Ever get that one bill that just surprised the hell out of you?

I got just that. My AT&T long distance bill.

One phone call.

I called a lady friend of mine in Paris, France, about those riots.

It was just a 37 minute call.

I guess the rates increased since the last time I called.

This bill was $142.00 and change.

I'm just ranting with myself .

 

I took a trip to vist some friends in Florida last summer.(I live in Illinois) Before I left I went to the local Cingular store to verify that I would be allowed to call from Florida with no extra/hidden charges. They said that it would be alright.

Well when the phone bill arrived it wasn't alright. $240 about. I was extremely mad with the company because they told me that I could call.

Then things became worse. Apparently my billing cycle ended and begun during my time down in Florida. So that $240 was for the first four days down there. The next month I recieved a bill for the final seven days of the trip. Another $375. Phone bills from Hell.

I called Cingular both times to complain/contest the bills. And after awhile of arguing over the phone, they cut the phone calls made from Florida off of the bill.

 

Of all the companies that fight over my income, I think phone companies are the worst. I've been gouged, ripped off, and lied to more by phone companies than anyone else. I've actually had better luck with cell phones than I did landlines, but they've pulled their share of stunts too.

 

That call would cost me $3.70 cdn

 

Cell phone plans. Yup. How about those "taxes and service fees"?

That $59.95 plan sure comes up with some fuzzy math.

 

I should have you call her for me next time. (kidding)

 

I will tell you a story of stupid phone companies and revenge.

Several years ago we used MCI, we were really happy with the plan.
We found out the hard way that they seemed to have a "glitch" or "scam" as I call it.
My wife called in to change something about how the bill was arranged or some such thing (2 bills or one bill through the local or something).

About 2 months later she notices that the bill is really high (like the previous month), she had somehow neglected to point it out before.

I get on the phone with them and the customer service jerk tells me that it's because we don't have a plan and are paying about .25 per minute, I ask why, he says it's because WE asked to be taken off (when the other change was made). I pointed out that only and idiot would take us off the plan so it must have been them.

Long story short they refused to remove the charges... period.
I change my long distance service and send them a letter with the payment I figured it at the plan rate we had had for years. I figure they are a LD company only, it's not like they can turn the phone off. I took the precaution of signing a paper with the local co that no one can change my LD company without me doing it in writing. (The no slamming rule).

So now I start getting the you owe us $xx and you beter pay now letters. Their figure was aprox $150. I ignore them.

Then the fun part. The MCI sales dept of course "wants me back" because they have lost me. They send me one of those checks for $50, the one if you cash it they can switch your LD service.
I thought what the heck, I put it in with the bill and put a note in that said please credit my bill wth this check. I was laughing, they weren't, they did it. Next month I get the nasty bill with a credit of $50, cool huh?

Guess what, the sales dept still "wants me back", so a month or two later I get another check, this one is for $75 (they really want me). I did it again and they credited it again.....even cooler.

Anyway after doing this twice the bill was down to $25-30. I figured at some point they would figure out that they had paid my bill but then MCI went bust, I wonder why?

 

Oh yeah- just wish it was only $142.

 

Think internet. No extra charge, to talk with people all around the world....

(Q.E.D.)

 

Sure did, when my natural gas company made an error in reading my meter and it was way more than $142. I promptly got on the horn and talked; one call and that's all .

 

Yep. We had digital cable through one company. I believe it was right after *** to ownership ( i believe there owned by clear channel). Anyways. we asked them to shut off the digital cable. Well a month went buy. And apparently they didnt.

Or when my mom used up all the celly minuts. Bakc in the day of about 200 she used them all up. Bs with people about nothing. Then she played on the internet. "testing the features" when we didnt have internet plan so it was like a half penny a kb. but at 10k kb to get on.

That was with cingular. it was like a 200 bill. and they didnt even get service at our house. So now we got cellur one. same priced bill as cingular (about 99.0) but we get 900 mins. and we have coverage at ht ehouse

 

hehehe - just to rub it in.
At my phone rates (Au$0.005 a minute to France) it would have cost 18.5 Australian cents for a 37 minute call (we shall round it up to 14 US cents to make you feel better )

A considerate bunch we are

In all seriousness, it SUCKS

 

My cousin lives in paris good thing we just email each other

 

My wife's son called us "collect" several times from a jail in N.C. when he was being held for DUI. When we got the bill it was over $250 for those calls. We don't accept "collect" calls from anyone now...especially him.

 

I had collect calls blocked from my phone for the same reason. If you're in jail don't call my house unless you have a calling card.