I feel like a fool right now, I fell for a tele-marketing scam perpitrated by MCI. I got a call promising lower rates than my present co. Bellsouth. Well, she lied, it wasn't lower, but that isn't the problem. The problem is the mess their billing is in. I always pay my phone bill with direct debit with Bellsouth, no problems at all, with MCI, big problems from beginning.
They could deduct the bill from my checking account, I filed all the nessesary data. I wanted it to be a once a month deal that I can control like I have with Bellsouth but they ram-roded it through as a auto-debit each month, I could have lived with that, except that after two months they sent me a dis-connect notice like as if I had not paid my bill.
So, I am on the phone for two hours waiting for the next available rep. Finally I get somebody who says the direct debit never went through. This wasn't the end of it, I hassled around for a while and finally got that straightened out or so I thought, but I told him that I wanted to drop the direct debit deal and just send in the checks. He said that was no problem that I would have to pay by check from that point on, I said, are you sure, I don't want any surprises. He assured me that that would not happen.
I was very unhappy with the service as well as the rates so I decided to go back to Bellsouth. That was in May. But in June I got a big surprise, the thing the rep told me wouldn't happen - happened. They just reached right into my checking account and jerked out $58.00 with no notice and after I was not even with them.
Back on the phone, another two hours of waiting Finally got ahold of a girl who told me that acording to MCI's records they had overcharged me $88.31. Said they would give me credits on my future bills, I told her I was no longer a customer, she then said they would send me a check. Weeks passed no check, then I get a statement that appears that I only dropped the long distance - $31.26 was deducted from the $88.31 they owe me. Leaving a balance of $57.05 credit.
Back on the phone - waiting and waiting and waiting, finally I gave up and sent a email explaining the problem. I get a reply that didn't really address my issue, no mention that I am looking at a statement that looks like I am still a customer so that they can drain off that $88.00 and not have to repay me.instead They said that refunds can take up to 90 days. If a customer waits that long to pay their bill they diconnect them, but never mind that, I feel ripped off because I keep getting the feeling that I am never going to see any of the money they owe me, day after day no check, not for $88.00 not for $57.00.
They are going to screw me out of that money by keeping this account open so that I at least owe the base bill of $31.26 every month until the $88.00 is gone. To add insult to injury, I got another telemarketing call wanting me to sign up with them again.By the time I got done yelling at that telemarketer I'm sure their ear was hot and I told them to never call me again and that it was an official notice. My number ins now on the Do Not Call list and if they ever call again I'm reporting them to the FTC.in the meantime, I want my money!
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