AT&T Wireless, Knoxville, TN - followed advice of customer service employee in making calling plan change - result was hundreds of dollars of additional, unnecessary charges

# 12 for August 23, 2003

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on August 22, 2003:

From:

RE: AT&T Wireless, Knoxville, TN - followed advice of customer service employee in making calling plan change - result was hundreds of dollars of additional, unnecessary charges

From:

Lauren Rodwell

Knoxville, TN 37922

Re: Account number 71cccccc August 22, 2003 To Whom It May Concern: I have been a loyal customer of AT&T for a little over a year. My mobile phone bill has always been paid in a timely fashion and I have remained with AT&T through trying times, despite better offers from rival companies. When my contract for account number 860-711634717 ended, I decided to remain an AT&T customer, I switched my service from a regional plan to a national plan to better suit my needs.

At the time of my change Monique, an AT&T service representative, advised me that I should backdate my new plan. In good faith I made this change based on the advisement of AT&T’s employee. I asked Monique several times if this would be the cheapest alternative. Each time Monique informed me that this option would be fine, and there would be no overage charges, despite a downgrade in minutes. Upon the advice of your AT&T’s employee, Monique, I switched plans only to discover that I had been misled. When my bill arrived in June for my April 23- May 22 billing cycle, there was a minute overage charge of $288, a tax charge of $55.94, and a AT&T Toll Free Nationwide monthly charge of $4.82. Around this same time, I received an automated call from AT&T informing that I should call customer service immediately. I called and spoke with Rudy. During the conversation, I discovered that backdating my new plan caused the account to incur an excessive amount of overage charges.

Rudy refuted the claims of Monique’s advice and informed me that backdating the plan caused me an excess amount of charges, and that Monique had ill advised me costing me hundreds. Rudy proceeded to inform me that I would have to pay the balance of roughly $300 even though the error was based on the advice of an AT&T employee who had lead me to believe I was being given the most cost effective deal possible for my phone service. I was denied an opportunity to speak with a supervisor and was informed AT&T would do nothing to mend this situation despite the fact that I was a repeat loyal customer. AT&T’s representative acted in bad faith. AT&T has a duty to its customers to provide the most helpful information and service to meet its customers’ needs. AT&T has failed to keep its end of the deal, and provide me with superior the best service for my needs, and financial situation. I have kept my deal with AT&T by making my payments every month. I am disappointed to that AT&T has chosen to act in bad faith, by misleading me, despite my trust for your company.

I am willing to pay the full amount for my last two (2) billing cycles. However, for the billing period beginning April 23 and ending May 22, I am requesting to be billed based on my original plan, pre May 2003. In addition, my overage rate was increased without any form of communication notifying me. I am also requesting that my overage rate be recalculated to the original amount of thirty (30) cents per minute. Please contact me no later than Friday August 29, 2003, so that we can resolve these issues amicably. I can be reached at the above noted number. Sincerely, Lauren Rodwell