I used to get free with my WaMu credit card but now it’s Chase Card and they have removed that service.

I can tell you that they love to “slam” people. (Don’t know what it’s called now.) One day I woke up and had them as a long distance provider. I fixed all their business. I no longer have long distance.

This type of thing has been a scam for a long time. I don’t know if they’re still doing it. The point is that their company is one of the biggest crooks on Earth.

A few years later they merged with SBCGlobal, my land line, then Cingular, my cell phone company, and now, as much as I despise AT&T, they are my company again, GRRRRR!! And now, when I take the time to scan my bills, I am again on the phone (hours) for them to remove obscure charges. Just yesterday the charges totaled $39.42. They supposedly agreed to remove them, we shall see. One ridiculous charge was for $2.99 a month (4 months worth) for “Roadside Assistance”, that I never signed up for. It showed up sneakingly on my college son’s cell bill, AND HE DOESN’T HAVE A CAR, lives in a dorm on campus.

Thanks for the opportunity to rant a bit, especially cathartic in the AM:)

[...] Feb. 3rd: Scary story: Billed for service I never received [...]

Working for a telecom that has a poor reputation for customer service, oh wait. All them do, nevermind… I recommend that you try the regulatory agencies that govern telecom companies and how they operate, as well as the consumer advocacy agencies that are out there. And if not, get the local TV station that has a consumer advocate on the air to show your story. Try going into a store and looking a rep in the eye instead of by phone. (For cellphones this usually works.) Or send email to the Consumerist. They love a good tragic tale of consumer woe.

Often just cc’ing the CEO of a company and a series of executives on a letter to the customer service department will get the company’s attention.

Good luck with your problems. I hope this doesn’t happen to me, but chances are, it probably will.

Three months later I started getting notices from their collection department. It turns out that some “nice” person at Newsweek noticed that I hadn’t returned any of the dozen renewal forms they mailed to me, and decided, as a “courtesy,” to save me the trouble by automatically renewing my subscription. (I know that there are some subscriptions that do this, but I make it a point to avoid those.)

Organizations that operate this way need to be taken to task for this. Every chance I get, I make it a point to tell people to avoid Newsweek, and there is NOTHING they could do that could EVER persuade me to come back to them. Because they got greedy and tried to squeeze me for $15, Newsweek has lost a customer for life.

There are a number of web sites selling “Credit monitoring” or “Credit protecting” services. I think these services are almost certainly a waste of money, however, many of them allow you to recieve your credit scores as part of the package, AND many of them will offer 30 days free. Just be sure to call and cancel! (Many allow you to sign up online, but require a phone call to cancel.)

Also, anytime a business checks your credit report or credit score, ask them for a copy.

Across the bottom I wrote paid in full – close account promptly.

Here I am three weeks later and they’ve yet to cash my check.

I retained copies of the check as well as MADE them send me a letter stating that a certain amount would clear the account.

I detest Sprint! I’d never have them as my phone service again.

One of the few ways the Internet makes us more secure: you can usually check online stores and see what credit cards (if any) they have on file, and opt to not store any data after your purchase is made.

On Hold, No One Can Hear You Scream.

“This American Life Senior Producer Julie Snyder found herself in a ten-month battle with her phone company (MCI Worldcom), which had overcharged her $946.36. She spent hours on hold, in a bureaucratic nowhere. No one seemed able to fix her problem, and there was no way she could make the company pay her back for all her lost time and aggravation. Finally, she enlists the aid of the national media. Specifically, This American Life host Ira Glass.”

You can hear it at http://www.thislife.org/pages/descriptions/03/253.html

Years ago, I read an article about a guy who tried this as an experiment. He bought one of those blank invoice pads from Staples and just picked a couple dozen companies out of the Yellow Pages and mailed them generic, nondescript invoices. Roughly half the companies sent back checks.

Except for obscene material, you can mail just about anything to anybody. It’s like the old joke: “Can I ask a favor? Well, you can ask…” Once, after being involved in an automobile accident caused by another driver, I received a very formal-looking letter from her insurance company instructing me to describe the accident and mail them a report. I laughed and threw it in the wastebasket — but I wonder how many people see the official-looking form and comply without thinking.

Even if they did report it, would a $25 phone delinquency be treated differently than a missed mortgage payment or is a delinquency a delinquency regardless of the creditor and amount?

I have pretty personal experience with this, on both ends of the deal. Many times, it doesn’t matter how diligent, angry, or *right* you are, you’ll still have to pay them to save your credit.

Could be you did have an account with Sprint at some point, but never knew it.

[...] Why companies burn you with false charges. Note that I made two longish comments there. My advice simply: Focus on limiting your expenditure of time solving these matters. Put all your demands/statements in writing. Anything conveyed through telephone is not legally binding. Be resigned to the fact that companies won’t do anything for you until you have successfully completed their fraud packet. [...]

Second case is Tmobile; they claimed I owed them $800 from a few years ago. I sent them a certified letter saying I had no account with them. But because I did not fill out their paperwork the way they insisted on, they considered my claim to be invalid.

The scary thing about these cases is that neither company made any real effort to contact me. And they never replied to my letters or requests for more information. In the case of ATT, they were preventing me–a Net worker/contractor who worked at home–from having Internet access. That directly threatened my livelihood. There was no appeal, no procedure to “fasttrack” consideration of my case.

The time burdens are disproportionate. For Sprint/Tmobile/ATT, their collection agency simply sends off another form letter. But individuals have to spend man-hours settling these issues. You need to come up with procedures for minimizing the demands on your time while still clearing your name.

Frankly, I’m at a loss at how to show your displeasure, other than to boycott/complain publicly. With theft of identity issues, the big company always wins, and it is only at their discretion that your name is cleared. This is unacceptable.

My advice: send a certified letter stating your complaint; make it no longer than two sentences. A simple denial is sufficient.

Theft of identity issues are rampant these days. I’ve been going through two, one with ATT, another with Tmobile. The main problem (aside from the threat to your credit score) is that the burden of proving your innocence requires a significant investment of your time. They will typically send you a fraud packet, which requires getting a police report, filing an affidavit and providing personal details. Until you fill out the paperwork they require, you are basically fucked.

Here’s a tip when contacting customer service by phone. Start a customerservice.txt file on your computer which records all discussions with all telephone reps. Make sure to get their extension number of employee ID.

You know, I’ve been reconsidering the first paragraph of my comment. You should call them and simply ask to receive a fraud packet (rather than have to pay for certified mail twice).

I’m resigned to the fact that every year or so you’ll average one theft of identity issue. The trick is minimizing the amount of time and labor solving these problems.

BTW, I do favor the strategy of public humiliation, perhaps through blog posts. If Sprint truly bothers you, I recommend complaining to the Attorney General’s office in your state.