machine, not a person. They're a good company; all those people over there are terrific. They look after me real good.

Find out more about these great mobile deals, call Pennytel now on 1300 262 146.

This is advertiser content from Pennytel.