I've been reading these boards and they are great but I'm unclear on how to handle this particular situation that me and hubby are in.. here goes: we had a cell phone acct with cingular wireless..we had 3 phns and we were constantly overcharged.1 phone was stolen and we suspended service , cingular accidently reactivated the phone and the thieves were able to use it..we disputed the charges and was tld it takes 2 weeks for investgation and crdit applied..in the meantime we were going over our minutes and ended up with a mess of a bill..1100 over 3 mos now 1499 due to early term fees..basically cingular has sent it to oca.it's not on our credit yet but how can i stop it from going on our credit and buying more time .and i think that the balance is wrong becuz they've messed up so much in the past..i know i owe money but i don't have 1499 right now and i don't want it on our credit ..can anybody tell me how to handle this? thanks!!
You will really need to talk to them about this often. You will have to keep after them to make sure they don't stick you with the entire bill. Since you had suspended the service you shouldn't be charged for any of the minutes that the thieves used, plus you shouldn't be charged any over minutes for the minutes you used because of the thieves. Right now you are still at a place where you can work with Cingular to get your bill straight. I wouldn't pay any more than you normally would until you get it all straightened out. But don't ignore it because it will just get worse if you do. I had this happen to me once several years ago and it took a long time for me to get it straightened out, but I worked with the company and they worked with me and eventually we got it right. I had to accept some responsibility for the loss but not nearly all of it. The thieves had my phone for nearly two days before I came to the conclusion that it was stolen as opposed to misplaced. Good Luck!
Warning to cell phone users: If you lose your phone NEVER tell the service provider you lost it!!! They are notorious for inflating your bill with bogus charges and blaming the "thieves" when in fact they are the thieves!! This is a common trick that cell phone service providers pull whenever you lose your phone. They are quick to point out the small print that says you are liable for any charges made on your phone if you lose it. Once that phone is out of your possession you have no way of knowing how many minutes have really been used. In lieu of telling them you lost your phone, simply say you broke it or it fell in the toilet and would they turn off the service immediately. Usually they will turn the service off as you speak. That way, even if the thieves have your phone they can no longer use it from that moment on. And the phone service provider won't be tempted to slam you with bogus charges. Tell them you will go out and buy another phone if they ask you to send that one in. You are not obligated to send your phone to them.
