I have this cell phone. I have had this cell phone for longer than I wanted it. I got this cell phone when I left the firm I was in the Dallas area and relocated to this small town. The account was established in the name of that firm and they agreed to pay for the phone service for a year following my cessation of employment so that they would have means to contact me should there be any information they needed about some of the cases I had worked on while I was at that firm. Of course, they didn't pay for it, and started forwarding the bills to me to pay. I did so, as I was using the phone quite extensively at the time. However, things do change over time, and for almost a year, I have had no use for that cell phone. The number is long distance from this area. I have attempted to get the service disconnected. It is not in my name, so they cannot disconnect it on my request. I called the old firm. Asked them to call and disconnect it. They say they will, but they don't. I continue to get bills of $60 a month for a phone that I do not even use.
A couple of months ago, I got fed up. I can't get it disconnected, so I just won't pay the bills any longer and sooner or later they will have to disconnect the service. The disconnection will not be any sweat off of my nose, because the account is not in my name. Well, a couple of days ago, someone from the company called my office and left a message. I sicced my secretary on them, and she tried to explain the situation, and she got the same old' same old' routine. Only the old firm is authorized to disconnect the phone. Fine. I still am not paying, let them pay. I bet they start getting the bills for a phone they are not using, they will get the phone disconnected.
Today, I got a computer call from that company. Folks, this is my business line. I do not need my business line tied up with this inane bullshit. I called the number the computer left and finally got someone named Ruben. I said, "hey Ruben, put whoever is the highest person willing to talk to me on the line," then I got put on hold for longer than I was willing to wait. I hung up.
OK, I will search the internet and send them a nasty letter. Nope, can't do that. The only contact information is a phone number, and another menu and another wait, and then, when I finally thought I might be able to get back to Ruben or one of his other peon contemporaries at the front line of the customer service desk, I get a message: "This number is no longer in service, please call 1-800-yada-yada!" Fuck You Cingular!* [Please pardon my FRENCH] I am no longer paying for a service that I have no right to disconnect. It just ain't happening. Sue me, if you think you have a cause of action. I am quite sure you don't. And take my name off of your damn computer call list, because I will be in contact with the proper authorities about that if I get another of those calls.
*Watch, I will now be #1 on a Google search for fuck you cingular, and as my luck would have it, I likely will be #1 if they just do a search for fuck you.
Posted by Tiger at August 6, 2003 03:30 PMYOU'LL FIND YOUR 'WORD', AS YOU KNOW.
ON MY SITE MANY TIMES.
LOVE SUCH 'WORDS '(AKA OBSCENTITIES) BECAUSE THEY ATTRACT ATTENTION (TO MAKE A POINT OR WHATEVER) AND HURT NO ONE.
Posted by: oldcatman at August 6, 2003 04:29 PMYou oughtta sic the BBB on them. That works, I've used it several times. Box up the phone and mail it back to your old office, forward the bills to them too. You might even start sending them all your junk mail too.
The nastier you are, the faster they will act.
Blog about it some more, so's you really show up in Google. *?)
Posted by: quark2 at August 6, 2003 07:00 PMNot even close to #1 on Google...Cingular has screwed over so many folks that you'd have to stand in line to bitch to yourself.
I had a similar experience with Sprint. The asshats still send a monthly bill with a zero balance and a steady stream of "Dear Valued Sprint Customer: Fuck You" snailmail. which i fold up and send back in their prepaid envelopes.
I have a dandy tip for dealing with telemarketers. Get yourself a canned air-horn and when they pause for a breath...give him a good long blast and hang up.
One evening a local newspaper telemarketing supervisor called back immedately... all pissed off that I was so rude ( yes, irony is wasted on telemarketers and anti-spam software vendors). She lit into me for a good 30-45 seconds before taking a deep breath, when I said "Just a minute please!"
She paused waiting for an apology...you could hear the rightous smugness building.
HHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONKKKKKKKKKKK!
click.
They've never called me back....strangest thing. *G*
Posted by: feste at August 6, 2003 08:25 PMDamn, Feste, you trying to be funnier than me on my own blog? Shame on you! I literally laughed my ass off reading that! Kudos, chum! Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Tiger at August 6, 2003 08:31 PMI like Quark's idea. Start forwarding the bills on to them.
If the bills aren't in your name, then hey...just ignore them all until the company gets a big fat bill for thousands of dollars.
I wouldn't let them have the phone till they disconnect it though.