OK here it goes, sorry if it runs on too long, or gets hard to follow, but it is hard to type when you're in a fevered anger... I was approached by a sales rep while inside my local Sam's Club, offering a seemingly good deal on cell phones.
Since my wife and I do not have much family we talk to, and really only call each other to and from home to work, and were
considering dropping regular phone service in favor of a pair of cell phones, we were intersted.
I signed a "contract" (legally binding me into a royal you know what) with a total moron (have not seen him since in the store) who did not disclose other fees, terms, per minute prices, out of plan stuff etc. For a pair of cell phones-one for me, one for my wife-did not have full contents of contract shown to me, bought "insurance" ($30 each phone) for phones I paid over $100 for each one to begin with-which would have come in handy when my wife lost her phone, but was told would have to file police report AND pay an aditional $50 to REPLACE lost "insured" phone.
We decided to wait it out a bit and see if her phone would turn up (we were currently in the moving process). For some unkown reason, I received a HUGE bill from Verizon, (I stayed within my plan's allowed minutes on the single phone) and only AFTER I had to ask to have a copy of the contract I "signed" was it given to me (mailed me a small book, not the cheesy carbon copy paper crap I signed at the store). Also did not have any record or even memory of my own of signing a contract with Wireless Retail (whom I have learned are now out of business, or more appropriately, sold out and are still operating inside Sam's Club under the name SC Kiosk)-but I now legally owe them $200 each phone.
Does anyone else know that when you make just one small change to your Verizon plan (i.E. Over the phone) the contract AUTOMATICALLY renews itself? I could not even make a Verizon payment in cash anywhere (had to wait in line 45 min. At Verizon retail store before I was politely told by another moron that I can not normally make a payment here, but he would do it only because I waited so long-no signs/notifications/etc. Of this anywhere in the store). Also be careful of loopholes in service plans-when wife lost her phone, we had to temporarily transfer mine to the primary number in our plan-ONLY by asking to do so, but in the mean time, I was charged 45 cents a minute/no free weekends/etc. That my wife's phone had-but it AUTOMATICALLY switched back after another 30 days to the secondary phone-again this was not disclosed to me until after I called and questioned and dug through the service reps B.S. About a $400 cell phone bill that should have had all these free minutes/nights/weekends/etc. But did not.
Needless to say I was (you know what) off, and after having my service cancelled for "non-payment" ($50 was all I could afford at the time-2 kids in diapers who love to eat food get really expensive fast with only one person working-but it was not enough to keep or even re-instate my service, and Verizon denied my payment). So I cancelled my service all together. Of course I have been informed of my "breech of contract", or actually two contracts, and will have to pay out through the you know what.
Now we are being harassed by bill collectors, threatening legal action against us. I have paid it down some, but I still owe $1400 total Between these two scam artists (Verizon and Wireless Retail), and at one point it was over $1800 total. We live paycheck to paycheck, and I work 2 jobs, just to survive, usually about 70 hours/week so my wife can stay home and raise the kids instead of letting the babysitter do it. I want to go back to school, but how can I financially afford to quit doing the overtime? I wanted to take the kids to Disney this spring with my tax return, but it is going to some fat cat in some office somewhere.
Maybe I am just a retard, but my troubles are not in vain if someone else can learn from my stupidity... Just please BEWARE and read EVERYTHING and ASK QUESTIONS! Plenty of questions.
I wish there was some way I could tell others BEFORE they fall into this trap, rather than offer my condolences after the fact.
I am switching to digital phone as soon as it becomes available, as well as totally boycotting Verizon, and probably Radioshack, as they now own the remnants of Wireless Retail. I was going to get my sister's family a Sam's Club membership for X-mas, but I do not think I will even renew my own next time, I mean what other kind of crap do they sell there? I found out I was too late to get in on the class action lwas suit against Verizon, but am currently looking into filing my own...
Peace and may God bless and HELP and protect everyone else out there being scammed, and try to pray for your enemies...
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