Better Way to Respond to Payment Problem

[Jeanne Muliaina]

Recently I received an email from Kitely informing me that my PayPal account had notified them of a payment problem issue. As a result, my account will automatically be downgraded by Kitely at the end of this month. I have a special 10-Sim plan which is going to be lost as I am downgraded to a free account. I went to my account to see if it could be corrected in the Change Plan option but even though it said click on the account you want, there was only a notice that I would downgrade to free at the end of the month. I have been a paying customer for several years, having paid literally a few thousand USDs and am a bit disappointed at the unceremonious manner in which my plan was cancelled, without providing an option for restoration. I did not notify Kitely of a desire to downgrade. It was done automatically based on a communication to them from PayPal. I am not behind on my account, but rather, paid up till the end of the month. I am quite certain that this matter could have been handled in a more personal and courteous fashion. I informed Kitely that I was disappointed that my account would be downgraded and would have to seek another virtual world provider. My email was met with silence.

[Graham Mills]

I don't know the details behind this but, like Jeanne, I am surprised, not so much by the automated nature of the initial response (given the scale at which Kitely operates) but by the absence of a personal reply to the follow-up communication. It is so contrary to my past experiences that I can only imagine either Ilan has missed the email or he has been consumed in coding the recent infrastructure changes. I very much hope a satisfactory resolution can be found.

[Barnard Smith]

Hi Jeanne,

Whenever PayPal cancels subscriptions our system automatically sends email notifications to the person whose subscription was cancelled with instructions for how to reinstate the cancelled subscription. Unfortunately, you had a grandfathered Premium Account (Silver) plan which we no longer offer which is why you were no longer able to see it as an option.

I promptly reply to any email inquiry sent to our email addresses, which is why I'm surprised that you haven't received any reply from me. Please check the email address you sent your email to. Is it possible you replied to a different address than the one specified in the notice you received?

In any case, please send me an email referencing this post and I'll help you reinstate your grandfathered account type. See our contact info here: https://www.kitely.com/contact