Pioneer Telephone ripoff fraudulent billing and taking money without authorization Scarborough Maine
In November of 2002 I received a notice in my e-mail that my debit card had been debited for x amount of dollars and .3 cents.....yes thats just .3 cents not .03 or .30...just .3. I inquired with the company why this had happened and they said they were making adjustments to their billing equiptment and to just disregard the notice.
About 1 week later I received another e-mail stating that another "x" amount of dollars had been debited from my debit card. I assumed that it was another error because I had NEVER given them authorization to auto debit my card and actually a few weeks before had asked them to snail mail me my bill as I'm not always online to check my e-mail. They agreed. Well guess what! A couple of days later I get a notice from my bank stating that I'm over drawn on my account!
I called my bank the next business day and found out that Pioneer indeed DID debit my card for that amount! YET....get this...I had not yet even received my bill via snail-mail OR e-mail! I had NO clue to what was even due! Now I brushed up on some Fedral Trade Commission information and found out that this is HIGHLY illegal.
First off they had to have my WRITTEN permission to auto debit my account. Second, ANY bill that varies from month to month the company providing the service and doing the billing MUST give AT LEAST 10 days notification BEFORE taking out the monies in case theres a discrepency in the bill! I neither gave WRITTEN permission to even have the money auto drawn (amazingly my account was set on auto pay yet I had never accessed that feature) AND I didn't even get a bill from the company until AFTER they had taken the money!
I did get the money put back into my account - BUT then again had it taken back even AFTER I had won a judgment from my debit card company. AND after looking through my phone bill I realized that I was being over charged. Now the first thing I did (after contacting the bank) was contact the BBB - TWICE - They are TOTALLY WORTHLESS! DON'T BOTHER EVEN CONTACTING THEM! THEY WILL DO NOTHING FOR YOU.
The company replied back both times and because they did AND LIED in the process the matter was "settled" in the BBB eyes. BEWARE OF PIONEER FOLKS! I wonder how many others they've done this to? Also, another lesson learned. Don't bother with the BBB. It will do you no good. Thanks for letting me let off some steam!
Anita
Almond, Wisconsin
U.S.A.
6 Updates & Rebuttals
Nic
Scarborough,Maine,
U.S.A.
A Load of Manure
#7UPDATE Employee
Mon, November 14, 2005
Regardless of her homemaking or mothering skills, they weaseled their way out of their debt.
Pioneer sent them to collections because they dead beats. They signed up for autopay and are sent an email to notify them their online bill is ready at our website.
Liars, loud mouths and novice lawyers who file complaints instead of paying their bills.
Shame on you.
Todd
Almond,Wisconsin,
U.S.A.
The Big Picture! You Decide what is TRUTH!
#7Consumer Comment
Wed, July 02, 2003
Fact: We did NOT receive a bill for the ammount drawn until after the money was drawn out of our account.
Fact: We did request that the bill be sent snail-mail and Pioneer Telephone Company agreed to do so and later withdrew the money before the bill arrived to us.
And the truth of the matter is we never once argued with this company whether we owed them money or not, we only argued that the way they went about it was not right and in fact there was discrepancies in the bill when we later received it.
Here is one more fact to set straight with this company and yes I do mean the whole company not just the employee that made the rebuttal!
My wife is NOT as this person stated; and I quote (1)"a dime store wanna be lawyer who uses half truths and mistruths to try and bully her way out of her debts" (2)"A dead beat and a liar" and (3)a person that should "spend half of the time at a real job working that she spends trying to get out her obligations she'd have money to pay her bills".
Before Pioneer Telephone Company Employees start spouting off, he/she should consider this:
My wife has a job and it is more than likely 5-10 times the job he/she will ever have. That job is being a FULL time Mother to 3 children and a loving wife, she puts on over 30,000 miles a year running to play practice, football, basketball, cub scouts, girl scouts, Laundry, dishes, cooks 2-3 meals a day (school/summer), etc... She wears many hats in a day to include: be a nurse, a counselor, a teacher (homework), a referee, a maid, chauffer me to doctors, a finance director (to include paying bills), an accountant, a gardner, a mechanic, and the list could go on. Not to mention she owns 2 business's that she runs out of the home. She does all this because an unfortunate accident has limited me from doing the job I use too, and having to work a lower paying sedintary job became reality.
So you can see the fact is we are an HONEST hard working family that did at the time (just in a different account) and continue to have enough money to pay all of our bills and responsible enough to do so on time as long as we are notified properly in advance of when the monies are due. Rather than having a company do the wrong thing and squander over their money when every intention was for her to pay the bill had she known and was not taken by suprise.
So now that all the Facts are out and not a bunch of insults with name calling as was on their part. I do beleive as Pioneer Telephone Company's employee said, "I am sure you can come to the proper conclusion yourself".
Angered husband in Wisconsin!
Todd
Almond,Wisconsin,
U.S.A.
The Big Picture! You Decide what is TRUTH!
#7Consumer Comment
Wed, July 02, 2003
Fact: We did NOT receive a bill for the ammount drawn until after the money was drawn out of our account.
Fact: We did request that the bill be sent snail-mail and Pioneer Telephone Company agreed to do so and later withdrew the money before the bill arrived to us.
And the truth of the matter is we never once argued with this company whether we owed them money or not, we only argued that the way they went about it was not right and in fact there was discrepancies in the bill when we later received it.
Here is one more fact to set straight with this company and yes I do mean the whole company not just the employee that made the rebuttal!
My wife is NOT as this person stated; and I quote (1)"a dime store wanna be lawyer who uses half truths and mistruths to try and bully her way out of her debts" (2)"A dead beat and a liar" and (3)a person that should "spend half of the time at a real job working that she spends trying to get out her obligations she'd have money to pay her bills".
Before Pioneer Telephone Company Employees start spouting off, he/she should consider this:
My wife has a job and it is more than likely 5-10 times the job he/she will ever have. That job is being a FULL time Mother to 3 children and a loving wife, she puts on over 30,000 miles a year running to play practice, football, basketball, cub scouts, girl scouts, Laundry, dishes, cooks 2-3 meals a day (school/summer), etc... She wears many hats in a day to include: be a nurse, a counselor, a teacher (homework), a referee, a maid, chauffer me to doctors, a finance director (to include paying bills), an accountant, a gardner, a mechanic, and the list could go on. Not to mention she owns 2 business's that she runs out of the home. She does all this because an unfortunate accident has limited me from doing the job I use too, and having to work a lower paying sedintary job became reality.
So you can see the fact is we are an HONEST hard working family that did at the time (just in a different account) and continue to have enough money to pay all of our bills and responsible enough to do so on time as long as we are notified properly in advance of when the monies are due. Rather than having a company do the wrong thing and squander over their money when every intention was for her to pay the bill had she known and was not taken by suprise.
So now that all the Facts are out and not a bunch of insults with name calling as was on their part. I do beleive as Pioneer Telephone Company's employee said, "I am sure you can come to the proper conclusion yourself".
Angered husband in Wisconsin!
Todd
Almond,Wisconsin,
U.S.A.
The Big Picture! You Decide what is TRUTH!
#7Consumer Comment
Wed, July 02, 2003
Fact: We did NOT receive a bill for the ammount drawn until after the money was drawn out of our account.
Fact: We did request that the bill be sent snail-mail and Pioneer Telephone Company agreed to do so and later withdrew the money before the bill arrived to us.
And the truth of the matter is we never once argued with this company whether we owed them money or not, we only argued that the way they went about it was not right and in fact there was discrepancies in the bill when we later received it.
Here is one more fact to set straight with this company and yes I do mean the whole company not just the employee that made the rebuttal!
My wife is NOT as this person stated; and I quote (1)"a dime store wanna be lawyer who uses half truths and mistruths to try and bully her way out of her debts" (2)"A dead beat and a liar" and (3)a person that should "spend half of the time at a real job working that she spends trying to get out her obligations she'd have money to pay her bills".
Before Pioneer Telephone Company Employees start spouting off, he/she should consider this:
My wife has a job and it is more than likely 5-10 times the job he/she will ever have. That job is being a FULL time Mother to 3 children and a loving wife, she puts on over 30,000 miles a year running to play practice, football, basketball, cub scouts, girl scouts, Laundry, dishes, cooks 2-3 meals a day (school/summer), etc... She wears many hats in a day to include: be a nurse, a counselor, a teacher (homework), a referee, a maid, chauffer me to doctors, a finance director (to include paying bills), an accountant, a gardner, a mechanic, and the list could go on. Not to mention she owns 2 business's that she runs out of the home. She does all this because an unfortunate accident has limited me from doing the job I use too, and having to work a lower paying sedintary job became reality.
So you can see the fact is we are an HONEST hard working family that did at the time (just in a different account) and continue to have enough money to pay all of our bills and responsible enough to do so on time as long as we are notified properly in advance of when the monies are due. Rather than having a company do the wrong thing and squander over their money when every intention was for her to pay the bill had she known and was not taken by suprise.
So now that all the Facts are out and not a bunch of insults with name calling as was on their part. I do beleive as Pioneer Telephone Company's employee said, "I am sure you can come to the proper conclusion yourself".
Angered husband in Wisconsin!
Todd
Almond,Wisconsin,
U.S.A.
The Big Picture! You Decide what is TRUTH!
#7Consumer Comment
Wed, July 02, 2003
Fact: We did NOT receive a bill for the ammount drawn until after the money was drawn out of our account.
Fact: We did request that the bill be sent snail-mail and Pioneer Telephone Company agreed to do so and later withdrew the money before the bill arrived to us.
And the truth of the matter is we never once argued with this company whether we owed them money or not, we only argued that the way they went about it was not right and in fact there was discrepancies in the bill when we later received it.
Here is one more fact to set straight with this company and yes I do mean the whole company not just the employee that made the rebuttal!
My wife is NOT as this person stated; and I quote (1)"a dime store wanna be lawyer who uses half truths and mistruths to try and bully her way out of her debts" (2)"A dead beat and a liar" and (3)a person that should "spend half of the time at a real job working that she spends trying to get out her obligations she'd have money to pay her bills".
Before Pioneer Telephone Company Employees start spouting off, he/she should consider this:
My wife has a job and it is more than likely 5-10 times the job he/she will ever have. That job is being a FULL time Mother to 3 children and a loving wife, she puts on over 30,000 miles a year running to play practice, football, basketball, cub scouts, girl scouts, Laundry, dishes, cooks 2-3 meals a day (school/summer), etc... She wears many hats in a day to include: be a nurse, a counselor, a teacher (homework), a referee, a maid, chauffer me to doctors, a finance director (to include paying bills), an accountant, a gardner, a mechanic, and the list could go on. Not to mention she owns 2 business's that she runs out of the home. She does all this because an unfortunate accident has limited me from doing the job I use too, and having to work a lower paying sedintary job became reality.
So you can see the fact is we are an HONEST hard working family that did at the time (just in a different account) and continue to have enough money to pay all of our bills and responsible enough to do so on time as long as we are notified properly in advance of when the monies are due. Rather than having a company do the wrong thing and squander over their money when every intention was for her to pay the bill had she known and was not taken by suprise.
So now that all the Facts are out and not a bunch of insults with name calling as was on their part. I do beleive as Pioneer Telephone Company's employee said, "I am sure you can come to the proper conclusion yourself".
Angered husband in Wisconsin!
Peter
Portland,Maine,
U.S.A.
Professional Scammer
#7UPDATE Employee
Tue, July 01, 2003
1.) The customer agreed to the terms and conditions of service: AUTO PAY.
If they didn't agree, don't sign up for service.
2.) We billed the customer exactly what they owed and not a penny more.
3.) The customers complaints were all found to be untrue by every agency she filed with.
4.) Her citing of federal law is not applicable to us or this type of billing. She is citing a law that applies to consumer loans. Not a utility bill.
She is a dime store wanna be lawyer who uses half truths and mistruths to try and bully her way out of her debts.
If she spent half of the time at a real job working that she spends trying to get out her obligations she'd have money to pay her bills.
Or maybe it is just a lack of honesty !
A dead beat and a liar. Look at our BBB complaints -- 9 since being in business since 1989 and hundreds of thousands of customers.
I am sure you can come to the proper conclusion yourself.
Thank you