Dawn
Milwaukee,#2Consumer Suggestion
Fri, June 13, 2003
You mentioned you moved into a new home. I am not sure if you meant you purchased a home, or live in an apartment, but either way, the previous occupants may be responsible for this bill. A similar situation happened to a good friend of mine when he purchased his home. The previous owners of the house skipped out on a phone bill of well over $200 dollars. My friend started receiving letters and phone calls from the phone company, trying to collect this debt. Even though he had only lived in the house two months, had a different phone number than the previous owners, AND his name was obviously not the same that was on the original bill, they still tried to stick him with it, because he now occupied the address that was on the bill. He was finally able to resolve it after several months, but it was a ridiculous waste of time. Have you tried calling AT&T directly? They might be able to shed some light on the situation (though I wouldn't hold my breath...being a huge corporation, there's a lot of bureaucratic b.s in that company). Either way, keep fighting (I'd consider litigation if they won't resolve it). $735 is a lot of money to pay, if you're not the responsible party. I hope you get resolution.