T-Mobile & Verizon false charges

By CSharpner · November 14, 2010

Verizon Troubles:

Back in June of 2010, I switched from Verizon to T-Mobile for the following reasons in no particular order:

  1. High prices.
  2. False charges:
    1. I blocked text messaging on all my phones about 2 years ago. I don't use that service and can't see a justification for charging for a technology that doesn't cost anything to provide. They kept turning it on and charging me for spam texts that came through. Every time I called, one phone or another had some blocked service unblocked.
    2. I did not have a data plan, but they turned it on, without my consent, and started charging me for it.
    3. Every time I called SOMETHING was re-activated and I was charged for it, even though I specifically blocked EVERYTHING except for voice EVERY TIME I CALLED.
    4. They refused to waive the charges and insisted I had to pay them.
    5. T-Mobile had a Father's day sale in June 2010 that offered ALL of their phones FOR FREE. Also, their plans offered more minutes per month and at a lower rate. I was able to get their top o the line Android phone for free, plus 3 Nokia Nuron's for my wife and kids, and a phone for my aunt... all the extra phones were free and their monthly rates were $5/mo per phone, except for my primary phone, which was $69/mo + $30/mo for unlimited data. So, with new and updated phones and an unlimited data plan, which I didn't have before, I'm paying about the same.



T-Mobile troubles:

When I signed up with T-Mobile, I specifically blocked texting on ALL the lines. With my prior experience with Verizion, I was VERY careful with my wording and VERY explicit about what I wanted blocked... EVERYTHING except voice on all the lines and everything except voice and data on my line.
When I got my first bill, there were text charges on it. I called and texting was NOT blocked on 2 of the 5 lines. They were good enough to waive the charges and enable blocking again.
Today (11/14/2010), I get a bill with a NINE dollar charge for texting on my primary phone. This doesn't make sense because:

  1. Texting is supposed to be blocked.
  2. I have a data plan, so I have no need for texting with internet chat programs like Google Voice, Microsoft Messenger, Yahoo messenger, etc...
    It turns out that somehow, they charge for Yahoo messenger.

Fortunately, the operator completely agreed with me that there should be no charges (I’m thinking recent FCC action against Verizon for suspicious charges played a part here).  Apparently, there's yet another service they charge for (even though, when I called after my first bill, I said, I want everything blocked except voice (and data on my phone)). IM is "different" from texting and Yahoo Messenger uses "IM" rather than regular internet traffic. That's ridiculous on many levels. But, she did waive all the charges and saw that another 20 cents would be charged for the next bill that she'll take care of and also said she'll put in a reminder for herself to check my account on the 17th to make sure everything is still right.

My big complaints:

  1. All chargeable features should be disabled by default.
  2. I should have to "opt-in" (specifically request features that have additional charges).
  3. If I use some feature that triggers a charge, I should be notified before I use the service to give me an option cancel the action to avoid the charge. This did NOT happen with yahoo messenger. I used it SPECIFICALLY because it's basic internet messaging and presumably FREE.

So, be warned for both Verizon AND T-Mobile.