MCI Residential Service
Ripoff by untrained solicitor and company with poor ethics to back her up

In Feb. Of this year an MCI rep. Called me at my house offering 'The Neighborhood' package - a flat fee local and long distance residential phone package. I explained to her that I don't call long distance except to Canada (20 Miles, across the river). She assured me that Canada was included in 'The Neighborhood'. I accepted.

The call was transferred to the 3rd party order verifier. I skeptically asked her to confirm that Canada was indeed included in the package I was agreeing to purchase. I stated that I accepted the offer based on Canada being included but she said she couldn't address details of the offer because she had no knowledge of it.

Immediately after disconnecting the call, I checked MCI's web site and didn't see any mention of Canada. I called MCI and asked a customer service rep to confirm and found that Canada is NOT included in 'The Neighborhood'. I asked to cancel the order I had just placed 5 minutes ago. The rep.informed me she couldn't do that because my order had not made it into the system and that could take up to 10 days. She offered to make a note and follow-up when my record does show up and she would cancel it. I asked her to do so.

The next day, I called again. The rep. Said she still couldn't find my order. Not enough time had passed for my order to make it into the system. I asked if my order would be cancelled once it did make it into the system as the first rep. Had promised. She had no idea what I was talking about and said that was impossible. She also could not find any record of my call. She suggested I keep calling, up to 10 days, and try to cancel my order once it found it's way into the system.

The next day, my voice-mail stopped working. It seemed too soon as only 2 days had passed since the MCI order and MCI said it would take 10 days for the order to be processed but I called MCI again and sure enough, the order was processed. I told them to cancel it. They told me I can't cancel the service unless I didn't was telephone service at all. The only thing I could do was find another carrier and switch to them. I asked what about the charges and transfer fees. They said I would have to pay that. After explaining to them the circumstances they asked if a $25.00 per month coupons for three months would change my mind. I agreed to add 4.95 to my monthly rate to include Canada and accepted the $25 coupons.

Eight days later, another company solicited me with a better offer so I switched. My MCI bill came and I paid the $ 36 chalking it up to education.

Two weeks later another MCI bill came for $25. I called asking them why are they billing me again. They explained it was for the following month of service. I said I only had the service for 8 days. MCI explained that the first bill covered Feb. And the second bill was for March. Each month contains a flat rate state usage tax no matter how many days of the month you have the service. MCI's service started on Feb. 28th and therefore I paid a full months taxes for one day of 'service'. The next bill was for the 7 remaining days of my tenure with MCI. I asked what about my $25 coupons. They said I wouldn't be getting any coupons since I cancelled my service. I told them I would be forwarding the case to the Michigan Attorney General's office. They offered to deduct the extra $4.95 they charged me for Canadian calls explain to me that was adequate legal recourse since that is what I paid extra for Canada which was what was promised to me as included.

I now have two bills totaling $55.00 for 8 days of service. I waited for the second bill to arrive so I could find the reflected deduction of $4.95 they offered me. It was there and so was a. 36 late fee. I reluctantly paid the bill by my bank's electronic payment service. The next day, a 'collection warning' arrived informing me that my account would be turned over to collection and urging me to pay by credit card immediately.

This isn't a lot of money and I have paid both bills (less the. 36 finance charge) but it doesn't seem reasonable that a company can lie in an offer and then make the customer pay for their mistake.

Mike
Sterling Heights, Michigan
U.S.A.

Company: MCI Residential Service
Country: USA
State: Colorado
City: Denver
Address: PO Box 17890
Phone: 8886245622

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