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phone bill

Started by Cedarman, February 28, 2005, 05:11:11 PM

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Cedarman

Today I got my bill for local service.  It should always be the same.  This time there was a charge for $28.90 for AOL Online Service Monthly Fee. I am being billed by eBillit billing for AOL through Verizon.  I didn't know anything about this so I called the number provided and asked why I was being billed.  They said someone from my household had authorized it. I asked who and was told that was private and I would have to find out from the members from my household. Got wife and 2 kids, one of which is at collage. I even asked to speak to the supervisor.  Same story, couldn't tell me. I told them in no uncertain terms that if there is no authorization there is no payment and that is that.  Hung up on them.

Have just written a letter explaining the situation and saying to get rid of the charges. ( I went through this with a telemarketing scam about 3 months ago where they put the bill on my local phone bill.)
I also said what if we turned this around and I sent a bill to Verizon and when the CEO called up and asked who authorized this bill, I would tell him it was a privacy issue and he would have to ask his own people and find out.

Anyone else been through this type of thing.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Kirk_Allen

Sprint just did something similar to my wifes cell phone account.  The bill was #15.00 heavy this month.  She called to find out about it and they said it was for Text Messaging service.  She said she never ordered it.  They said you dont have to order.  It goes on your bill and if you dont dispute it then that means you want it. 

I told her we should send them couple dozen bags of sawdust along with a bill.  If they dont return the sawdust guess it means they wanted it and will have to pay the bill ;D

Ron Wenrich

I had the same problem.  Someone attached a bill to my phone bill.  I talked to the number provided with the same results.  Someone at my house ordered it.  They said they had proof, so I said prove it.  They said they would bring up the voice to prove it, but I had to hold.  Still holding. 

I called Verizon and they took it off and put on the stipulation that no bills could be attached.  They helped me out on that one and I haven't had anything attached since.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

WH_Conley

Got a new phone line for the puter a couple years ago, no problem. Found a charge on the bill, called local company, they said was for long distance (different company), told em was computer line, local only, lady was very nice, said no problem, she would take it off. Called the company that had the charge, gave them #, called me Mr. Smith, explained to her I was not Mr. Smith and had only had the line 1 billing cycle, didn't want or need their service. OK will take it off, told her I already had. No problem.

Year plus ago. Several bills and phone calls.

Last week got a bill said I was in collections.

Last phone call on my part, if this appears on my credit rating, see ya in court, I don't care if it $16.95, it's the principal of the matter.

Still Steamed, Bill


P.S. about he same one of my daughters got a charge on her phone bill for computer support, she didn't own a computer, Altell took it right off, lady laughed, said if they charged again to call back, they would take it off again.

Bill

Cedarman

I wonder how many of these charges get paid by unsuspecting customers.
Last month it was a cell phone co. that overcharged.  The way they have those convoluted bills it is extremely tough to figure out what you are paying for. In their case their explanation made sense and it didn't take long to resolve in my favor.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Roxie

I think this is happening often.  I had it happen with the work telephone, Verizon tagged on an $89 charge for internet advertising.  I told them that no one authorized that, and they said they had a recording.  I said that I would certainly listen to the recording.  It turned out to be my secretary trying to understand what was being said by a man with a distinct foreign accent.   :D  She was trying her best to be polite, but I didn't hear any "authorization".  They ended up crediting the charges, but it would be wise to very carefully check your phone bills. 
Say when

etat

Couple a years ago I had a BIG problem with other company jumping in and unauthorized changes to my phone.  Onct I got it straightened out I called my phone company and raised Cain for them letting somebody even switch me to someone else.   I had them put a lock on my service that fixed it where the only way someone could make a change to my phone including internet and cell phones was if they had a secret password.  No problems since this, except one.  I told them I was gonna hold them responsible if they ever turned my account over to someone else.

Here awhile back I wanted to change the password to my email cause I had information someone had tried to access the account. They wouldn't let 'me' change anything until I remembered the password I'd give them two years ago.  :)
Old Age and Treachery will outperform Youth and Inexperence. The thing is, getting older is starting to be painful.

Murf

Unfortunately, these days of automated everything but the toilet seat, sorry Honey, I don't leave it up on purpose, billing for extras 'piggyback' on some other bill is becoming very common.

A lot of consumers get ripped off paying for something they don't want or need, or even order.

We have an automated toll highway here in Toronto. There are no toll booths, just an overhead rack full of lights, cameras and and electronic gadgets. If you have an account with them they give you a little box that looks like a garage door opener. It charges your account for you use of the toll highway. So far so good, or so it seems...

Problem is, if you DON'T have an account with them. They take a picture of your license plate and send you a bill for your toll usage, plus a $2.50 surcharge, for making them take your picture. Problem is, they don't keep very good records, they annually download the names and addresses for all plates from the nice people at the DOT.

In my case I had a trailer stolen 2 years ago. Either the jerk that stole it, or someone he sold it to uses the toll highway on a very regular basis. Every single month I get bills for my stolen trailer being pulled down a toll highway. Every month I phone them up and they reverse the charges. I even have copies of some of the photos they have taken of my stolen trailer. It is too tall though and it blocks the plate of the truck pulling it.  >:(

BTW, if anybody comes to Ontario on vacation, feel free to use our highways, and I do mean FREE, since they only have Ontario's database, and have no physical toll booths, they have no way to charge or collect for out of Province users of the highway.  :D
If you're going to break a law..... make sure it's Murphy's Law.

J_T

They have a plate and even a spray you can put over the license plate that distorts the numbers but can be read stright from the rear ??? ???
Jim Holloway

Paschale

From time to time, I'll switch.  You can get some good deals, like a $50 gift certificate to HD and things like that, and I take full advantage of company's wanting my business!   ;)  Anyway, one company called me up, Vartec, and they said they had a good deal for me.  Well, they switched me over, but the service was bad.  Static on the line, problems with voicemail, etc.  I called a couple times to get it fixed, but to no avail.  The last time I called, I told them the first time someone called asking me to switch, I'd switch.  After nine days, I went back to one of the standard companies.  When I got my bill though, I was steamed!

The bill was for full month, and it was like $10 more than they said the deal was going to be in the first place.  Well, I got on the horn and raised a stink, telling that that every other phone company I've worked with prorates the bills for usage only, and I reminded them that the entire nine days that I was with them was bad service.   >:(  This got nowhere, so I asked to speak to a supervisor, who proceeded to tell me, "if you use one day, we charge you for an entire month."  I was seein' red, let me tell you!  No way was I getting anything done.  Well, I took matters into my own hands.   ;)

I went online, found the corporate offices, wrote them a steamin' letter, and sent them a check, prorated for my nine months of service.  I then went to the FCC website, and filed a complaint with the Michigan Attorneys General office that deals with communications.  I received an email back the next day from the AG's office, and thought it wasn't going to do anything.  I couldn't have been more wrong.   ;)

About a month later, I received a letter from the State of Michigan AG's office.  In it, was a letter from the legal department of Vartec in which they were totally kissing butt to the State of Michigan, backpedaling on their charges to me.  They voided out any and all charges and wrote something like, "be assured that Vartec is concerned with nothing more than assuring that the citizens of Michigan are treated in the most fair and respectful manner possible."   8) 8) 8)

The buggers got it this time!!!!!  I still have a copy of that letter.   :D
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

Quartlow

Cell phones are the ones that used to get me. Ceeluar one was my first company. they used to double bill ou for calls.  especially when you where roaming. thye would bill for the call when you made it and bill it next month when thery got a bill for me using some one esles tower.  What a pain.

I've been pretty lucky with the land line so far.   
Breezewood 24 inch mill
Have a wooderful day!!

Ron Scott

I've had 4 to 5 such instances of excessive or non ordered billings. One was for $600.00 on "non made calls". I just turn them over to the Atorney Generals Office as Paschale did and the bills are soon recinded with a nice aplology. I got to know some of the telecom supervisors on a first name basis.

Just think of how many people are taken advantage of in these scams, especially many of the elderly.

When I worked for the USDA-Forest Service we started having a person audit all of our phone bills. He was able to recover his $32,000/year salary by collection of reimbursements for billings on unauthorised telephone calls and services. That taught me to always audit my phone bills.
~Ron

farmerdoug

Quote from: Murf on March 01, 2005, 10:28:18 AM


BTW, if anybody comes to Ontario on vacation, feel free to use our highways, and I do mean FREE, since they only have Ontario's database, and have no physical toll booths, they have no way to charge or collect for out of Province users of the highway.  :D

Murf,
That is no true as a friend of mine took that tollway in Toronto on the way to and from Lake Simcoe in 2002.  About 6 weeks later he received two tickets for using it without a permit.  He is from Sterling Heights, Michigan, so they can track you into Michigan at least.
Doug
Truck Farmer/Greenhouse grower
2001 LT40HDD42 Super with Command Control and AccuSet, 42 hp Kubota diesel
Fargo, MI

ARKANSAWYER

  I used to have Verizon and when I moved I changed carriers.  Sent in my last bill to Verizon and some how over paid $1.19.  Now for the last 5 + years I have been getting a bill from them showing a credit of $1.19.  Several times I called to see if I could get the money but, Nope! just another bill at the end of the month showing the credit.  Postage has cost them a lot more then sending the $1.19.  Now I am just waiting to see how many years I will get the bill.   When it quits coming I am going to start a stink about my money and some interst.
ARKANSAWYER
ARKANSAWYER

rebocardo

> Now I am just waiting to see how many years I will get the bill.

100 years from now one of your relatives will be featured on a InfoMerical about collecting money from dead relatives and lost accounts. $8.62!

Reminds me of a guy in Salem MA that had his business confiscated because he owed the IRS $0.10 and refused to pay.

I have encountered the same thing as you with a bank. They refused to close an account that had  less then $2 in it (not the proper paperwork). Then kept sending me statements every month that cost them more in postage in 1/2 a year then was in the account. Some red ink worm was probably sure I was trying to rip someone off  :D

old3dogg

Hi Murf,
I used the 410 around Toronto this past spring and got a bill in the mail a few weeks later.I think it was like $12.50 or something,Worth it to not have to take the 406 through the city!
So they can track all the way to PA also.

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