If your not going to offer help in this room, then don't post. You obviously have no idea what you are talking about.

I think the person should contact you, you are the best rep Cingular has! 🙂

no, it does happen from time to time. sometimes the note isn't put on the acct the way it should be. so they have to verify they were returned and then they fix the bill. But i'm sure verizon "never" makes a mistake in billing... 😳

Well, if you return your phones to Cingular within 30 days we fill out a form online verifying your returned your subsidized phones.

If you just cancel WITHOUT returning the phones for which you received a discount they will charge you the term fee.

With repsect, how are they to know you didn't get the phones at a discount to intentionally bolt elsehwere? A simple call easily resolves the situation.

Dishonest consumers create this issue, not a convenient billing system. If everything was kosher with your deal (returned equipment in new condition to place of purchase within 30 days) then you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

And BTW, EVERY carrier automatically charges an ETF if you port out while under agreement.

Yeah this sounds more like a safeguarding measure than an attempt to rip off customers.
His billing date hit before the phones were registered as received more than likely.

Well, according to his story he ported THEN returned his equipment. The second he walked into the store he already had the term fee.

I am curious as to where he bought them and what transpired at the time of return.

cameltowing, I'm not saying that Cingular is necessarily dishonest, but the return of my phones HAD been verified 2 weeks prior to the billing date. I was on the phone with CS when they called the store.

IF all companies do this, it's an unacceptable business practice, at least in my opinion. In my case everything was returned (and verified as returned) and the numbers ported out 2 weeks prior to the billing date.

I appreciate all the input from everyone. I simply wanted to know if this had happened before. Maybe my experience will forewarn someone in the future, only because that bill was a nasty surprise.

texaswireless, my phones were returned to Cingular the week prior to the final closing of the account. In fact, at the time that I returned them the person at the store told me that my account was closed at that time. It was only because I double checked that information that I found out the account was still open. If I had not checked it, then I would have exceeded the 30 days and then I would have been stuck with the service.

I have nothing to apologize to Cingular for the cancelation of my account. A simple explanation by someone, at the time of closing of the account, that I would be automatically billed the ETF and that it would be cleared up by a phone call - now, THAT would have been helpful.

what would have been the best bet is if you would have researched the service before you bought your phone. but you want cingular to be a good company after you where a bad customer? Hummm sounds convient to me. Im in sales and i deal with people like you all the time in such a hury in to much of a hury to understand what your doing and what your buying 🙄 .

nygiants, just how was I a bad customer? I was assured at the Cingular store that they had great service in the entire area, but they did not, and we had constant dropped calls, etc. This is not necessarily Cingular's fault, but not mine either. THAT IS WHY they have their 30 day return policy, at least that's what I would think. Not every service works for every situation.

oh i know all about the 30days, you took there word for it, you should have been a better customer and checked for your self. But thats cool, have fun getting them to drop the ETF

I did check them out for myself. That's why I canceled them. Thanks for your input.

Yeah once you speak with customer care you should be fine...The only charges you should be responsible for are the taxes,activations fees and prorated charges. As long as customer care can confirm that you have returned your phones then you will not have to worry about the etf fees are monthly recurring charges that were accounted for after the return date.

No prob thats what im here for, setting bad consumers straight!

Bad?

You are way out of line with the "Bad" customer comment. Customers who reasonably exercise their rights are not bad, nor are they good. They are just customers.

Give it a break.

exactly.. not every system is perfect, or there would no wars, no competition, etc... let it go

I think you're the one who's wrong on this one giants. Why is it the customer's responsibility to check out the service? How is the customer, who has not used the service, supposed to know what the siganl strength will be 5 miles from the store? Maybe the sale person should have been a better sales person and done a better job of qualifying the customer, and knowing the product they were selling, to know that where the customer intended to use the phone there was poor coverage?

🤣

You and I both know that's not realistic, but neither is expecting the customer to know where the coverage holes are, prior to purchasing a phone. Heck, in my experience, people are lucky to know that you need to press "send"to actually dial the call...
(continues)

You still would not have been stuck with anything. When you port your numbers the account is closed.