Hey man, my name is Rich, and I'm currently dealing with a $2,800 screw up on Alltel's part. I'm in the US Coast Guard, so I travel up and down the eastern seaboard regularly, and Alltel was one of the only carriers in the area. I signed up for one plan, because the guy assured me that I could get coverage all the way up the coast. I went back a couple days later to get a second line for my fiancee, who lives in Maine, and I was assured that she would be covered as well. My phone was roaming the second my ship left the pier, so when I was out at sea, I called Alltel to explain the problem.
I spoke with a woman named Evelyn (the one from the Jacksonville office), and told her the plan wasn't working for me. I specifically told her that I needed free nights and weekends (being an engineer, I work most of the day anyway) and no roaming (since we travel the entire eastern US coast). She told me that she has a plan that would fit what I need, so over the phone I entered into a new contract. I received no paperwork of any kind.
That was late August, and everything was fine until September 28. I didn't receive notice of any kind, but one evening I couldn't send or receive any calls. I called Alltel to try to see what was going on, and I was told I had an account balance of close to $2,800. Yes, my usual $80 per month had somehow gone up to $2,800. I spent the next month calling customer service, trying to get things worked out, and I ran into all sorts of problems dealing with their representatives. Staying calm every time I was on the phone with them, there were times I was yelled at, called a liar, and hung up on. Finally I spoke with a manager, and then another manager, and then they said that they would look at my bill and see what they could do. They dropped $2,150 from my bill, but even that leftover $650 is BS.
My service was disconnected as of September 27, but I got a bill yesterday charging me $350 for service for the month of October! My phone was cut off in September, yet I still got charged for October! I haven't made a phone call with that phone since Sep 27, but I got charged for October? What the hell? I went to the local store after looking at the bill, and the lady told me that my phone was NOT disconnected, and has not been. BUT, every time I talked to a customer service rep, I made it clear that my service was disconnected because of my lack of ability to send or receive a call. I told Cathy (of our local office) back when I was initially dealing with the problem that since my phone was already cut-off, I didn't want the service reinstated, because since I was always roaming with Alltel, I was going to change service providers as soon as the mess was dealt with.
They still plan on charging me $200 for breaking my contract, PLUS $200 for closing my fiancee's line as well. I am going into the local office this morning to speak with the local manager, and we will see what can be done.
I don't understand how this company can continue to royally screw-over people and not get in trouble for it. I plan on filing a complaint with the better business bureau, and if there are any other actions I can take, I will definitely do those as well.
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