- Report: #261425
Complaint Review: Cricket Cell Phone Company - Columbus Ohio
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Cricket Cell Phone Company
[email protected] Columbus, 43234-9067 Ohio, U.S.A.
Phone:
858-882-9999
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Cricket , took 2 payments out of my account when they should only have taken 1. I have had trouble contacting Cricket. Columbus Ohio
On June 27th I sent a check for my payment to Cricket. It did not reach Cricket on time and my phones were shut off. I contacted Cricket and gave them my credit card number for my payment. I also told them that I would stop payment on the check.I called my bank and stopped payment on the check and was charged $39.00 for doing so.
The next day I checked my banks statement on-line and saw that they first took the payment from my credit card and then took another payment directly from my bank account.
I called Cricket and informed them of what had happened and they requested a copy of my bank statement faxed to them. I faxed my statement to them the same day (July 10th). They informed me that they would send a refund directly to my bank in 24 to 48 hours.
On July 13th I checked my bank statement and found that nothing was done by Cricket. I called Cricket and was left on hold for 2 HOURS until I just hung-up.
I called again on Monday, July 16th and was put on hold for another 2 HOURS before I just hung-up. I called on Tuesday, July 17 and was on hold for 45 minutes before I hung-up.
I started calling every number I could find for Cricket until I finally reached their headquarters and left a message for the President's adminisitrator. She informed me that it would take 7 to 10 days to get my refund and there was nothing else that could be done.
I told her I was told it would take 24 to 48 hours. Now I have checks bouncing but there was nothing she could do...
Nancy
Wilmerding, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
The next day I checked my banks statement on-line and saw that they first took the payment from my credit card and then took another payment directly from my bank account.
I called Cricket and informed them of what had happened and they requested a copy of my bank statement faxed to them. I faxed my statement to them the same day (July 10th). They informed me that they would send a refund directly to my bank in 24 to 48 hours.
On July 13th I checked my bank statement and found that nothing was done by Cricket. I called Cricket and was left on hold for 2 HOURS until I just hung-up.
I called again on Monday, July 16th and was put on hold for another 2 HOURS before I just hung-up. I called on Tuesday, July 17 and was on hold for 45 minutes before I hung-up.
I started calling every number I could find for Cricket until I finally reached their headquarters and left a message for the President's adminisitrator. She informed me that it would take 7 to 10 days to get my refund and there was nothing else that could be done.
I told her I was told it would take 24 to 48 hours. Now I have checks bouncing but there was nothing she could do...
Nancy
Wilmerding, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
M
Winston Salem,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
Putting "stop payment" on check........bad idea
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, July 19, 2007
I'm sorry that this happened to you. However, what you have experienced is not uncommon. I've seen this happen a LOT of times. A customer will mail a payment less than 7 days before a bill is due...and the payment doesn't post for at least 10-14 days. This is due to mailing and processing time. It seems to me also that since your check posted the following day to your bank account, your bank had already processed your check. It takes 2 business days for a check to post to your checking account once a company processes it on their end. And, it may take another few days to post to your account with the company you paid it to as well. Whenever you mail payments to a company, it takes MUCH MUCH longer for it to post to your account. You're better off making payments over the phone with credit card, even if it costs a small fee (which is only $2.00 if you use Cricket's automated system). Also, Cricket offers a FREE Online account service that you can access and pay your Cricket bill and there is NO FEE to use your credit card or checking account to pay your bill online. Just go to http://www.mycricket.com and register to pay your Cricket account online. A word on "stop payments". NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use the "stop payment" method in order to not have a check go through. It costs you MUCH MORE to do that than just letting it post to your account. In your case, your bank charged you $39.00 to stop payment on the check you mailed. What you don't know is that since Cricket will basically receive a "stop pay", it will be treated as a "insufficient funds/stop pay" and will cost you a $25.00 returned check fee on your Cricket account. So in full, doing what you have done has cost you at least $64.00, which is probably more than your Cricket bill itself. My tip to you: since you have Internet access, pay ALL of your bills online. Many companies now offer that service for FREE, as well as many banks. Check with you bank to see what they offer regarding Online Bill Payment. I bank with Bank of America, and I couldn't be more satisfied with their Online Bill Pay. My payments ALWAYS arrive on-time as long as I schedule them accordingly, and it's ALWAYS more secure to send it through Online Banking than through US mail. If I ever have a problem with a payment not posting on-time, the bank handles the issue for me when I inquire about it. Ask your online banking support on how to setup Online Bill Pay. It's WELL WORTH IT, and it will save you a LOT of headaches like the one you've experienced with this issue. I pay ALL of my bills online in order to avoid issues like the one you've experienced. Be assured, Online Bill Pay is VERY secure, even through Cricket's website. I hope it works out for you. Let me know how it goes and also inform us to whether your bank has some type of Online Bill Pay or not.
