We have had cellular service since 1994 with Cingular Wireless. Since we have been with that company for so many years I felt safe in allowing them to debit our bank account monthly for the charges. No questions asked. Since my husband uses his phone for business I never even thought to check the charges. I trusted that Cingular Wireless being as large a company as they are would not need to take advantage of their trusting customers trust. I could not have been more wrong.
On February 27 we went in and added a 3rd phone to our service. So said, they called it the Family Plan. The monthly charges for adding this phone were approximately 16.99. It was for our daughter's birthday gift. Then after 16 months we called Cingular Wireless on August 5 and told them to remove just that one phone from our service. We kept the other two. They agreed and told me to just send in her old phone. Which by the way was just a throw in cheap phone used as a promotion.in fact, when I went in and upgraded a phone on one of the other lines I asked them if they wanted the old one and they told me No, they throw them away anyway. So what is such a large company making such a big deal out of a 20.00 phone? I really do not understand this. It was a NOKIA 5165. Not worth more than about $15.00, if that much. I had that phone shipped back to them. Actually a friend picked it up and shipped it himself so it would get there faster.
Not opening the bills every month since the charges were automatically taken from our checking account, we had no idea that Cingular Wireless was still charging us for the phone. So far to date, they have in my opinion illegally been taking out the extra approximately $60.00 a month charges for that phone. I don't understand. The contract we signed we were told was to add that 3rd phone for 16.99 more a month, plus minutes. So where do they come up with approximately 57.00 dollars a month fees? The phone has been turned off since Aug. 5. How are they coming up with this amount?
Thirteen months after having the phone service discontinued I find out that they are still charging my checking account for that phone. With all my health issues and all of my trips in and out of the hospital in the past year especially, I just never bothered with looking at the phone bill details. Trying to figure out how to survive those surgeries seemed to take up most of my time. Wrong call on my part, but that does not excuse a company like Cingular Wireless from robbing the little people that put it where it is today.
I have spent hours and hours arguing with Cingular Wireless on the phone to no avail. They agree that yes I did call in and disconnect the service on Aug. 5. But now they are claiming that they did not receive the telephone back. That is wrong. This is a PLOY of theirs to keep from reimbursing the funds they illegally took from our checking account for a telephone that the service was discontinued on. They can even verify by their records that that telephone has never been used again since Aug. 5. I even offered for them to just deduct the amount for the phone from the money that they owe us back for charging us for a service that was discontinued in the first place. They refuse. Is this why I was told to MAIL the phone in, instead of bringing it to the Cingular office right down the road?
Then I asked them to at least return the funds they continued on charging even after the two year contract were up. Now they have changed that rule too. Now they claim since I did not call back in on the contract ending date that they will not return my money.
WHY WOULD I CALL BACK TO DISCONTINUE A PHONE SERVICE THAT WAS ALREADY DISCONTINUED SIX MONTHS PRIOR. I had no idea that Cingular Wireless was so dishonest that they would deliberately charge customers for service they were not even getting. When you move and disconnect your utility service you don't call back a whole year or so later to make sure it was done.
We all know that Cingular Wireless knows with out a doubt that the phone service was discontinued on Aug. 5. We all know that they also know without a doubt that that telephone had not been used since. We all know without a doubt that Cingular Wireless is screwing a little person out of there much needed money!
This whole thing has been just totally outrageous. So at the point of near a stroke over this, I have decided to turn it over to the District Attorney's office or small claims court. After all my heart surgeries lately I don't need Cingular Wireless adding anymore stress to me. No telling how much damage all this stress today has caused. At this rate I won't live to see my 46th birthday. The money they owe me won't even pay for half a month supply of my medicines. But I guess without that $800.00, Cingular Wireless may go bankrupt. How ironic, the one thing besides my nitroglycerin I wouldn't even walk out in my yard without in case of a medical emergency, is putting more stress on me than I can handle.
So I am advising all of you to pull out your Cingular Wireless bills and go over them with a fine tooth come. Better safe than broke when Cingular Wireless gets done with us.
I went back into our records that I only have dating back to Feb. 28,1997. I don't have the records from 1994 up until then but from 1997 to today's date we have given Cingular Wireless over $16,894.22. I would estimate from 1994 until 1977 probably an additional 7 or $8,000.00 more dollars. Totaling to approximately $25,000.00 for all the years we have giving Cingular Wireless our business. Not to mention all of our family and friends that we had so highly recommended Cingular Wireless too. You would think for us being loyal customers as we were for the past 10 years that they would be more eager to resolve this mistake one of their own employees has made, but they are not willing to admit.instead, to save a few dollars they will not hold themselves accountable for this.
I plan on making everyone aware of what Cingular Wireless has done to us and the DISHONEST way in which they do business.
Wish me luck on this. But at least I know that even if they manage to keep the almost $800.00 dollars they have taken from our checking account I will at least know that I made the public aware of how Cingular Wireless does business.
As I told them on the phone, I have nothing but time to make the public aware of what they are doing to us and no telling how many other innocent customers.
So ya'll please check your bills and do me the favor and pass this on to everyone you know that is dealing with Cingular Wireless. With all of my family members and friends in this city, I know I can get a little back of what Cingular has taken out of me. If nothing else I can get satisfaction knowing that I have sent business to some of Cingular Wireless's competitors.
Tannia
Lafayette, Louisiana
U.S.A.
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