On December 6th i recieved a call from a company called QiTel Wireless (the operator pronounced it as "keytel" perhaps to throw off any curious searching on the internet) and offered me a free cellular phone if i agreed to sign up with their monthly voicemail service which would be billed through SBC, my home telephone service provider.
The operator, a very fast speaking female with a British English accent promised that the only charges that would appear on my bill would be a 34.50 one time service fee and a 19.40 monthly voicemail charge, in exchange i would recieve a certificate to have a brand new Samsung 300 phone shipped to me. I would then have the opportunity to choose a wireless provider either through Sprint or through their Company, Keytel.
What should have thrown me off was that the operator claimed that i went on the internet and searched for wireless phone opportunities, and thats how her company chose to seek me out for this "wonderful opportunity". She also had my home phone service provider information already available, without my knowledge or consent of releasing such information.
After I asked a few questions about how I could have the charges switched to another form of payment (without being attatched to my home phone bill) the operator proceeded to ask me a series of questions in which my responses were recorded. Some of the questions included 1) who my home telephone service provider was and 2) if i had authorization to put charges on the account, 3) whether or not she had promised me anything other than a free cellular phone and if she had discussed the terms of the agreement, the one time 34.50 charge and so forth.
I specifically asked if the charges would be applied to my bill before i recieved some sort of verification regarding the recipt of a cell phone, in which she replied "absolutely not because we do not want to bill you for services in which we have not yet provided."
Over a week had passed and i had recieved nothing from this company, no voicemail number, no cell phone or anything pertaining to a cell phone. Then on December 15th i recieved my telephone statement from SBC with charges from Qitel Wireless Communications billed on behalf of INTEGRETEL totalling 54.90 plus 8 dollars in taxes bringing that portion of my home telephone bill to about 62.90.
I attempted to get in touch with those at Qitel wireless but no one was answering their phones and after being on hold for 20 minutes I was cut off. I called INTEGRETEL whose number appeared on my home telephone bill and was told by their representatives that they simply bill for Qitel wireless, they have no responsibility or controls on how they bill, customer service, etc.
I went on an internet search and found out that not only has Qitel ripped off many other people across the U.S. With phony claims regarding free cell phones, pagers, voicemail services and etc, but they have also paid heavy fines in some places for violating the Do Not Call Registry, which i myself am a member of in my home state.
Finally i found a website for Integretel and emailed their customer service department and said in not so many civil words that if they did not contact me within the following calendar week that i would proceed to contact my state attorney general and sue them for false representation and fraud.
After calling Qitel Wireless their representative stated that although i wasnt happy with the service, i'd still be required to pay the 54.90 because i agreed to sign up for it. She then cancelled any future monthly voicemail service.
2 days later i recieved a informational letter from Qitel with a sheet that detailed the types of phones that were available (with pictures included) and it clearly stated that these phones were not brand new as the operator had said, but refurbished and in "like new condition". I have saved the letter and all of the informational materials as evidence.
On Janurary 3rd 2005 I recieved an email from a Elizabeth Denton, a customer relations rep from Integretel stating that she cancelled my service and put in a credit on my phone bill for 54.90 cents, the amount in which Qitel claimed i owed them for "services rendered".
After speaking with both Ms. Denton and the department of SBC which deals with third party billing, I was able to ensure that the Qitel portion of my bill was removed, so i do not owe them anything.
This is the advice i give to anyone who is currently dealing with Qitel wireless and Integretel, contact their customer service and get down right rude. Then contact your telephone service provider's department that deals with third party billing. If all goes well you will have those charges removed so that they don't have the opportunity to "credit" your account.
These people are liars and thieves, the less you room you can give them to operate in, the better.
Angela
Los angeles, California
U.S.A.
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