On a recent business trip to southern California, I carried my cell phone with me, wondering how much I could use it there. I was told by a Cellular One sales rep that they did indeed have cell towers in southern California and that while I was there, I could use the phone in the same manner as I did at home. This could not have been further from the truth. The entire time I was out there (5 weeks on business), I was "using non-Cellular One towers, " according to the customer service rep I talked to later who essentially called me an idiot.
I decided to change my cellular carrier while I was out in California so that I could have a local area code there. The Cellular One sales rep (who told me they had coverage in southern California) tried everything to keep me as a customer, but since they could not give me a local number there, I eventually made the decision to change providers.
About a week after I returned home, I got a massive bill that amounted to the equivalent of a year's worth of cellular bills. To say I was furious is a gross understatement. To add insult to injury, the customer service person I talked to told me I was essentially an idiot for not changing carriers sooner and that I should have known (despite being told the opposite by another Cellular One employee) that I'd get slapped with huge overages out there.
As a result of this financial fiasco, I had to scrap all my Christmas plans, including returning every last gift I'd purchased. I also dropped my travel plans. So, Christmas 2005 has been wiped out by Cellular One, who definitely could be called the "Grinch who stole Christmas."
If you don't want to get screwed beyond belief, do not do business with Cellular One, and tell all your friends using Cellular One to drop them ASAP. Needless to say, I am doing that.
As I sit at home this Christmas with no Christmas dinner, no gifts for myself or anyone on my list, I will make my own list... Of people to tell about the deceptive and essentially fraudulent business practices going on at Cellular One. Stay away from these crooks. I was with them for 4 1/2 years, which obvously was 4 1/2 years too long, especially given the complete lack of regard to customer loyalty they exibited. Cellular One is loyal only to the almighty dollar and will do just about anything, no matter how unethical, to get as many of those coveted dollars as possible.
0 comments