Some of you may remember that I posted a while back about a ridiculous bill due to AT&T saying I used a massive amount of overage minutes on my 450min iPhone plan.
The suspected problem was mostly the INCOMING calls to myself FROM myself that the bill said lasted for 30-45 minutes, even at obscure times that I know I would have not called myself.
The other apparent problem was calls showing up on my most recent bill that I know for a fact I have not made since July/Aug and early Sept (Before Sept 12th). Some of these calls are to an ex-GF, and some are to a friends OLD cell phone number that has been disconnected for three months (yet the bill says I talked to this disconnected number within the past month between 10 and 45 minutes each time!)
When calling customer support, AT&T insists that the INCOMING calls from myself were the result of somebody blocking Caller ID, or having an unlisted number. Many of these calls are listed at times I know for a fact I did not receive, let alone talk on the phone; times such as 3:50am on a Monday morning, for a 42 minute call.
They refuse to acknowledge that perhaps there could be a problem in the billing. As for the calls from months prior; they insist were made in October.
If I would have made those calls in October, I WOULD BE SITTING IN JAIL RIGHT NOW!
How so you ask?
The calls in question were to my ex-GF who had obtained a no-contact order on me after the break-up. If I would have called her when AT&T says I did, I would have violated the order 23 times!!!
Upon further investigation into the bill, I realized that AT&T charged me overage minutes for THREE incoming calls from my iPhone's number, each approximately 30 minutes in length during THE DATE, AND TIME I WAS IN THE LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MI DISTRICT COURT, in front of the judge, and beside my lawyer during a court hearing related to this very nasty break-up with the ex. My phone was completely shut off, and was in my pocket the entire day, yet AT&T charged me for 1.5 HOURS worth of overage minutes. Surely the judge would not have tolerated me talking on my phone for 1.5 hours while up on on the stand during a hearing!!!
Fast Forward to an hour ago... I received a call and voicemail from (800) 947-5096 saying that I was overdue on my bill and to make a payment immediately to avoid a disconnect. I called the number and once again, AT&T denies that there could possibly be any problem whatsoever in their billing. They insist the incoming calls from myself are blocked calls, and insist I made calls while I was in court. It is obviously either VERY bad organization and billing on their part, or an out-right scam.
I tried to make payment arrangements, since even though they overcharged me by hundreds of dollars; I absolutely cannot be without my phone due to my job. I was told since I have only been a customer for 5-months, I was unable to arrange a payment; instead I was told I must make a payment right then and there with a credit card (And be charged $5 extra for a phone payment); or my service would be disconnected.
I am very tempted to pay the ETF and get a hardware unlock on the phone and just go with T-Mobile. **** AT&T and their scams. It isn't the first time they pulled this stuff on hard-working customers.
Keep a close eye on your detailed bills people. Something fishy is going on at AT&T. I have never had a single problem with any other wireless provider (Sprint and later Verizon); but the past 5-months have been total hell with AT&T. I expected bills in the $70-80 range, not $3-450 range!
The suspected problem was mostly the INCOMING calls to myself FROM myself that the bill said lasted for 30-45 minutes, even at obscure times that I know I would have not called myself.
The other apparent problem was calls showing up on my most recent bill that I know for a fact I have not made since July/Aug and early Sept (Before Sept 12th). Some of these calls are to an ex-GF, and some are to a friends OLD cell phone number that has been disconnected for three months (yet the bill says I talked to this disconnected number within the past month between 10 and 45 minutes each time!)
When calling customer support, AT&T insists that the INCOMING calls from myself were the result of somebody blocking Caller ID, or having an unlisted number. Many of these calls are listed at times I know for a fact I did not receive, let alone talk on the phone; times such as 3:50am on a Monday morning, for a 42 minute call.
They refuse to acknowledge that perhaps there could be a problem in the billing. As for the calls from months prior; they insist were made in October.
If I would have made those calls in October, I WOULD BE SITTING IN JAIL RIGHT NOW!
How so you ask?
The calls in question were to my ex-GF who had obtained a no-contact order on me after the break-up. If I would have called her when AT&T says I did, I would have violated the order 23 times!!!
Upon further investigation into the bill, I realized that AT&T charged me overage minutes for THREE incoming calls from my iPhone's number, each approximately 30 minutes in length during THE DATE, AND TIME I WAS IN THE LIVINGSTON COUNTY, MI DISTRICT COURT, in front of the judge, and beside my lawyer during a court hearing related to this very nasty break-up with the ex. My phone was completely shut off, and was in my pocket the entire day, yet AT&T charged me for 1.5 HOURS worth of overage minutes. Surely the judge would not have tolerated me talking on my phone for 1.5 hours while up on on the stand during a hearing!!!
Fast Forward to an hour ago... I received a call and voicemail from (800) 947-5096 saying that I was overdue on my bill and to make a payment immediately to avoid a disconnect. I called the number and once again, AT&T denies that there could possibly be any problem whatsoever in their billing. They insist the incoming calls from myself are blocked calls, and insist I made calls while I was in court. It is obviously either VERY bad organization and billing on their part, or an out-right scam.
I tried to make payment arrangements, since even though they overcharged me by hundreds of dollars; I absolutely cannot be without my phone due to my job. I was told since I have only been a customer for 5-months, I was unable to arrange a payment; instead I was told I must make a payment right then and there with a credit card (And be charged $5 extra for a phone payment); or my service would be disconnected.
I am very tempted to pay the ETF and get a hardware unlock on the phone and just go with T-Mobile. **** AT&T and their scams. It isn't the first time they pulled this stuff on hard-working customers.
Keep a close eye on your detailed bills people. Something fishy is going on at AT&T. I have never had a single problem with any other wireless provider (Sprint and later Verizon); but the past 5-months have been total hell with AT&T. I expected bills in the $70-80 range, not $3-450 range!
