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Telecom Billing Woes
by Jill Morgan
To start with, in the consumer section of the March-April issue of AARP The Magazine, one reader reveals how he helped her friend cope with a billing error. His friend could not get $200 of erroneous charges removed from her wireless bill. So his plan, in a nutshell, was simply to become a stockholder in what she called a “mega corporation.” Now granted, he only spent 60 bucks to buy his shares—but when he proceeded to call the company’s investor relations contact to get someone’s attention, whether he spent 60 bucks or 600,000 wouldn’t have made a difference. As he explained to investor relations, he was entitled to attend the annual stockholder meeting, where—as a concerned and appalled stockholder—he was going to get his chance at the microphone. There he would voice his concerns over poor billing and customer service in front of major corporate executives. Needless to say, investor relations made the decision to take care of his friend’s bill, in an effort to avoid a scene that could have dinged stock prices. After all, there isn’t a service provider out there today that isn’t touting its concern for the customer.
Speaking of avoiding a scene: In December 2006, a frustrated customer took Verizon Wireless to small claims court in Massachusetts. The former customer claimed that VZ double-billed him and that his credit was ruined because of the charges that he didn’t feel obligated to pay. The customer won his case and was awarded about $700. The only problem was that Verizon failed to show up in court later for payment review. By mid-January, a judge issued an arrest warrant against Verizon for nonpayment and literally placed the corporation under arrest. In the end, Verizon coughed up its payment—before it could be taken into custody, or get hit with jail time.
And finally, things are not well for the Memphis Division of Comcast. According to ABC Eyewitness News in Memphis, Comcast has foregone the expense of a Dumpster and opted for plain old trash service. The only problem is that trash has been piling up, and within the debris consumer bills are available to anyone who happens by. According to the broadcast, Memphis residents are not only upset that bills are out in the open, but that anyone can help themselves to account information. Plus, trash bags often break and bills end up in the street and in neighboring yards. The broadcast company couldn’t reach Comcast for comment, but wondered why it didn’t at least shred the bills that contained customers’ private data.
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