John Oliver wrote:
On Wed, Aug 17, 2005 at 12:30:52PM -0500, JD Runyan wrote:
Join the club, they managed to screw me out of over $1000, and never
actually delivered a usable DSL line to my house.
Now this sounds like an interesting story... do tell! :-)
At the time I lived in an older close in suburb to Kansas City, MO. I
ordered DSL, and chose to purchase the equipment to use, so I didn't
have to sign a contract. I didn't trust the phone company much to begin
with. The phone company sent out a tech to do the install. He wasn't
able to get a signal. He made a bunch of phone calls, and let me know
that someone would be calling me and then he left. That evening another
tech was scheduled to come out. He was able to get a signal, and
finished the installation. He could reach the SWB network, and left it
at that. I used the connection for a mere two days before I couldn't
connect to anything. The speeds would barely beat dial up, but I the
monthly cost was about the same as dial up and an additional phone line,
so it was tenable for a time. After two days the connection stopped
working. I contacted tech "no" support, and spent hours on the phone
with them. I had another tech come out, and he couldn't get it work, and
made a note of it. He then recommended that I disconnect the service
until they laid new lines in a year. This is what I did. I got my first
bill, and it had lease charges for the equipment, two installation
charges, the equipment purchase charges, monthly charges, and a
cancellation fee of $400 dollars. I called to get it corrected. During
the time that I tried to correct the billing they continued to charge me
monthly fees since I hadn't paid the disconnect charge yet. They said I
was obligated to a year, because I leased the equipment, and that I
would have to purchase the equipment that I hadn't' returned(Which I
had, and was told I would receive a refund for it.) The charges by the
time they were don were in excess of $3000. I contacted them, my
representatives, and the Kansas Corporation Commission(The governing
body over licensed monopolies). SBC then started threatening me about a
smaller amount, I believe $2000. I continued to fight. Three times they
placed no payments on my credit report, and turned off my phone 4
times(which isn't legal in KS for non phone related charges). I had to
pay reconnect fees close to $100 each time. There was no competition for
phone in my area. When I was buying a new house in another part of town,
they put a no pay on my credit report a third time when I was in the
middle of the process, and the mortgage company said we needed to get
that cleared up, or they wouldn't complete the loan. My wife, against my
advice negotiated a payment of $600 to settle the bill. In total I
paid the following.
$600: Settlement
$200: Equipment
$400: Phone service reconnect fees
$100: Roughly for two months of DSL service
=====
$1300
They also cost me $100/month in additional interest on my home for 1
year, until the mortgage company was satisfied with the result, and
lowered my rate 15 months later. This wasn't money lost though, they
applied it to the principal when they readjusted the rate retroactively
to the beginning of the loan.
--
"When it comes to words I have a uniqueness that I find almost
impossible in terms of art - and it's my words that actually make my art
quite unique."
--Tracy Emin
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