BellSouth, AT&T, ripoff switching long-distance to AT&T's highest rate plan without permission ripoff Tennessee Florida
Beware of BellSouth and AT&T - I would rather be boiled in oil than to ever become one of their customers again!
Bottom line: BellSouth & AT&T have some sort of scam going, where they switch customers over to AT&T's HIGHEST rate plan (35 cents / minute) without receiving permission from their customers, then when the customers get obscenely high phone bills (ours went from $60 to $500 when they switched us from IDT to AT&T!), BellSouth disconnects their service, charges them a reconnect fee, and then BellSouth and AT&T both say that the other company authorized the switch in service.
It seems that neither one is doing it, then? Hmmm, it must be the magic Long-Distance Switching Fairy, then?
As if receiving a phone bill with nearly $500 in unauthorized charges wasn't insulting enough, BellSouth turned off my parents phone service when they wouldn't/couldn't pay the fees. They never called, sent a notice, or anything - just shut the phone off! When my father called them from his cell phone, BellSouth told him that "yes, you have an excellent payment history" - he then asked why they wouldn't have at least called him before shutting his phone off - esp. when they knew about the fraudulent charges - and he was told "Well, it is YOUR responsibility to pay your bill"
So, the entire family has switched altogether to the MCI Neighborhood plan. None of us will EVER use BellSouth or AT&T again... Spread the word!!!
Heather
Knoxville, Tennessee
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Anon
Miami,Florida,
U.S.A.
Report the problem to the FCC
#2Consumer Suggestion
Tue, February 18, 2003
Hello--
On your bill (usually in very small print on the back) there should be an address for the FCC. You should report your problems to them.
Your scam sounds like a version of "slamming" which is prohibited. My guess is that the FCC is probably getting more than a few complaints already.
They (FCC) were quite receptive when I had a problem with MCI a few years ago. They don't do a whole lot with a single complaint, but they do make the company answer to your complaint and if there are multiple complaints it can lead to a class action suit eventually.
Good luck with your case!