We had been customers of Cingular Wireless (previously Cellular One) for 8 years until this little mess:
Read On:
Prior to our dispute these were our bills:
Statement 12/2/03-1/1/04 $245.32
Statement 2/2/04-3/1/04: $243.55
Statement 3/2/04-4/1/04: $272.05
At this point (early in April 04) a Cingular rep tells us we can save money by switching from our current plan to this new plan, we decide also to reduce the number of phones on our account from 6 to 5, she tells us we can expect a reduction of 10 to 15 percent, we trust her.
Statement 4/2/04-5/1/04: $536.34
At this point the bill has doubled so Ian calls Cingular, in sequence he speaks to
1. Brenda, who gives wrong number for the dept we need
2. Kevin, who transfers us to a dial tone
3. Tanya, who hangs up on us
4. Janet King, transfers us to the wrong department
5. Randy, transfers us to the wrong company
6. Karen, who says she will return us to original plan and give $138.62 credit
Statement 5/2/046/1/04: $339.87 (includes the $138.62 credit) Statement 6/2/04-7/1/04: $457.09
At this juncture Ian realizes that although we have been transferred back to our old plan all of the charges have been increased so that it is twice as expensive as it had been previously, Ian is not real patient with Cingular at this time so
Michelle calls Cingular (7/6/04 or 7/7/04)
1. Hung up on or transferred numerous times to incorrect extensions
2. Finally talks to someone who sets us up with family talk plan, but have to be transferred to the business department to change old plan and receive credits
3. No one knows number to business department
4. Transferred to a Cingular store in Connecticut
5. Finally find someone who knows number to business department
6. Business department hangs up on us repeatedly
7. Decide to cancel service
Ian then calls Cingular and can not get through to anyone willing to accept a call canceling service. Ian goes online and cancels our automatic payment via credit card, Cingular continues to attempt to charge our credit card
Ian calls Visa fraud and dispute and requests a chargeback (the amount is now up to 1500 plus dollars whereas the actual amount owed is (according to Cingular) $439 or (according to us) S250 approx, Visa agrees with our case and charges back to Cingular $1070 and $439 and returns the money to our account, Visa agrees not to accept any more charges from Cingular to our account.
8/21/04: Receive final notice for $285.63 from Cingular in the mail. Call Cingular, they don't know what it is for or where it came from, they tell us we should disregard it.
So Ian changes to Verizon, and sends an offer to Cingular to pay all outstanding useage fees and associated charges but refusing to pay early termination fees for a contract that was not as offered and was indeed cancelled immediately after the first bill was received.
Cingular call in ER Solutions (you can look then up on the Better Business Bureau site, they are well documented) who proceed to call employees of the company at home and at work, Ian offers to pay $400 as full & final settlement of the account, ER Solutions accept the terms and payment is made by Visa card, 24 hours after the payment is made ER return to harassing staff members at home and at work for the balance (which is now in excess of $ or 9 times the original amount owed) Ian contacts Visa fraud and dispute again, the $400 is taken back, a certified letter is sent to ER Solutions and Cingular stating that we dispute the bill and (under the terms of the Fair Trading laws) not to contact us again on the matter. Ian then engages legal representation & files complaints with the BBB & the FTC.
As of now we have heard nothing more, and we are still willing to pay the outstanding phone charges (useage, taxes, fees etc) but will not be intimidated by this extraordinarily incompetent organization, or by their ER Solutions bully boys either.
Ian
Skokie, Illinois
U.S.A.
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