Complaint Review: MSN-TV Alana Jones - Redmond Washington

I purchased a MSN-TV receiver. This device hooks up to a phone line and T.V. set and accesses the internet. A subscription to MSN is required.

Because of the rural area I live in there were no local access numbers available to me. I called my local phone company and purchased a phone plan with unlimted minutes, and had a seperate dedicated phone line installed.

The MSN receiver will not allow the customer to choose a desired access number. It is necessary to call MSN customer service to have a requested access number programmed. I contacted MSN and requested a number for Decatur, AL. With this number, my phone plan and dedicated line, I would have unlimted minutes and local access. I insisted to the MSN service rep. that I wanted this access number and no other.

What occured next was after 30 days the number I requested dropped off and the receiver began dialing a different number. This receiver was used by the entire family, children included and I did not discover the problem until the phone bill arrived.

I contacted MSN to inquire as to why my access number changed. I could find no one in their customer service with a answer. After several months went by, faxing phone bills numerous times, making phone calls, I found one employee who knew their product. He told me that requested and programmed access numbers will expire after thirty days. He also told me that the customer service rep. made a mistake by not making the number I wanted permanent and non-expiring.

There is not one word about expiring access numbers in their user guide or on their help desk. It took me several months to find a customer service rep. who knew this feature of the receiver.

This problem occured over one year ago, August of 2003. MSN denies resposibility for the toll charges that I incurred. Total charges of $700.00. I could not get this issue elavated to MSN management until I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and The Washington State Attorney General's Office.

Alana Jones of MSN, refuses responsibility for a mistake made by their employee. She claims that the number I requested, resulted in toll charges. However she provides no proof, while I have phone records that prove otherwise. I have mailed and faxed these records to her several times. It seems she is not interested in facts, because that would make her company responsible.

I did receive a phone call on 6-22-04, a message on my answering machine, from a person by the name of Eric from MSN. He left me a message, that he wished to speak to me about my toll charges. I have concluded that he doesn't. Why ??? Because I returned his phone call about ten times, never able to get him and left him a return message. His last name, they could not devulge to me !!

I have wrote to the chairman's office of Bill Gates, in an effort to reach someone other than Alana Jones in customer service. I have written twice to Mr. Gates office, the last letter I sent was August 16th. I have received no reply of any manner.

MSN says they are not responsible, because of the service agreement that they have you make to them. My position is that I did in good faith try to access their service. I requested a desired access number, purchased a phone plan of unlimted minutes and had a seperate and dedicated phone line installed.

Toll charges occured because of a mistake made by MSN customer support because they do not know and are not trained in the features of their own product.

Garry

Eva, Alabama
U.S.A.