Complaint Review: Centennial Wireless

You know, I have been in retail for several years now and you would think that I would have become numb to this type of nonsense. It drives me crazy to know end when people speak up and complain about a company with out knowing how the particular industry works........

Let's address your issues; You signed up for 3 months free but you didn't recieve a your credit for the 3rd month? Here is your answer..... Say you activated your service on May 1st. Your very first bill would have generated at midnight of either that day or the next. This bill would have been next to nothing because you paid your first month access on your activation but were given credit on the same ticket. That credit was then automatically applied to your very first bill. That being what it is, your second bill would have generated on your cycle date (1st or 2nd) of June which too would have had your $59.99 credit and finally your 3rd bill would have been the bill that printed on the 1st or second of July which too would have had a credit of $59.99....... Although you don't feel as if you got 3 months free, in actuallity you did. If you aren't familliar with how a bill cycle works you should probablly take the time to learn it before you make claims that could possiblly be untrue.

Here is how your bill cycle would have worked if you activated your service on the 1st of May and your cycle date was the 1st.

Bill #1: Comes out at midnight on the 1st of May but isn't due until the 1st of June

Bill #2: Comes out at midnight on the 1st of June but isn't due until the 1st of July

Bill #3: Comes out at midnight on the 1st of July but isn't due until the 1st of August

Issue number 2 is that the activating rep entered the wrong billing address so you did not recieve your first few bills. This type of thing does happen, we are humans and we all make mistakes. Yes you were charged $1.99 per line for 3 months thus totaling approx. $12.00 in charges for a service you had not recieved. Had you gone into the store and spoken with an associate in a calm and understanding manner, the rep would have offered to credit off the charges as a courtesy for the mistake. No harm, no foul. Issue number 3 is being charged $1.99 to recieve a paper bill...... Most wireless companies have this charge. I know Centennial does as well as Verizon. I personally have a verizon phone which every month when I get my bill I have a charge of $1.99 for a paper bill. This fee is easily avoided by simply enrolling in online billing. Not only are you saving the $1.99 but you are also reducing your carbon foot print by saving paper.

Last but not least, you were charged for international text messages. Before I tell you what happened I must explain that regardless of your wireless carrier, you are suseptable to these charges. These charges are the result of what we in the industry call Premium SMS downloads. A premium SMS download is either a recurring monthly charge or a one time only charge that you as the customer has enrolled in by your choice. These are not fees that Centennial Wireless nor any other wireless company charges you just to charge you. Before I give you a few examples of how one might incurr these charges I would like to let you know that the 1-800 number you were given was more than llikely the number to the National Short Code Hotline. The NSCH is a service that has been set up to assist people in removing thier number from a particular company that would be charging you. The NSCH is not carrier specific and can be used by any one on any wireless plan who is being charged for these charges. Here are your examples of how you could have been enrolled in these services:

1 time charges: You can incurr these "international" text message charges by simply texting a short code that you picked up from television. For instance; Deal or no Deal used to (not sure if they still do) let you text in to a specific short code to "guess" which case the money was in. By sending this text, you have agreed to be charged a specific amount of money in addition to what ever charges your wireless company charges you for texting. If you have unlimited texting your wireless company will not charge you anything additional on thier end but they will charge you the charges that are sent to them via the company who you sent the text too..... Mind you, this is only one example. If I were to list them all I would never get off this computer and you would not read all of it because of its length.

Recurring charges: Once again, this is something you enrolled in by either texting a short code you seen on TV offereing you a free ringtone if you text a certain word to a certain number. If you read the small print at the bottom of the screen you will see that by sending that text you are agreeing to a monthly charge that can reach upwards of $14.99 and higher per month whether you physically recieve the ringtone or not. You can also incur these charges by entering your phone number online for survey's and IQ tests.....

So, let's recap..... More than likely you did recieve all 3 months of service for free but you couldn't understand the billing cycle so you decided to come on here and rant making others think we are some horrible people determined to take all your money. You are upset because a human made a mistake that could have easily been corrected with a phone call or visit to your local office. You are upset about a billing practice that nearly ALL wireless companies participate in which too could have been avoided by enrolling in online billing. Your biggest issue is the fact that you were charged for something that more than likely you did but just don't remember doing and now you think it is all Centennial's fault which is the perfect reason to tell people not to use our service when in fact this could have happened to you regardless of who you had your wireless service through.....

Last but not least, I would like to say that I may not have hit the nail directly on the head but I am fairly confident that I atleast drove the nail home as these are common complaints we recieve on a daily basis. I know it is not human nature to trust a sales person but the fact is that our pay is based upon commission which is not paid to us until we reach a certain number of new activations. Although most would like to believe that we as sales people in general would say anything to get you to sign on the dotted line instead of accept responsibility for your actions or choices, this is not the case. We want to give you all the information to make an educated decision. If we lie to you then we are the ones who have to deal with your problems. To be honest with you, I would rather not deal with your constant complaints than to sell you a phone. Secondly, we do not advertise as much as the larger carriers and therefore a majority of our business comes from referrals. If I lie to you the chances of you sending any referrals my way are slim to none. That being what it is, we do not intentionally lie to customers to get them to sign. I will not say I speak for everyone but I will say I speak for the vast majority. I know myself, I actually try not to activate customers I feel will never be satisfied.

I would like to offer my apologies for the misunderstanding between you and Centennial. My hopes are that you read my letter and, if nothing else, you decide to give a company a shot regardless of what company that may be. If you feel you were not given ful disclosure, maybe you will take it upon yourself in the future to ensure you ask the right questions. In addition, if you run into an issue with a certain company, please go into the store and ask for a specific answer to your question and ask for a fair resolution. You have probablly heard the old addage "you attract more bees with honey than you do with vinegar." Same goes for your cell phone bill. If you go into a retail location (not an agent store) and address the issue in a calm and collected manner with an open mind and a willingness to come to an amicable agreement I am confident you will leave feeling satisfied.

We want to make you happy, we really do. A happy customer is the driving force behind our efforts. Remember, we are just as human as you are. When you come in hot under the collar, we too will go on the defensive and tend to not work as hard for someone who belittles or degrades us. At the end of the day we still have to go home to our families who inturn feel the negative impact you have dealt to our lives. Please, please, please understand what I have said and please don't take anything as a personal attack towards you. I am simply venting as you are because too often I or a fellow associate have to deal with an upset customer who holds us personally responsible for something completely out of our control. On multiple occassions I have nearly walked out, leaving a career with a great company behind due to unruly customers....

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I do wish you the best of luck in finding a wireless company that suits your needs.