T-Mobile has eaten away at my soul. What can I do now, if anything? Long rant inside.
On Saturday, I received a telephone call from Bay Area Credit, the collection agency for T-Mobile. I was told that a bill for $60.83 was unpaid since June. This seemed very strange to me, since I have always paid my bills in full and never been late. The collection agent told me the account number for the unpaid bill (which I neglected to write down), and I saw that it differed from my T-Mobile account. I asked the representative about this, and was told that a new account was opened on June 11, and then the line was transferred to my existing account later in the month. (She told me the exact date, but again I did not write it down.) In fact, I had added a telephone to my Family Share plan on June 11th. I didn’t open a new account however. I found my T-Mobile contract, and it is clear that I signed up to an addition line to my existing plan at $9.99 per month. Upon hearing this, the representative said I should speak to a supervisor, but because it was a Saturday, no supervisor was available. She then suggested that I fax in my T-Mobile contract and wait 7-10 business days for an answer.
On Sunday, I called T-Mobile. I wanted to make sure that the collection agent wasn’t some sort of scam, and I wanted to get more information about the delinquent account. The representative looked up my information and saw that I did have two accounts listed, and that one had been sent to the collection agency. I asked him for the account number, explaining that I had neglected to write it down the previous day. He read off the first three numbers, then stopped and told me he needed to put me on hold while he collected some more information. After a few minutes, he came back and told me that because the account was now in the hands of the collection agency, he could not give me any more information. I asked to speak to his supervisor. I asked her the account number and she answered “We do not have that information to give out.” I asked her what address the bills were sent to, and received the same answer. I asked her the total amount of the bill and got the same answer again. I pointed out to her that it was clear that T-Mobile does in fact have the information, since I was just given the first few digits of the account number, and she finally explained that she does have all the information I was requesting, but she was obligated not to tell me anything and that I could only deal with the collection agency directly. She also recommended that I call Bay Area Credit first thing in the morning. If I waited longer, major damage could be done to my credit.
This morning, things started getting very strange. I called back Bay Area Credit, once again explaining this whole mess to the agent. I told her that I thought this might be a case of identity theft, since I clearly never opened another account. She suggested I talk to T-Mobile about my situation. After I told her that T-Mobile wouldn’t talk to me, she said that I should just pay the $60 since T-Mobile had determined that the charge was legitimate. I explained that I was willing to pay if I owed the money, but I wanted to know exactly what I was paying and why I had another account open. When she couldn’t help me further, I asked to speak to her supervisor.
Richard Anthony, the Bay Area Credit supervisor, was on the offensive even before I had a chance to speak. He accused me of screaming at his staff and his clients. (In fact, I was able [barely] to stay calm and polite through this entire ordeal.)When I asked him how the account could have been opened without my permission, he sarcastically asked if I thought he was my personal financial advisor. When I explained that I never received any bills for that account, he accused me of falsifying my address to T-Mobile. When I asked if he could send me a written bill, he said I would probably stop payment on the check I sent. He then told me that I had ten seconds to agree to pay the bill immediately by credit card or he would hang up, cut off my current cell phones and destroy my credit.
Of course I paid. $60 is certainly not worth the damage that would be otherwise be wrought. But I am boiling inside. I have never in my life been treated like this. The tangible loss is minor, but the intangible loss is eating away at my soul. What, if anything can I do now?
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You might also try talking to highers-up at T-Mobile and write letters to the VP of Customer Service.
posted by JMOZ at 8:50 PM on October 16, 2006