I’m really hoping you can help me with a consumer problem! I live in NY. Last June or so (2000), I had AT&T Worldnet internet service that I paid $21.95 per month to access (along with AT&T long distance service). I had been having problems accessing my e-mail and web pages while connected to AT&T. I called their tech-support people many, many times over the course of two months or so. Each time, I was told to do different things by different people and sometimes it worked for a while and sometimes it didn’t. I called so often, I did not get names of tech people (unfortunately, that is a very bad habit I have).
At one point during a call, a tech person instructed me to type in a specific 800 number in the set-up where one would normally put a “9” for outside access and then I was told to change my local access number. What did I know? I did as I was told. It sounded like a strange thing to do, but I assumed the AT&T tech people knew more about these things than I do. It seemed to work for a while.
Then I got my bill. My fee for internet service was $395.85!! Right away, I called AT&T and asked them why my bill was so enormously high, instead of my usual $21.95. I was informed that I had been using their 800 number to access the internet and that per my user agreement, it incurred a charge of 10 cents a minute. I replied that no, I did not use their 800 number, I used my local access number. After looking into my account, they said that by putting that 800 number into that box, I was actually using that 800 number to access the internet. I told them that I did as the tech support person told me and that I was never told that (a) I was using their 800 number to connect and (b) that it would cost me 10 cents a minute. They kept insisting that I was wrong and owed them the money, so I asked to speak to a supervisor. They said one would call me back within an hour.
Well, 24 hours later, I called back and spoke to supervisor Dan, whose last name could not be told to me, but his ID # is WGFARDD0723. After going through the whole story once more, he, too, told me there was nothing he could do and I had to pay the $395.85. He said that by joining AT&T Worldnet, I agreed that if I used the 800 number, I would be charged 10 cents a minute. I concurred that this was in the user agreement, but argued that I was not told at the time that I was, in fact, doing that. As far as I knew, I was using this number to get my local access number to connect better and enabling me to retrieve e-mail and access web pages. He wouldn’t budge.
At this point, I canceled my AT&T Worldnet service as well as my AT&T long distance service. I also called AT&T billing, who couldn’t help me since this was a Worldnet problem, but said they would note in my account that I was in dispute regarding my bill. I then paid my bill as I thought was right. I paid my long distance charges and $21.95 for my internet service and marked my checked clearly PAYMENT IN FULL. They cashed the check.
The next month, I got another bill (since this occurred in the middle of a billing cycle). Again, I paid my long distance charges and $21.95 of my internet charges (which had additional charges of $374.12) and indicated clearly on my check PAYMENT IN FULL.
Sicne then I have written numerous letters to attorney generals, consumer advocates and the president of AT&T. I had received a letter from a collection agency late last year and sent them copies of all my correspondance. I hadn't heard back from anyone until about a month ago when I received a letter from another collection agency. Again, I sent them a copy of the letter that I then resent to the president of AT&T. I got a phone call from AT&T (no name) saying that I had to pay the amount in full.
I do not have this money to pay, nor do I think I should be responsible for it. I think AT&T should be responsible for what their tech support people advise their customers to do. It would never, in a million years, have occurred to me to put this number in the spot where "9” goes for an outside line. As far as I was concerned, I was using my local access number to gain access to the internet.
I offered to pay half, in deference to my ignorance, but I don't think I should have to pay the whole amount.
Do i have a leg to stand on here, especially I marked the check "PAYMENT IN FULL" or am I SOL?
Thaks for your help and I'm sorry that this was so long.
Denise
At one point during a call, a tech person instructed me to type in a specific 800 number in the set-up where one would normally put a “9” for outside access and then I was told to change my local access number. What did I know? I did as I was told. It sounded like a strange thing to do, but I assumed the AT&T tech people knew more about these things than I do. It seemed to work for a while.
Then I got my bill. My fee for internet service was $395.85!! Right away, I called AT&T and asked them why my bill was so enormously high, instead of my usual $21.95. I was informed that I had been using their 800 number to access the internet and that per my user agreement, it incurred a charge of 10 cents a minute. I replied that no, I did not use their 800 number, I used my local access number. After looking into my account, they said that by putting that 800 number into that box, I was actually using that 800 number to access the internet. I told them that I did as the tech support person told me and that I was never told that (a) I was using their 800 number to connect and (b) that it would cost me 10 cents a minute. They kept insisting that I was wrong and owed them the money, so I asked to speak to a supervisor. They said one would call me back within an hour.
Well, 24 hours later, I called back and spoke to supervisor Dan, whose last name could not be told to me, but his ID # is WGFARDD0723. After going through the whole story once more, he, too, told me there was nothing he could do and I had to pay the $395.85. He said that by joining AT&T Worldnet, I agreed that if I used the 800 number, I would be charged 10 cents a minute. I concurred that this was in the user agreement, but argued that I was not told at the time that I was, in fact, doing that. As far as I knew, I was using this number to get my local access number to connect better and enabling me to retrieve e-mail and access web pages. He wouldn’t budge.
At this point, I canceled my AT&T Worldnet service as well as my AT&T long distance service. I also called AT&T billing, who couldn’t help me since this was a Worldnet problem, but said they would note in my account that I was in dispute regarding my bill. I then paid my bill as I thought was right. I paid my long distance charges and $21.95 for my internet service and marked my checked clearly PAYMENT IN FULL. They cashed the check.
The next month, I got another bill (since this occurred in the middle of a billing cycle). Again, I paid my long distance charges and $21.95 of my internet charges (which had additional charges of $374.12) and indicated clearly on my check PAYMENT IN FULL.
Sicne then I have written numerous letters to attorney generals, consumer advocates and the president of AT&T. I had received a letter from a collection agency late last year and sent them copies of all my correspondance. I hadn't heard back from anyone until about a month ago when I received a letter from another collection agency. Again, I sent them a copy of the letter that I then resent to the president of AT&T. I got a phone call from AT&T (no name) saying that I had to pay the amount in full.
I do not have this money to pay, nor do I think I should be responsible for it. I think AT&T should be responsible for what their tech support people advise their customers to do. It would never, in a million years, have occurred to me to put this number in the spot where "9” goes for an outside line. As far as I was concerned, I was using my local access number to gain access to the internet.
I offered to pay half, in deference to my ignorance, but I don't think I should have to pay the whole amount.
Do i have a leg to stand on here, especially I marked the check "PAYMENT IN FULL" or am I SOL?
Thaks for your help and I'm sorry that this was so long.
Denise