I have been called one February day and promised a free pager offer, and that I will have a whole year to consider the offer without having to pay anything if I decide not to use it. I said OK, and they transfered me to somebody else.
The person on the other side seemed to be in a room full of representatives like himself, and it was incredibly noisy. He asked me to hear some recording, but naturally I could not hear much of it because of all that noise. From time to time, he said "that was for you", then I asked "What?", and he said that I need to say my name, telephone etc. We finished with that, and at the end of February I received the promised free pager offer, but along with it I received a letter stating that my phone bill is charged $49.95 for some voice mail service. I was quite surprised to learn that, and I called them immediately. They played back the recording where I was asked my name and telephone. This time, I could hear the recorded speech, and I was horrified to find out that I had agreed to be charged $20 a month for voice mail - a service that I have had for months, and I pay each month $4.50 for it.
It was clear to that representative (who heard the recording with me) that I did not hear that statement when I was interviewed - all I heard were the man's comments, such as "That was for you. Please say your telephone number" etc. She said she understands that there was a mistake, and that she will cancel all charges for monthly fees so far (for 15 days, I think). She said that she will record our conversation. She did so, and at the end she said that I am still liable for the installation fee of $30. I said that I do not see a reason to pay it. For the recording, she asked me to confirm that she agreed to remove the monthly fee charges but not the setup fee. I confirmed.
A month later, I received my telephone bill, and I was charged a monthly fee of $20 for that voice mail service. I called them again, and they said that I have been billed for 2 consecutive months with that $20 fee, and no cancellation has been made. They asked me for a cancellation number, which I did not have, and upon my request to look up for the recorded cancellation request they said that no such recording exists.
So here is my situation: I have to pay $90 (installation fee 3 months) for something that I never wanted or used, and I am not sure whether they cancelled my service this time, or I will receive more bills. I have a cancellation number this time, but since inconvenient recordings disappear with such ease from their system, I am inclined to believe that cancellation numbers may disappear or become invalid as well.
Is there anyone who can help me? I am willing to sue, because from the recording they keep, it is more than clear that I never agreed to be billed. I simply repeated what the rep told me to say.
Anyway, I don't think I will pay them anything. However, my credit history has been spotless so far, and I need to consult someone to verify what effect that voice mail service bills will have if left unpaid. I feel like a victim of blackmail - I have the option to pay them $90 (and whatever bills they decide to send me from now on) or jeopardize my credit history.
Rumen
Newark, Delaware
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