AT&T - phone service re-connected two months prior to when it should have been - charged unfair fees as a result

# 30 for October 1, 2003

Complaints.com received the following on September 30, 2003:

From:

RE: AT&T - phone service re-connected two months prior to when it should have been - charged unfair fees as a result I have been a customer of AT&T for several years. I paid very high bills $350, 400 a month for three years. Since I was relocating to another state, I called AT&T to cancel the service. I was told by one the representatives to just put the service on hold until I moved to NY.

When I call AT&T to reconnect the service. the representative told me that my service had been connected two months prior to my call and that I had to pay $56.00. They claimed that they had sent me a letter to my old address of course I never received the letter otherwise, I will had call immediately to ask AT&T to connect the phone only at my arrival in NY.

I refused to pay since I was not using the phone during that time. They kept me on hold for more that 1 hour and at the end they refused to waive the charges.

I had no contract, I offer to start the service again in New York and they still refused to waive the charges therefore, I canceled the service. I am very unhappy with the service and the way I was treated by AT & T. Consuelo Silva

Complaints.com received the following consumer follow-up message on October 3, 2003:

From:

RE: AT&T Wireless

Second complaint. Today I received a letter from AT& for the pending balance again. In this letter they are advising me that If they do not receive payment for the automatic computer connection they will send the bill to a Collections Agency As I mentioned in my previous complaint I do not own any money to ATT.

When I called to cancel the service because I was moving to NY they told me to put the service on hold they never mentioned any time frame or automatic computer connection after 180 days. They claim that they sent me a letter advising me that the service was turn on, I never received the letter. Today they admitted that the letter was returned to them. They told me that they could not waive the charges. The only thing they could do was to waive the connection charges $25.00 and only If I signed a new contract for a a year. I told then no. I refuse to pay for an unauthorized automatic computer connection and a service that I was not aware of. Consuelo Silva