Complaint Review: Pacific Bell - Los Angeles California

Oh My God... I couldn't believe it when I saw all your reports.

Well, let me tell you what happened to me in 1996 when I moved to Beverly Hills. This is a good one!!!!

I called PacBell to look up how much they would charge me to start my regular phone service once I moved from a hotel into an apartment. I had been looking at an apartment on South Reeves in BH but ended up going with an apartment on South Roxbury. I called them from my hotel just to find out what kind of money we were talking to get a regular phone set up... They told me but needed a physical address (They claimed) to look up any information.

So I gave the the S. Reeves address because I had just looked at that apartment that day and was still trying to make up my mind.

When I ended up getting the South Roxbury apartment, I called them with the landlord who had had the apartment prior to me right there. He canceled his service and handed me the phone and I started mine. This was three days before Thanksgiving.

They assured me the phone would be "ON" within a couple of hours, so I started moving into my new apartment -- just happy to be living in California.

Well, three hours, four hours, fives hours went by, no dial tone.

I went to the department store on the corner of my block, found a pay phone and called them -- I had to talk to someone at their trouble line as the Customer Service was "closed" for the evening.

The woman, "Well, your phone says it's on." I said, "I was just there, and no it's not. There is no dial tone."

She put me on hold for 10 minutes (like it doesn't matter how long you have to sit there and wait. ) When she came back she told me she ran a check and everything was just fine.

I went back to my apartment. No dial tone.

(And we're not even at the good part!)

So finally after many calls, I find out they turned on my phone at S. Reeves not S. Roxbury. So they corrected the mistake.

Then two months went by. I had perfect phone service. I called them because I hadn't gotten a bill. They said, "Oh, don't worry. We'll send another one out right away."

I went to all my neighbors. No phone bill.

Well, low and behold they had sent my phone bill and my CALLING CARDS and PIN NUMBER to where? You got it S. Reeves -- not S. Roxbury.

Well, when they told me my bill was over $900 in calling card charges, I promptly told them I never received a calling card.

Ooops!

It took over five years -- yes, let me say that again FIVE YEARS of calling every month to get them to resolve that $900 issue plus, they threatened EVERY month to disconnect me.

It even went on when I moved to two other addresses in LA. They continued to hound me while they were "figuring it all out." I logged in at least 2-4 hours a month on the phone with PacBell, that's not even including the "HOLD TIME."

So as you can see, PacBell is just substandard service and its been that for a very, very, very, very long time. It won't be until Verizon goes in and gobbles them up that you'll get decent (I said "decent" but only "decent") customer service.

Until then, you'll just have to keep complaining until someone in the government goes in and gives PacBell a true run for the money.

Jenn

west hollywood, California
U.S.A.