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Cell phone companies suck. Why Sam, that is a rather strong statement is it not? Oh ho but they deserve such derogatory descriptors for they suck. They really really suck and here is why:
Julie and I had a shared plan with Verizon where we paid for two lines on one account. This way we got to share minutes and it was nice (never mind that sharing minutes is, according to Verizon, code for dividing minutes in half and billing when one party goes over that half and the other has loads of extra minutes, some bit if sharing eh?). Our Verizon phones have 309 area code numbers and this is well and good when living in Peoria, IL, home of the 309 area code.
Fast forward a few months and we move to DC. Washington, DC, for the not-so-geographically inclined among my readership is not in the 309 area code. In fact the only thing it has in common with the 309 area code is the 0 in the middle of it's 202 code. In a world filled with free long distance it is ok to run on 309 phones for a short while but if anyone on a land line in DC wants to give us a ring they must pay the long distance man a toll.
To remedy this problem we wait for the Verizon contract period to end on July 10th of this year. I call Verizon on the 9th to find out if I need to cancel my service on the 10th or if I can wait a bit and not have the contract renew. I learn that Verizon, much like the lease for our apartment, is on a one year term followed by month to month payments with no contractual obligation. Canceling after the end of the contract results in a prorated bill for the time used.
Shortly after July 10th, Julie and I decide to get phones through T-Mobile. I have heard mixed reviews of T-Mobile service but the price cannot be beat and they have some very nice phones for good prices. I picked a Nokia with a built-in FM radio, perfect for listening to Morning Edition while biking to work in the morning, and Julie selected a Sony-Ericsson with a free camera attachment (a silly accessory but a cool phone nonetheless). I then posted a notice on samfelder.com informing the world that my old cell phone number would soon be lost to the annals of history (309-339-0457 for the historians among you).
The following week I called Verizon to cancel service and pay my balance. The operator was very helpful and explained that my payment was for the last full month of service and that I would shortly receive a prorated bill for the few days after July 10th when I had service. Fast forward to today, August 2, 2003. Julie and I are out for the morning getting the oil changed in our intrepid little Saturn. We return from our errand to discover an envelope from Verizon waiting in the mail box. As the elevator ascends to the 7th floor of our building (and my sentences get more flowery) I open said envelope to discover a bill for $297.72.
Those of you familiar with cell-phone bills know that this is a preposterous amount for any circumstance. In my shock I manage to dial the toll-free number and whilst waiting on hold examine the bill. All of the numbers have CR next to them, meaning a credit to my account except two little numbers hidden on page 3 of my bill. Down at the bottom the two lines are separated with charges in the "VZW's Other Charges & Credits" column. My phone has a bill of $174.79 and Julie has one of $174.48. What are these other charges listed here? The answer lies on pages 4 and 6. These are termination charges minus what seems to be arbitrarily calculated credits from "Fed Universal Service Charge," not too universal if it is credited differently to two different numbers. Perhaps Verizon is shaving pennies off the top?
I finally get through to a Customer Service rep who informs me that when I called to inquire on the 9th my account was cancelled for me. Never mind that when I called later in the month to pay my bill and cancel the account the Customer Service rep cancelled the account. She asks me for the last four digits of my social security number five or six times and after putting me on hold for fifteen minutes returns to tell me that I should expect a credit of $52.28 in four to six weeks.
While I am glad that it resolved itself, I find it unacceptable that these companies feel that they have a right to do this. How many people call and fight the way I do all the time? This happened with SBC over DSL where I fought with them for hundreds of dollars in incorrect charges that continued to accrue long after I cancelled service. This happened with Sprint when Julie and I cancelled a year ago before switching to Verizon. These companies improperly bill people counting on them not reading through the fine print. I have to wonder how much of our economy is built on financial transactions made under false pretenses.
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