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Thread: AT&T false bills

  1. #1

    Thumbs down AT&T false bills

    Anyone else having this problem with AT&T? I have been getting bills from them for 6 months or so. I have not had them for over two years as a long distance provider.
    Suddenly I get this bill for three months worth. I call and they credit me. Then another round, calling does no good. So I write on the bill what I think about it and send it in and I guess it goes unnoticed or don't care. Now I have a new bill, with LATE CHARGES.

    Ideas?
    I did a net search and found all kinds of complaints about them, but no specific help on how to correct this mess.
    Steve


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Grand Marais, MN. A transplant from Minneapolis
    Posts
    5,513

    Thumbs down

    Hey Steve,
    I spent 1.5 hours waiting on the phone to clear up erroneous long distance charges. Finally a young lady from India skillfully/unsuccessfully tried to get me to pay fees for service not received. You guessed it! AT&T.
    Wasn't until they cut off long distance service that we got serious . I had cut back to barebones service in May but they were still charging me. I had service confirmation numbers, the people I had talked to and everything.
    The phone log on my caller ID showed they would call 6-10 times a day but would leave no message. I hit the call back button on the caller ID and got an automated billing service. No way to talk to flesh and blood.
    Twice I talked to MA Bell bill collectors once they said the "fixit" office was closed next time I hung in there till I got little miss fixit from the other side of the out-sourced world. She got pretty huffy with me. I reciprocated in kind.
    Stand your ground. That hour and a half had to cost a small fortune but it was on their dime. Many more times the $25.00 they wanted to gouge me for.
    Oh yah! They're history.
    Last edited by Tyler Howell; 10-10-2004 at 11:25 PM.
    TJH
    Live Like You Mean It.



    http://www.northhouse.org/

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Phoenix, AZ
    Posts
    146
    I finally cancelled long distance on my landline. Between free long distance on my cellphone and very cheap phone cards from Sam's Club, we really don't need it and haven't missed it at all.

    I'm going through a telecom audit at the office, though (we're auditing THEM). Met up with a bulldog telecom auditor who is very, very good. She gets the telco to credit anything if it's legit and gets a percentage but not until WE get the check. She's got some serious experience at it, too!
    Brian Austin
    Phoenix, AZ

    "Rule One: Well, I won't get it done sittin' here drinking coffee.
    Rule Two: The best you can do is the best you can do, so don't panic."
    -- John Gierach

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Conway, Arkansas
    Posts
    13,181
    All I will say is that AT&T and I haven't gotten along in a very LONG time.!!!! I throw it all away. IF they choose to drive up in my driveway to collect their money? Then we'll get serious!!!!
    Thanks & Happy Wood Chips,
    Dennis -
    Get the Benefits of Being an SMC Contributor..!
    ....DEBT is nothing more than yesterday's spending taken from tomorrow's income.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    You need to call your LOCAL phone service provider to 1) insure that the long distance provider of record is whom you want for both regional and long-line service and 2) put a lock on your account so noone but you can change those selections. It sounds like you may have been "slammed" which is very illegal. You may actually have recourse on this, too...

    It is unlikely that you will be able to fix this just via AT&T, at least for future billings. Do it with your Local Exchange Company (LEC) to insure your selections are what you expect and want.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Southern tip of New Jersey
    Posts
    157

    Phone charges

    HI Jim,
    You sound like you have a background dealing with the Phone company. I retired from Verizon in NJ and know that if the folks have a problem with either a local or long distance carrier a call to their local Boeard of Public Utilities will often tke care of it. If they were "slammed" then a call to an attorney will also work. Done both in the paast for my family members.

    Gary

  7. #7
    I get a bill from at&t every month for 1.17 and a credit for -1.17 so I owe nothing. I have called them to stop sending these bills I still get them, it's been 6 yrs.
    Mike

  8. ya, me too!!

    I just got a bill last month from them. No explanation what the charges were for. I got on the horn and I too got the india center. young lady put me on hold for every question I asked, then came back with no answer. she said she could not view or help me with my account. Gave me a fax number to send my "written request" in to. So I hopped on AT&T website, went to customer (dis)ervice and emailed them all the information and wanted to know why I was receiving a bill when i have not used AT&T for over 5 years. They responed:
    Because we no longer have direct access to the bill in question, you
    will need to submit your claim along with a copy of the bill(s), to the
    following address for further investigation:

    AT&T 0300/Small ICO Correspondence
    P.O. Box 25691
    Miami Lakes, FL 33102

    If you prefer, you may fax your information to 1-877-650-1439. Please
    be sure to include the nature of your request, along with copies of the
    billing statements in question.

    If an adjustment is issued, it will appear on your bill within one to
    two months. If it is determined an adjustment is not warranted, you
    will receive a letter of explanation via U.S. Mail.



    Ya, right.... So I am ignoring it too. got my second bill in the mail last week..........





  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker
    You need to call your LOCAL phone service provider to 1) insure that the long distance provider of record is whom you want for both regional and long-line service and 2) put a lock on your account so noone but you can change those selections. It sounds like you may have been "slammed" which is very illegal. You may actually have recourse on this, too...

    It is unlikely that you will be able to fix this just via AT&T, at least for future billings. Do it with your Local Exchange Company (LEC) to insure your selections are what you expect and want.
    Yep. That was the first thing I did Jim. I called SBC and they looked up the records where I changed from AT&T to SBC long distance. That was in Jan. 2002. They sent me a copy of the bill. I in turn sent that in to AT&T with their false bill. I got a credit.
    What amazes me is I had no service from them for over two years then suddenly they send me a bill for three months service. They issued the credit, sent me aother bill three months later. I wrote them a note on the bill, sent it back. And now they are charging me late charges on that bill.

    Sounds like I will have to go through that routine again, or just ignore the bills. I did a search on AT&T false bills on the net and found all kinds of stuff. For instance, New York residents were issued checks back for false billings from AT&T, some 300,000 people.
    Steve


  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Grand Marais, MN. A transplant from Minneapolis
    Posts
    5,513
    You'd be surprised how many people will write a check with out even looking to see if it's correct. Not saying Ma bell is a mother, but after my dealings with them I wouldn't put it past them to try and replenish the coffers on mistakes if you know what I mean.
    TJH
    Live Like You Mean It.



    http://www.northhouse.org/

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Tyler Howell
    You'd be surprised how many people will write a check with out even looking to see if it's correct. Not saying Ma bell is a mother, but after my dealings with them I wouldn't put it past them to try and replenish the coffers on mistakes if you know what I mean.
    Hey. Hear ya Tyler. Guess we could get together and go straighten them out. I could distract em, and you could whack em in the knees.
    I usually go over my bills pretty throughly and check for boo boos. If I owe, I pay. If I don't owe, I get aggressive. These things really take up a lot of time though, especially in this day and age, trying to get a real person on the horn.


  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Carlyle IL
    Posts
    2,183
    Hi Steve:

    Well this is a timely thread. My accounts payable person just asked me why we got a bill from AT&T when we switched to SBC two months ago.

    I called AT&T and they told me that I had to cancel their account in order for me NOT to get a bill. I told them that this is the first time that I had to do that. The Cus rep told me that that is the way it is done, so he closed my account for three phone lines.

    I just go another bill from AT&T for the four other lines, so I'm going to call them again in a few minutes.

    BTW: I still get a $20.00 bill from MCI for every month for the past two years. MCI was my previous phone provider prior to AT&T, now I'm with SBC

    good luck
    Joe
    Vortex! What Vortex?

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mobile, AL
    Posts
    131
    I have not done this for AT&T but have for other companies with unbelievable customer service!!!!! When all correspondence to customer "no-service" I send a polite letter describing my problem to the president of the company or division. For this instance, I would send a letter to:

    Mr. John Polumbo
    President & Chief Executive Officer - AT&T Consumer
    900 Rt. 202-206N
    Bedminister, New Jersey 07921

    I don't get a response directly from that person but someone from their office will personally call you and take care of you.
    Arvin Brown

  14. #14
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Atlanta
    Posts
    936
    It sounds to me that they have some screwed up Billing systems. They most likely did a conversion and brought in some old customer files.

    Ba-da Bing !! or should I say Ba-Da Ca-Ching
    Rich

    "If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking."
    - General George Patton Jr

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    15,332
    Interesting. We have some oddball company doing our long distance but that is only because we need a good rate to call my wife's folks in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (getting 20-25 cents/min for that is GOOD!).

    Funny thing, we have AT&T handling our cell phones. About 4-5 months ago, they start sending me "checks" (a mail-in credit with postage-paid envelopes included) to encourage me to resign with them for another year or two. We are happy with the service (got a nice deal through work) so no problem, we mail it in. Next month we get another one...so what the heck, I mail it in. Next month *another* one shows up...mail it in. Guess what, we got 3 months of free cell phone useage!
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

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