I had thought to order a pair of cellphones for my wife and I over the Internet. BAD CHOICE! I found Cellular Choices and looked at a couple of Motorola phones and clicked to check on prices/plans available. I filled in the information to be contacted by them. A day later "John" called from Cellular. They needed a $200 deposit per phone! I said "Thanks but no thanks".
I went out to Circuit City and got two phones and a good plan with Verizon with no down payment at all.
I came home and had a message from "John". He had a pair of phones and a plan that would not require a down payment and said I should call him back to discuss the offer. I didn't because I didn't need the phones anymore.
Two days later a box shows up from Cellular Choices! Inside are a pair of Motorola Razor phones and a contract for Cingular/Ameritech. I would never do business with Cingular/Ameritech again; too many bad experiences with them already! I look over the paperwork on top of the box and follow the instructions for returning the phones TO THE LETTER!
I call Cellular Choices and tell them I never ordered the phones and had no need for them. I get a return authorization. I then call Cingular/Ameritech and tell them I will not be using the phones or the contracts and I am told by the representative that as soon as the phones are received back at Cellular they will cancel the contract AT NO charge.
I repack the phones, which were never even opened, and ship them out using the included address labels and the RMA numbers the next morning.
Tracking the Fed-ex shipment showed that the phones were delivered to the proper place two days later.
A week later I get a bill from Cingular/Ameritech for $68! I call them and ask what the bill was for since: #1 I NEVER ordered the phones in the first place. #2 I never opened the phones, activated the phones, or was provided with any services by them. #3 I had never signed a contract with Cingular! #4 I had returned the phones and called the proper people EXACTLY as I was told to do to cancel the transaction with no charges. I was told that I just owed them the money and that was it.
I ignored the bill.
A month or so later I get a call from First Revenue Assurance saying that the Cingular bill had been turned over to them for collections! A month? That's might quick to turn a bill over to a collection agency! I tell the person on the phone that I never ordered the phones, never activated the phones, and was provided with no service at all by Cingular and I wasn't about to pay a bill for nothing! The person said "Fine, but this will ruin your credit and we have your Social Security number!" and hung up on me.
I am getting several calls a week from First Revenue demanding payment on a bill I don't owe! There is obviously a scam going on here to collect money for services never provided on phones I never ordered in the first place!
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