Company Policy

While certain things in Japan work much better than the UK; trains arrive on time, theft doesn't really exist and people are polite; as I have learnt, there is always a payoff.

I have mentioned the phrase “The nail that sticks out, gets hammered down” before about Japan, and for me, it symbolises a lot about Japanese people. No one wants to be the one to question something, where as in Britain it's a common past-time. This has an odd effect on business and rights. People work late, because they are told to with few holidays and little pay. The average worker doesn't really have much rights and whether as in the UK we might set out to sue for such illegal infringements, the Japanese seem to roll over and accept their fate.

My personal 'beef' is with 'Softbank', a mobile phone and internet provider here in Japan. As you also might remember, obtaining a mobile in Japan was one of the single most stressful and frustrating moments in my life. They seemingly add extra costs for no reason and the process is about as transparent as lead. Well, one of those costs that I pay, every month, is for insurance on my phone. A little while ago I dropped my precious little iPhone and the back panel shattered (Apple, seriously, glass?). I thought I should get it repaired as I know from my contract it says that they will repair and pay for 80% of the cost of repair. Once in the store we found this was not the case. They will repair it, but I need to pay for it all up front, around 13,000 yen (Over £100). But I am told I will get it back. Back from deductions of excess that I spend on phones per month. What? What have I been paying insurance for? I consulted the English contract I had signed and it said nothing about this. They said “Oh, you have to see the Japanese contract.” I said “I didn't sign a Japanese contract, I signed this one.” and it went back and forth like this for a while. They then said its in the brochure as well. I took out my brochure which I was give and the time and said “Show me where?!” The brochure was in Japanese and English and both said NOTHING about this method of payment and only mentioned that they pay 80% of the cost. Because we started to make a very valid point, they then took the single stubborn tact of “Its company policy.” What, it's 'Company Policy' to con me and change a contract I have signed without my consent? They would not move and it seemed there was nothing I could do. Not manager to talk to, nothing. I was shocked.

The second sting in the tail is that although I've paid for this iPhone outright, in full to begin with, I still have to pay about 10,000 yen to cancel the contract and they lock the phone, which is mine, to only their network, so I can't use it with other service providers. When I asked why, they said “Its company policy.”

Softbank is starting up in the USA soon, I wonder what they will think of their 'Company Policy'?