[QUOTE=Mycroft H.]
In my case it was an Internet connection set up using their disk. It called Minneapolis from St. Paul, adjacent cities but different area codes, and they charged me long distance rates. Calls to customer service only got me the response that I was fully responsible for the $400 in calls. After working with the AG office I did get a letter from them saying there was a glitch on their part and that they credited my account. Never any sort of an apology. A few months later I got a bill for $0.00 and a threat that they were sending my account to their collection goons. I sent them the finest ass chewing letter I have ever written and never heard back.
[/QUOTE]
I had a very similar issue with a different phone/internet company when I was on dialup.
When I called the help desk to see if they could help my suddenly-lower connection speed, the technician told me to switch the dial-up number several times. Finally she told me to leave it on one specific number. It didn’t seem to help, but every once in a while the connection speed seemed to be a few kbps better (31.2 instead of 28.8), so I left it there.
Turns out that number was a “regional toll call.” NOT long-distance, mind you, which I would have recognized by needing to dial a “1.” So until the next bill (around a month), I was dialing up and paying per-minute tolls, without any way of knowing I was doing so. When the nice fat bill arrived, I immediately stopped using that number, but they want payment. I called and talked to a supervisor at some length…she was willing to split the toll charges with me, so I pay 50%. I explained that I’ve been a customer for years, I was only using the new number for dialup, it’s the only toll charge on the bill, and I was only using that number at the direction of their technician. She replied that the technicians know nothing about billing rates; those arms of the company are entirely separate. I replied that their advertising claims “bundling” phone and internet will be an advantage to consumers because one company handles everything and is more efficient. She replied that it’s up to me to verify each and every call is not a “regional toll” call. I replied that I’d never heard someone say “Let me verify that this isn’t a regional toll call,” or recommend that I do. I asked how I should go about verifying. She replied that I should call one of their technicians. I explained that I’d been on the phone with their technician when said technician instructed me to use the number in the first place. And round and round.
The matter was sent up the chain and I was supposed to get a callback. Nothing happened, so a few days later I called again. After the usual runaround, I learned that the charges had all been credited to my account, although no one ever said anything about it.
I paid the actual regular (non-toll) charges I really did owe, and dropped them like a hot potato and went with a different company.
Months later I got a bill for $0.00. When I called to sort THAT out, the person looked at the account records and said, “Oh yeah, the account was closed due to customer defaulting on payment.”
Like hell! The account was closed by the customer due to the service provider being criminals.
Sailboat
