Since August sprint has been adding unathorized charges to my phone bill. (this is also known as cramming)
I have a very basic Sprint phone. The only features it has are voice and text messaging... My Phone is NOT internet capable, and does not have the ability to play games or to download games (or anything else. It's not internet capable)
That being the case I have not requested these services from Sprint.in Fact I have asked Sprint to Block these services, including Text messaging, since I do not use, nor do I want Text messages.
However for the last 4 months in a row Sprint has been billing me for multiple game downloads, large numbers of text messages, and data access fees. This month they also added on mobile TV service.
These charges have been amounting to $275.00 to over $400.00 each month.
Each month I have to call Sprint and ask to have these charges removed. Each month Sprint passes me along to several departments, including: Customer Care (should be called "Customer I Don't Care"), Tech-Support, Finance & Billing, and Fraud Dept. I always end up speaking to a supervisor.
A big issue is that the folks at Customer Care keep calling me a liar... That I am downloading these games and such... I have even taken my phone to a Sprint store and had diagnostics run. The tech there laughed and told me my phone was not capable of those services and that I need to get a different phone if I wanted to have games... At least he finally understood that I did not need or want those services.
But each month they bill me again.in December Sprint has added ALL those charges back on my bill again. So at this point I am filing a complaint with the Texas Attorney General Consumer Affairs Department.
In Texas it is illegal for a person or company to bill you for services or work not performed:
* * * * *
Business & commerce code
Chapter 17. Deceptive trade practices
Subchapter a. General provisions
17.46. Deceptive trade practices unlawful
(22) representing that work or services have been
performed on, or parts replaced in, goods when the work or services
were not performed or the parts replaced;
* * * * *
Cramming itself is covered under another Texas law which deals with wire Fraud.
In addition to the Texas Attorney General complaints can also (in this case will be) filed with the Texas Public Utilities Commision
PUC - Consumer Protection - Austin, TX
Also with the Texas Better Business Bureau.
One may also file a civil lawsuit naming Sprint PCS and it's CEO: Andrew Sukawaty as defendants.
I am also considering going to the investigative news media (TV, Newspapers, Radio) I'd love to see a Sprint rep show how to download a game on my phone. It simply cannot be done, the phone does not have this capablity.
So I guess it's time for lawyers to deal with this, I am wondering if Andrew Sukawaty (Sprint's CEO) is the one who would be named in a criminal case for Wire Fraud.
0 comments