Update on May 17, 10:34am: In response to Mothership's queries, a Singtel spokesperson confirms that the customer's subscription service has been cancelled.

The statement in full:

“We would like to clarify that we have cancelled the customer’s subscription service and reversed the application with no charges.

Customer service is our top priority and our staff are trained to problem solve for customers and to serve with integrity.”

Problems with monthly bills don't usually crop up since they are recurring and fairly predictable.

For one telco customer, however, he was allegedly billed for a service he did not sign up for, and proceeded to submit a complaint to Facebook page All Singapore Stuff (ASS) to air his grievances.

The post on May 16, 2019 was accompanied by two photos of a Singtel bill, with a total bill of S$363 due.

A breakdown of the charges showed an additional S$251.55 under the "Content and Services (Bill on Behalf Goods/Services) section:

The sum was apparently for a 12-month Straits Times subscription under Singtel's Newsstand service.

However, the user claimed that he did not sign up for the service, which costs S$29.90 a month, with the first three months free.

The post alleged that Singtel cited it as a "third party subscription".

The S$251.55 amount was also not shown how it was derived, as it does not tally with the actual subscription rate, which should have been S$269.10 (S$29.90 per month for nine months).

According to the Facebook caption, more than one person had submitted the same complaint, although only a single bill was revealed.

In its caption, ASS insinuated that the additional charges by Singtel was a scam.

Similar experiences

Within six hours of the post being uploaded, it had more than 500 shares and 250 comments.

A number of Facebook users have commented similar experiences with the telco.

In response to another user's suspicions over the allegation, one Acap Mikael who claims to be customer involved insists that he did not subscribe to the service.

Furthermore, he had even visited the Singtel shop and called the customer service hotline.

Fee to be waived

In response to Mothership's queries, the customer revealed that he had called Singtel at 9am on May 15, and the telco told him that the fee will be waived.

The customer is currently waiting for the updated bill.

However, the telco did not explain how the charges got on the bill in the first place.

Mothership has reached out to Singtel, but the telco did not respond by the stipulated time.