Complaint Review: Worldcom Wireless

Had I come across this website before, I would not have been so patient with Worldcom Wireless.

Worldcom Wireless sent me an offer for a free phone and the Advantage Regional 120 Digital plan. I decided, after considerable research, to redeem the offer.

I received the phone with an order confirmation and phone number. However, upon reading the information enclosed, I had several questions about the service before I committed myself completely.

My first call to Worldcom's Exceptional Customer Service started with a 15-minute wait on the phone for a live person. When "Julia answered the phone she could not answer any of my questions.

1. Why had I been assigned a Washington, DC telephone number when I lived in Leesburg, VA, 35 miles NW of Washington, DC would that incur long distance charges?
2. My local phone dialing area requires 10 digit dialing (if I call my next door neighbour I have to use the area code). Would I incur long distance charges for local calls?
3. I often call a town nearby which has a different area code although it is only 6 miles West of me. Would I incur long distance charges for those calls?

Julia took my home and office phone numbers and told me she would call me back later that day. A week passed and I heard nothing from Julia.

My second call to Worldcom's Exceptional Customer Service started with the same 15-minute wait for a live person. Then Dee (extension 7517) came onto the line. I explained my story so far and Dee was very helpful. After some research (while I was on the line) she found a more local phone number (within 9 miles of my house) answered all my questions and then told me I had the wrong cellular phone. She would send me a new phone programmed with the new phone number. Enclosed in the box would be a return label for me to return the first incorrect phone.

Two weeks later I called Customer Service again. I waited another 10 minutes for Michael (ext. 7508). Michael looked into my account - - it is still listed under the Washington DC telephone number. He discovered that although Dee (ext. 7517) had entered all the information, the order had not been processed. Michael assured me that he would pass it on to his supervisor and the order would be processed immediately and I would receive my phone within 5 days. I explained to Michael that I had absolutely no confidence in that and that I wanted to return the phone. He supplied the Returns Department phone number. Backing down a little, I asked Michael what guarantee he could give me that the phone would actually arrive, and what kind of customer service I could expect if I did indeed receive my new phone. Michael said nothing to reassure me and when I asked for the Returns Department, he offered to transfer my call. Whether intentionally or not, he hung up on me.

I called the Returns Department and waited, yes, you guessed it, 15 minutes (1:50 2:05 PM). I spoke to a very nice young lady who assured me that I would receive a return mailing label within 7-10 days at my home address which we confirmed at that time.

I received the return label but had, at this time, decided to try once more to get a phone that worked. I contacted "customer service", waited the apparently required 20 minutes and then talked to a lady who said she would send me a new phone, with the correct phone number and the service for my area. The phone arrived within 5 days. On the Order Confirmation had the Washington DC phone number and, when I switched on the phone, the same incorrect phone number was on the display.

I called "customer service". They gave me a ticket number and referred me to the Technical Department. A young man tried to walk me through re-programming my phone. Nothing he tried worked and he put me on hold several times. I could hear him turning pages of a manual? Eventually he put me on hold and I was cut off. I called back, furious at this point, I had been on the phone with the "Customer Service" and Technical Departments for an hour. The young lady who answered told me I had the incorrect ESN number assigned to my phone and she gave me another ticket number and transferred me to another technician. This technician was very helpful and together and 30 minutes later we had re-programmed the correct phone number into the phone I had in my hand. She assured me that my phone would be active within 48 hours.

72 hours later I called customer service since my phone was still not operable . I waited the required 20 minutes and then spoke to a young lady who determined that my ESN number did not match my new phone number. She corrected this and told me that she could guarantee that my phone would be operable by late afternoon on Monday, 12 October. The phone was not working at 5:00 PM - - so I called again. This time I insisted that I speak to a supervisor. The supervisor assured me that the phone would be working within 2-4 hours and that Worldcom would call me on the cell phone to confirm this. Although they did not call, the phone was operating within the promised 2-4 hour time frame.

The original phone came with the promised hands free set, 2 face plate covers, a belt clip, batteries and battery charger. The new phone arrived with battery and battery charger only. The original offer was for a phone and hands free set.

Since my voice mail did not work either, I called again, waited the required 20-30 minutes and asked that my voice mail be activated and that something be given to me in lieu of the items that had originally come with my first phone.

It is now February- my voice mail has never worked, the antennae broke off and the leather case promised me has never arrived.

I was billed recently for the first time since the phone was activated in November. Approximately 1/3 of the charges are incorrect. I have emailed and called and no one has responded. Perhaps if I don't pay the bill they will call me.

Lynne
Leesburg, Virginia

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