Subscribers and enterprises who take the initiative to contact their wireless providers over billing increases and due credits are not usually happy campers. Why? Take a quick scroll through the comments on the Consumer Affairs website in the cell phone category and you’ll get an ear full…or perhaps we should say eye full! The playing field does not appear level for the subscribers who contact customer service in hopes of resolution. In some cases, they are finally promised credits only to have to repeatedly call. What a hassle!
One subscriber was being charged for wireless data access to the provider’s network for an iPad he no longer owned. The service and auto-billing had been cancelled, yet three months later a $20 charge started to appear on the credit card originally attached to that service. A call to customer service put the subscriber in an unsatisfying loop – without a phone number for the device (which by the way never had a phone number), he could not be connected to a live person. And when he disputed the charges through the credit card company, policy allowed only two months of overcharge to be returned. Even after requesting the credit card company to block all future billing, the provider started the charges again month after month with the subscriber caught in a quandary, and wondering how many others were being mischarged as well.
The takeaway lesson….Watch your bills like a hawk. And in this case, it wasn’t even the phone bill where the extra charge was noticeable but the credit card, previously automated for payment. We’re hoping the subscriber was able to put a successful stop to this hamster wheel of a problem!
Another subscriber signed up with a company during a promotion where he would receive $200 for surrendering any competitor’s smart phone. When the $200 didn’t show, he followed up with a customer service agent who said there was no such program. Persisting, the subscriber connected with a manager who agreed that the program existed and that he should receive $200. The subscriber demanded this in writing and received it via email. Another month goes by with no results, and customer service once again says the program did not exist, followed by another manager who said he should receive $200 on the next bill. It didn’t happen, another call and only $40 credit gets set up followed by a frustrating conversation with a manager who reluctantly gives the full $200 stating that she was doing the subscriber a favor. Sheesh!
The takeaway lesson…Keep a paper trail beginning with the original transaction. Document every phone conversation and ask for any promises in writing. It won’t necessarily alleviate the aggravation, but you will have the facts at hand and ultimately proof.
Just imagine the monetary impact of fiascos like these to your enterprise. The overcharges and missed credits would affect the bottom line dramatically. At The Bill Police, we specialize in identifying bill discrepancies and resolving issues with wireless providers. If you have questions about saving your company money through the auditing, optimizing, or managing of your wireless services, please click here to contact The Bill Police.
Still Protecting Your Wireless Rights…
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