MCI Worldcom Wireless
Beware of Changing Contracts

In October my wife answered a sales call to our house from MCI. She agreed to a one year contract with MCI for the purchase of a cellular phone for $40 and a plan of $20 per month. This monthly plan included 500 FREE Weekend minutes. At the time she signed up there was a promotion doubling the time to 1000 FREE Weekend Minutes for the first 6 months.

The April bill from MCI attempted to charge us a $9.00 fee for the 1000 weekend minutes. Linda called MCI to try to correct this and was told that MCI could not talk to her about this account because it was in the name of Karl Black. She told the representative that she had set up the account but MCI still refused to cooperate with her.

After a second call, with the same result, she sent a letter with the bill and payment telling MCI that she was canceling the account. She included a check paying the regular monthly fee up to that point explaining that she was only paying for the services that we agreed to, and had used, up to that time. We then put the phone away and have not used it since.

Shortly after that I received a call at my desk at work. I informed the representative that MCI had no business calling me, especially at work, since I did not set up an account with them. I also informed her that MCI had negated the contract by altering it and told her never to call me at work about it again.

Next I received a call, again at work, from a collection agency telling me that I owed MCI a $200 early cancellation fee. I explained everything again and told the representative that I would not pay that fee because MCI had effectively cancelled the contract by changing it and attempting to bill me for items not on it. He threatened to ruin my credit rating with this charge so I demanded to speak to his supervisor. He refused, I yelled a couple of expletives at him, and I hung up.

I then immediately called an MCI number from one of their documents and found myself speaking to a woman in Texas. I told her I would waste no more time talking to her as I had already spoken to two other representatives and said I wanted to speak to her manager. She was dumbfounded and said nothing for a very long moment. I said Hello - again to see if we had been disconnected and she responded. I told her there was nothing she could help me with and that I needed to speak to a supervisor. She put me on hold without saying another word. After more than 5 minutes on hold I gave up, thinking she probably had no intention of getting a supervisor to speak to me. I had not even raised my voice to her yet this was the treatment I received.

Linda tried one more time after that to find someone at MCI with enough courage to listen to a customer. She was told again that she could not change the account and contract because it was not in her name. She was also told that she should not have received free weekend minutes to begin with and that MCI should charge her for the previous months as well.

Even if it was a mistake by the sales representative it would be MCI's problem not Linda's. The account was set up and several people at MCI would have seen it and had a chance to inform Linda of the error and ask her if she still wanted to accept the contract at the higher price. Once Linda had the contract in her hand it was too late and it is now illegal for MCI to try to alter that contract.

I will not waste any more of my time talking to individuals at MCI as my complaint always stops with that person. At least this letter has a chance of being seen by more than one person and, if I'm lucky, maybe someone with just a shade of intelligence and integrity who might rectify this situation.

In Summary:

MCI called my house and set up an account with my wife, Linda, and has since tried to alter that contract before it expired.

MCI has never had an account or contract with me, Karl Black, but has insisted on harassing me about an account inadvertently set up in my name.

MCI has agreed to a contract and, in writing, included free weekend minutes, free roaming, and free long distance. The company now wishes to renege AND is demanding I pay a $200 early cancellation fee.

MCI has refused, on seven occasions, to even discuss the issue at hand and has only demanded I pay for something I never ordered in the first place. Customer service is also extremely poor. Wit times to get a representative have ranged from 20 to 45 minutes. Fully half of the time I have called I only get a recording telling me they are too busy and that I should call back later. Only 2 people treated me with any respect and on only one ocassion out of four requests was I able to speak to a supervisor.

This complaint has been registered with the Michigan Public Service Commission, the Better Business Bureau, and sent to Dun and Bradstreet in hopes of resolution.

The only resolution acceptable to me now is:
1. An account statement from MCI showing a zero balance (currently listed as $234.81).
2. A letter of apology to me and my wife acknowledging the mistakes made.
3. A check for $40 to buy back the cell phone we no longer need or want.

Any contact from MCI, other than what is outlined above, I will consider as further harassment and will add it to my records as such.

Karl Black
Belleville, MI

MCI Worldcom Wireless
PO Box 20584
Lehigh Valley, PA 18002-0584
E-mail: wirelesscs@lists. Wcom.com

RE: Account # D000018228

Company: MCI Worldcom Wireless
Country: USA
State: Pennsylvania
City: Lehigh Valley
Address: PO Box 20584
Phone: 18002548991

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