Are you been given the runaround over billing issues or is your company asking you to do it?
Have you ever become so frustrated with Customer Service issues in your dealings with a company that you started seriously contemplating charging them for the lost time these bad practices caused.
A few months back, I started noticing a $9.99 charge ($10.69) for downloads (that I did not make) on my cell phone bill.
Poring over older bills from then Cingular Wireless, I realized that this charge had been added to my bill for many months.
I called the now ATT Wireless Customer Service in late July, early August.
The otherwise friendly and helpful customer service rep told me that they would put a stop on these charges and credit me for 3 months of charges.
I was told that they could not give me credit for charges made during the Cingular Wireless era.
The next invoice came and the charge was there again.
Another call and I was told that this was one of the 3 that had been credited to me and given confirmation that subsequent charges would be blocked.
I then received my most recent invoice and what was there but the same charge.
Besides calling ATT Wireless I also had contacted as recommended Mqube now part of Verisign to request a stop to this as they were blamed for the problem.
I did so both by e-mail and voice-mail.
I wonder if ATT Wireless is doing it on purpose.
I know that charges and fees are a way to fatten the bottom line.
Is it the right way to do business?
Should I have to spend one to two hours to have a simple billing issue resolved?
A project of Consumers Union named Hear Us Now helps inform consumers of what is going wrong in the communications sphere.
Their companion blog Now Hear This sheds the light on bad and worse practices in that area.
Are you working for a company that gives customers the runaround or out of negligence and bad practice does not fix these type of issues?
That’s it for Monday Work Etiquette #9
Maybe I should have subtitled it Monday Work Ethics.
Now it is time for another call to ATT Wireless.
Should I also call the Federal Communications Commission?
Previously in this Serie: Meeting from Hell, What went Bad, Agenda, Time or Location?
Related: 5 Ways to tick off customers
I have had a similar dispute with ATT formerly Sprint. After Cancellation they continued to charge me. Hours of phone conversation later and still no resolution. After some research I have found hundreds of people with the same complaints(www.consumeraffairs.com/cell_phones/sprint_pcs.htm) But talk is cheap. I’m starting to think we should all file a class-action lawsuit against them.