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210 Comments
- toxicshok, on 10/12/2007, -27/+535I don't know who the thief here is the guy who stole her phone or the cell phone company.
- slapshot24, on 10/12/2007, -3/+409Neither -- they didn't make her pay it.
"the company notified Wendy that all charges would be dropped. Spokeswoman Lauren Garner says Cingular now has a new system to alert customers of suspicious calls. The program was put in place after Wendy’s case."
http://cbs5.com/30minutes/local_story_259184928.html - unbreakable, on 10/12/2007, -14/+160She should have got the iPhone.
The thief would have run out of battery in 10 minutes. - DonCarcharo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+137Ah good ol' At&T/Cingular/at&t. I've really been considering going prepaid myself. My account is simply getting out of hand:
October 2006: Unlimited data plan switched to my wife's phone by mistake (it's been on mine for the last four years). I subsequently get over $100 in data charges.
December 2006: Account closed by mistake (while on a trip). They reinstate us but "accidentally" renew our contracts for 2-years (despite the fact that our contracts weren't up and we didn't buy any new equipment)
January 2007: My number became attached to someone else's phone (took a while to figure this one out).
February 2007: Unable to get calls from any land lines for all of February
March: Account disabled for non payment even though we paid the bill.
April 2007: We get two phone bills totaling over $800 in charges (without any indication as to where the charges came from or why there's two accounts ). Cingular agrees to credit my account $500.
So now we're stuck with a $300 bill with no explanation.
/Wonderful company. Highly recommend. Would do business again. A++++++++++++ - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -14/+140Your money is now our money and we will use it on drugs.
- Strell, on 10/12/2007, -2/+81She should switch to Verizon. I hear those guys can't count that high.
- GraceMolloy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+70I used to work for these retards. She obviously got some noob rep that had no idea what s/he was doing. No one with any level of decision making ability would tell this woman she owes that bill.
Now the lady who came in with a $10K bill whose husband was calling Japanese Sex Lines? (I swear on my mother's immortal soul, I waited on her)
She got stuck with the bill, and probably murdered her husband ... least that's what she said she was going to do when we dialed the number on speaker in our office. - erikerikerik, on 10/12/2007, -14/+64holy old storys batman.
for those in the bay area, "channel 5 on your side" already covered this and only after they started to call around did where the charges dropped.
And that "new" system that they put into place, was ALREADY in place when her phone was stolen.
NUTS, slapshot beat me to it. slapshot ftw. (wow that sounds dirty) - slapshot24, on 10/12/2007, -4/+53Sounds like fun. Until they call the county sherriff and seize your car, put a lein on your house, and put a lein on your income. Let me know how that works out for you.
- puto, on 10/12/2007, -10/+52Pay as you go is the only way I do it now.
- REDBLIND, on 10/12/2007, -2/+34From the article:
"It all comes down to money. In California, for instance, the significant financial contributions made by the wireless industry to state government gives the telecommunications industry enormous influence over entities like the Public Utilities Commission. In effect, this allows the wireless industry to make up its own rules."
That pretty much explains it all. - krebcycle, on 10/12/2007, -6/+28@misterflaut
You, sir are speaking out of your ass. I had houseguests who applied for a mastercard using one of the invitations that was received in the mail. They got the card which was mailed to my address, and they got the pin number, and they immediately drained it from cash machines, used the daily limit up. I was away for two weeks on vacation. I pled fraud to the bank (it was Cross Country Bank that issued the mastercard) and they denied the charge. I called a lawyer and learned that basically I had no recourse. So thanks for the loud and incorrect response. - RyGiL, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20Uhhh... unless the CSR was an idiot (which is probably the case), no company would ever recommend the customer file bankruptcy. If the customer files bankruptcy, the company will never get paid. This is why most lending companies and credit card companies are willing to help you out when you can't make payments... so they can at least get some money versus none at all if you file bankruptcy.
- GTPilot, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21i'm sure they wouldn't care about you personally, .. your credit would be ruined though.
- pixelbender, on 10/12/2007, -6/+25You know the phone cos are the real criminals - it shouldn't even be POSSIBLE to rack up $26k in bills in that amount of time!
OTOH, I guess the thieves weren't considerate by using just nighttime minutes... ;) - chogie, on 10/12/2007, -6/+25@minamhere
1. It wasn't Boost Mobile, so Aqua Teen Hunger Force has nothing to do with it.
2. Is it bad when somebody can post ATHFCMFFT, and I know what it is even though I haven't seen it put that way before. - fjc8, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18One way: international calls.
Cingular's standard (read: inflated) rates charges *$11.49/min* for international calls to satellite destinations (eg Inmarsat, Thurya).
The most expensive land destinations are $4.90/min (mostly small Pacific islands)
Some phone companies are set up in foreign companies for the express purpose of receiving revenue from incoming international calls.
For $4/mo, Cingular offers drastically lowered rates -- the rate for South Korea drops drastically to $0.08-0.11/min from $3.49-3.52/min. Many European/other first world nations also cost less than $0.20 for both landline and mobile with this package.
Even though the costs to call Canada are minimal, Cingular still charges $0.19/min at their cheapest standard listed rate. (Ridiculous.)
Another way: data.
$1800 is just 175 megabytes at a rate of $0.01/kb.
Yet another way: text. - gothicx00, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18Pay as you go might be appropriate for some, but not all. I'm willing to bet that you have a land-line phone that you have access to, and use it far more often than a cell-phone. But there are some of us that find that we need a cell-phone, and need it enough to forgo even getting a land line. My wife and I have done just that. Besides it's far simpler to give out one number, and be reachable anywhere, as long as you remembered to bring your phone. We actually ran the numbers when we decided to make this jump into cell-phone exclusivity and found that we are paying a comparable amount of money for two cell phones with a few extra minutes and features as we would with a bottom of the line cell phone plan (for two mind you) and a land-line phone with voice mail. Long distance? No problem. International calling? Comparable to land-line. Plus we get text messaging, voice-mail, and tons of features that we would normally forgo if we had a land line.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling you out for going 'pay as you go' only, but merely relating that it doesn't work for everybody.
And as far as the subject of the article goes, It sucks that they treated her that way. But, having worked for two of the most popular cell-phone providers, I can tell you that if you bitch hard enough, you can get nearly anything you want out of them. For some providers, all you have to do is mention a particular (non-publicized) plan and it's yours. If they say they can't do it for what ever reason, ask for a supervisor, be nice but firm, and you'll get it. And if they won't give it to you, say thanks, hang up, and try again later. Most operators don't even read account notes, unless there is something suspicious or the customer tells them to. I've had overages credited back to me for not much more than the fact I didn't want to pay them. Some times it takes a bit of social engineering, but I willing to bet after a couple of hours on the phone with them, I could have gotten something like this waved. Or at the very least put on hold till I could provide proof that there was no way I could be liable for the charges. Providers bend the contracts, and in other cases break them all together to keep you as a customer. The last thing they need is for you to go to a competitor because thats like twice the money lost. It's one thing to not have you as a customer, but another thing entirely to have you defect to the competition.
@donCharcharo
Welcome to Cingular, how would you like your call dropped today?
Yeah, that is a regular occurence at cingular, and if those things *aren't* happening to you today, it's happening to somebody else. Don't get me on a GSM rant.... read my comments, they get bad. - Doriath, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14"should have canceled it, but i guess she couldn't call"
She canceled it as soon as she got home and became aware. That was very clearly stated in the article... - Dpack1, on 10/12/2007, -5/+19I'd have to say Cingular and all cellphone contract companies for that matter, must be doing something illegal... does anyone here honestly think it costs them THAT much to connect two data points and transmit tiny amounts of information between them per minute? the actual reality of that bill probably cost Cingular about 40cents!
- willierab, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17Cingular is now the new AT&T. Reach out and touch your checkbook.
- krebcycle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13We don't have debtors prison here in America. You can't go to jail for not paying a debt. At the worst they can ruin your credit. Some types of debts, like federally secured student loans can end up having your wages garnished if you don't pay but everything else just hits your credit. The only kind of debts that can land you in jail for not paying are fines or fees or awards imposed by a judge in a court of law. Child support payments fall into this category, but even so you'll have your wages garnished first.
- Nysul, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10@FrostyFire
Actually, no, you're not. Otherwise no one would have credit cards. - adrianblack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8GSM people, spend the 1 minute of time to put a PIN code on your SIM card. Whenever you turn on the phone it'll ask for the SIM pin and if you enter it wrong 3 times the SIM is locked. (Even if you move the SIM to another phone the SIM itself is locked.)
For the lady who left overseas she most likely had her phone turned off -- and a thief wouldn't have gotten her PIN so no charges.
You should also put a lock on your phone -- so whenever you turn it on it asks for a code. Most GSM phones can be set to only do that if the SIM is changed.... - IEatHamburgers, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Not cheque in the US buddy... where Cingular/AT&T is located.
- fani, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9ninjaboy - FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, FOR THE LAST TIME -- Its "lose", not "loose".
Your comment should have read - "Sprint - We don't arrest you because you lose your phone". - detroitsux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8How do you rack up a $1800 charge in a single evening?
- MrSketch, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9@MisterFlaut
You haven't read your wireless contract very closely I guess. These are not like credits cards that have liability protection for stolen cards. You would think they should be, but they are not. Under your contract look for the phrase "Should your cell phone be lost or stolen you are responsible for any costs incurred for unauthorized calls made prior to reporting the cell phone missing." Of course that statement will be obscured behind lots of legalese, but they all contain the same message. - cbreaker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Thanks for being the reason the cell phone companies treat everyone like a liar trying to skirt a large bill.
- topgunhomer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Phone sex?
- krebcycle, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10@misterflaut
You're incorrect. It's on a contract by contract situation. I don't need to read up on it, I talked to a lawyer about it two years ago when it happened. - cbreaker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8I had this happen to me with T-Mobile. Someone stole my Sidekick II on a Friday, and I didn't notice it was gone until Monday. I called right away and come find out there was an $850 phone bill. FOR TWO DAYS.
I had been a T-Mobile customer for three years. I had a 300 minute plan and I never, ever once went over the 300 minute mark. I used it mostly for e-mail, and had unlimited data.
I asked them "Do you seriously think this fits my usage pattern?" They didn't care. They were downright RUDE. When I said "I'd like to speak with your manager" for the fifth time, he said "Well, I would have knocked $100 off but now that you asked that, you have to pay full price." The manager got on the phone, and I said "You didn't actually GIVE me anything. It didn't cost you anything to provide this service for the weekend (statistically.) If you want to keep me as a customer you NEED to do something here." She said "Well, you should have taken (the other rude support rep's) the deal." I'm no longer a customer of theirs.
They would have made much more then $800 from me since I left them. I've purchased phones and plans and all that stuff. But they wanted the easy money. Not good business practices.
I tried contacting lawyers and legal experts in the area, and they all said "It will cost you more to sue then to pay, more then likely." It's a really ***** thing.
BE VERY CAREFUL with cell phone contracts. Do not sign them if they are unfair to you. - whitespiral, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Having worked for years in the fraud control area of a very large cellphone carrier, I can safely say this:
Some of those claims are genuine, but some people decide to fake the story of a stolen phone, just to:
1. get away with calling too much for a day or two,
2. use the whole thing as an excuse why there are calls placed to their lovers' cellphones
They just call nilly willy for some days, including calls to expensive 01-900s, just to make the story seem more real.
But they mix those calls with normal calls they place every day, or send a text message to a number they have sent mssgs to before. They just don't know how far back cellphone companies can track your calls and general usage, and find patterns that can without a doubt tell them it's really you.
Those SOBs deserve to pay every friggin cent. - bmartin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8I think that perhaps this might be an appropriate place to apply biometrics. The phone could scan your fingerprint or retina or something. If well-designed, it could do that while you were dialing. As long as no one steals your finger, you're all set.
- fisticuffs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6True *****, watch your phone!!!
This happened to my girlfriend with Verizon. Had her phone stolen on Friday night, didn't notice until like Mon-Tues, $2500 bill. We ended up working something out with Verizon but I still ended up paying close to $1k. It all comes down to the time you reported it stolen.... - licoricewhip, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8I don't like your use of the phrase "nilly willy."
- Narkinbarf, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I know I'll get dugg down for this but this is just lame. why is this "big brothers" job. If my cell gets stolen, I call my carrier and cancel service. If calls are made in between that period it's my problem. I can't expect the carrier to incur the cost of my irresponsibility. The government has it's nose in enough of my business. They should not be telling companies what kind of service they have to provide, especially when they put it in writing and YOU sign the dotted line.
- halik, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7^
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FED NUTCASE WARNING.... approach with caution, no grasp of economics and tinfoil hat - InfamousAtheist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5You don't have to worry about many of your calls connecting either, do you?
- mousky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I've lost my phone before. I called customer service and told them what happened. They blocked the phone so it could not access the network. They also said that if I find the phone, to call back and the block will be removed. Fortunately, someone found the phone outside my apartment building and handed in to the manager. Reactivating the phone was painless. As much as Cingular was being a bunch of jerks, sometimes the customer has to take some responsibility and initiative.
- RobTyree, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7You are incorrect. There are several types of bankruptcy - some require that you pay back all or part of your debts (reorganization), and some types will still wipe everything out (liquidation), but you would lose any assets you hold in most of those cases. All the government did with this latest round of laws was to make the requirements to file more strict to keep less frivolous cases off the books.
- Stopher, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6They should let you limit where your phone can call to. Fox example, if my phone ever calls Zimbabwe or Puerto Rico it wasn't me. It was the guy in Newark who stole it. There's no reason they can't stop that kind of activity. The credit card companies do it. They just are out to aid and abet the theives b/c they're getting a cut.
- IareKEVLAR, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5CellphOWNED
- zxof, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10hmm.... no one suggest to use 'prepaid' instead?
- JohnboiWaltune, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6There are anarcho-capitalist nations like Vanuatu whose only real industries are shady banking and shady telecom. They can bill you whatever they want per minute for calling a number in their country. My guess is that someone sets up a $10/min. phone line in that country, and then pays thieves to take people's cell phones and call the number for as long as possible.
These kinds of things are the reason I have a prepaid $0.10/minute cell phone. I only talk on the phone about 100 minutes per month, so I only pay $10/month for service. I only put on $100 at a time, so that's the most a thief will get from me. - malkdome, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7@MisterFlaut
They do attempt to collect on those kinda bills. I just had to hire a lawyer last month to fight Cingular's collection agency. They was sued me for $1600, but the social security they had didn't match. I'm still out $500 in lawyer fees..... - pagemap, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7No one should be using Cingular, anyway. Remember that NSA wiretapping fiasco? They are in bed with the government, and have no issue serving up your private information to them.
- WaterDragon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6FTA:
"Cingular held her responsible for charges incurred after the phone was taken, up until the time Wendy discovered the theft and called the carrier."
What Wendy fails to recognize is that the entire reason why a company stops billing you AFTER you report it stolen, is that THEN, they are able to TURN OFF your phone service, so calls can't be made.
They don't do it as any kind of courtesy to you. Corporations are not like that. It is all 'business.'
One can argue that they should perhaps waive their profits on the illegitimate calls, and only charge her for their actual cost, if any....but then everyone might find out how little the service actually costs them, and how much they are routinely gouging their customers.
And later in the article:
"Eileen was able to submit proof from landline phone records that she had indeed called Sprint customer service. As her late fees piled up, the situation remained unresolved for months."
It doesn't say how it was finally resolved -- so this article begins to look like just a bunch of whining complaints, with little objectivity.
Corporations suck, m'kay? Now move on, and stop whining!
And more FTA:
"Then there's Pamela Woodson's story. When her cell phone was stolen, she reported it the very next day. However, by that time her account had already incurred over $1,800 in unauthorized charges. Due to the suspicious nature of the fraudulent charges, she was actually interviewed by the FBI -- and cleared of all responsibility. Nevertheless, T-Mobile pressed on, insisting she pay the outstanding charges in addition to late fees and interest."
The VERY next day? Why not a day earlier?
It is in the nature of cell phones that owning one requires a bit more awareness of it...for that very reason.
Think of it like an expensive diamond ring that you own. You wouldn't take it off and set it down on the sink in a public restroom while you wash your hands, would you?
People are always ready to blame others for the consequences of their OWN LACK of AWARENESS!
I don't like sprint at all. I use Sprint, and they are a bunch of sleazy mofos....but anyone who waits a day to notice their phone is gone (and to report it)...really is ill equipped to own such a device.
When I lost a cell phone, I phoned it in within about five minutes, after first returning to the place where I had dropped it.
And I got the name of the Sprint rep I had talked with, and recorded the time of the phone call.
It's called AWARENESS, people! GET IT! - mercerman54, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6This doesn't suprise me too much, anytime I have dealt with Cingular they have been complete *****. which is why I switched.
- jthoske, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I had a $750 Cingular bill last June around the time I was married (I have a family plan with 3 lines total...normal bill is around $120/mo). All of the charges were legitimate, most of which were from how much we were using the phones to make wedding arrangements. After I got the bill, I called Customer Service and they only made me pay about half. They were willing to even work out a payment plan on the part they didn't knock off.
I didn't have to threaten to cancel or whatever, even. Although, we have been Cingular customers for 4+ years. -
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