AT&T Wireless/Cingular
AT&T Wireless/Cingular TRICKED ME and RIPPED ME OFF MULTIPLE TIMES! Ripoff

I am writing with regard to a phone bill that I received in the amount of $547.08. I have been a Cingular Customer since January. I contacted at the rate of $39.99 per month. I participated in a program that Cingular had called roll over minutes. For two and a half years my bill was around $50 - $60 per month. On July 18th, my bill went from around $50- $60 per month to over $500. I was told that my roll-over minutes had been exceeded. While I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to keep track of the roll-over minutes, my bill had been more or less in the same range for 2 years. It had not occurred to me to check my balance of roll-over minutes. When I asked why a Customer Care representative had not called to inform me that I had exceeded my minutes, I was told that Cingular/AT&T took a pro-active approach to customer care, but that they did not have the man-power to call customers to give them a heads-up that their roll-over minutes had elapsed. I was told that my roll-over minutes printed on my bill. Since it had been 2 years that my bill had been the same, I did not even know where the roll-over minutes were printed on the bill, nor was I even aware that they were printed. I fail to see how printing a number in small print on a bill is proactive. The Customer Care agent at this point made an adjustment in my bill, reducing the $547.08 to $370.25. I pointed out that this was still nearly $400 and that I could not possibly pay that amount all at once.

I was instructed to call back after July 18th to make payment arrangements. When I did I informed the Customer Care representative what would be manageable for me (an additional $50 per month for 6 months, and $70 the 7th month until the balance of $370 was paid. I was told that this was not possible.

While I feel roll-over minute program is crafty way of setting customers up, and as a customer / consumer, I feel tricked and ripped-off, I am a Stand-Up Man, and have come forward to take responsibility for my lack of scrutiny (although in all fairness to myself, I still would have appreciated a call from Cingular alerting me to my roll-over minutes status) and have made an attempt to make what I consider to be a reasonable and manageable payment arrangement. The corporation, AT&T/Cingular has refused my offer, stating that their policy cannot allow them to make this arrangement. To add insult to injury I was informed by a cheery Customer Care Representative that I would be liable for a $170 fee for early termination in breaking a contract with them, should I choose to terminate my account and seek cellular services elsewhere. I insist on being mailed a copy of the contract that I signed making me liable for this early termination fee.

In addition to these grievances, In February I was promised a $50 rebate for the phone that I upgraded to; a phone, incidentally that was damaged. When I took my phone in to the store that I purchased it from (Fair Oaks in South Pasadena, CA), I was told that I would have to use my insurance to pay for it, that I could not prove that it was manufacturers defect. The phone had a hairline fracture ion the screen, which has expanded to the point where it is impossible to see any display functions.

In short, my experience with AT&T Cingular has been nothing short of miserable. To recap, ATT&T Wireless/Cingular has ripped me off now on four (4) separate occasions:

1. Faulty equipment with a hairline fracture that led top the equipment being unusable. Refused to replace ' forced me to use insurance;
2. Did not send my $50 rebate
3. Charged me over $500 for a bill when my 'roll-over minutes expired and would not let me make a payment plan to pay it off
4. threatened that if I terminated services I would have to pay $170 for breaking a contract that I never signed.

Ivason
Los Angeles, California
U.S.A.

Company: AT&T Wireless/Cingular
Country: USA
State: California
City: Anaheim Hills
Address: PO Box 68058
Phone: 8003310500

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