- Report: #236115
Complaint Review: Cricket Wireless - Dallas Texas
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Cricket Wireless
P O Box 660021 Dallas, 75266-0021 Texas, U.S.A.
Phone:
800-274-2538
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Cricket Wireless ripoff fraudulent billing and poor customer service Dallas Texas
I purchased a Cricket phone and plan for my son in December. My son had been asking for a cell phone for a number of months. After much searching, I decided to go with your company. I thought that your company had the best plans and offers on phones. My son is a teenager and I did not feel like he needed a regular cell phone that had minutes, plans and all the other things that go along with getting a cell phone through other companies.
This phone sat in a box from December 16, 2006 until December 25, 2006. The phone was then given to my son and was activated at that time. After a few weeks, my son says he received a text message that said his bill was past due and that the bill was $79.27. His phone was then disconnected.
I called Cricket customer service on January 15, 2007. I spoke with a young man in this department and requested that I start receiving a paper bill. I also told them that I did not give Cricket permission to automatically deduct the VISA card that was on file. He said that he changed it in the computer and that I would receive a bill. I paid the bill and my son continued to use the phone. On February 13, 2007, my son said that he received another text message in reference to a past due bill. Needless to say, this angered me a great deal. I thought this problem has been remedied. I thought I would receive a bill.
It is now February 15, 2007 and I still have yet to receive a bill from your company. I had no idea when the bill is due so therefore, I have no idea when to pay it. I called customer service again and spoke to a young lady named Nikki. I explained to her the whole situation and that I would make sure the bill got paid when I received it in the mail. I also asked her two different times if the phone was going to be cut off. She assured me that it wouldnt be. She also assured me that the problem with the bill was fixed and that I shouldnt have any more trouble. I asked her one final time before hanging up about the phone being turned off, she assured me again that the problem was fixed and that I shouldnt have anymore trouble. Today, my son calls me at work and tells me that his phone has been suspended. I then called back to the customer service department and spoke with another young lady there and she kept on telling me that it was in the system that I received a paper bill.
After a number of times of trying to tell her that I have never received a bill from your company, she refused to hear me. I then asked for a manager. I was placed on hold almost ten minutes. Then a very arrogant young man by the name of Michael came on the line, he stated he was a supervisor. I then relayed this entire story to him. He then informs me that the paper bill was just placed on the account and that I would start receiving it in March. I told him that I was never told this information. And all he could say was that he was sorry. I then asked for a bill to be sent to me and told him that I would pay my bill when I got a paper bill in the mail. He said that my sons phone would not be activated until the bill was paid. I got angered and agitated again. I then asked if the company makes a habit of not honoring the word of their customer service representatives. His only response was to apologize. I then told him that I was going to send a letter to the newspapers stating how poorly Cricket treats their customers and that they do not honor what they say. I also told him that I was going to take my business the Liberty Wireless. My mother has had cellular service with them for a number of years and she has never had this much trouble. All I have ever requested was to receive a paper bill so that I would be able to see something tangible. I have yet to receive anything from Cricket other than a hard time.
Melissa
Gastonia, North Carolina
U.S.A.
This phone sat in a box from December 16, 2006 until December 25, 2006. The phone was then given to my son and was activated at that time. After a few weeks, my son says he received a text message that said his bill was past due and that the bill was $79.27. His phone was then disconnected.
I called Cricket customer service on January 15, 2007. I spoke with a young man in this department and requested that I start receiving a paper bill. I also told them that I did not give Cricket permission to automatically deduct the VISA card that was on file. He said that he changed it in the computer and that I would receive a bill. I paid the bill and my son continued to use the phone. On February 13, 2007, my son said that he received another text message in reference to a past due bill. Needless to say, this angered me a great deal. I thought this problem has been remedied. I thought I would receive a bill.
It is now February 15, 2007 and I still have yet to receive a bill from your company. I had no idea when the bill is due so therefore, I have no idea when to pay it. I called customer service again and spoke to a young lady named Nikki. I explained to her the whole situation and that I would make sure the bill got paid when I received it in the mail. I also asked her two different times if the phone was going to be cut off. She assured me that it wouldnt be. She also assured me that the problem with the bill was fixed and that I shouldnt have any more trouble. I asked her one final time before hanging up about the phone being turned off, she assured me again that the problem was fixed and that I shouldnt have anymore trouble. Today, my son calls me at work and tells me that his phone has been suspended. I then called back to the customer service department and spoke with another young lady there and she kept on telling me that it was in the system that I received a paper bill.
After a number of times of trying to tell her that I have never received a bill from your company, she refused to hear me. I then asked for a manager. I was placed on hold almost ten minutes. Then a very arrogant young man by the name of Michael came on the line, he stated he was a supervisor. I then relayed this entire story to him. He then informs me that the paper bill was just placed on the account and that I would start receiving it in March. I told him that I was never told this information. And all he could say was that he was sorry. I then asked for a bill to be sent to me and told him that I would pay my bill when I got a paper bill in the mail. He said that my sons phone would not be activated until the bill was paid. I got angered and agitated again. I then asked if the company makes a habit of not honoring the word of their customer service representatives. His only response was to apologize. I then told him that I was going to send a letter to the newspapers stating how poorly Cricket treats their customers and that they do not honor what they say. I also told him that I was going to take my business the Liberty Wireless. My mother has had cellular service with them for a number of years and she has never had this much trouble. All I have ever requested was to receive a paper bill so that I would be able to see something tangible. I have yet to receive anything from Cricket other than a hard time.
Melissa
Gastonia, North Carolina
U.S.A.
6 Updates & Rebuttals
M
Advance,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
Well, I don't know what else to tell you...
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, June 11, 2007
I can understand that you're upset about still not receiving a bill in the mail. However, are you REALLY being charged for Cricket to send you a bill every month? You would be able to see this if you are able to view your bill online on Cricket's website. If I'm not mistaken, Cricket does charge $0.59 for a paper bill in the mail (it does cost more money to send a paper bill than to send you a text message or view it online), and they do have it listed as a "Paper Bill Fee" on the bill. Make sure you check the address that is on the bill to make sure that it is your address. Honestly, if you can see the SAME bill online that you would be able to get in the mail, then WHY would you still want to get one in the mail? It would have your due date listed on the bill....usually near the top. Also, you can pay your bill online for FREE on Cricket's website. If you pay it any other way, either by phone or by paying it at a payment center or corporate-owned Cricket store, you will incur an EXTRA FEE just for choosing that payment option. Do you know when your bill cycle date is? It would be the day AFTER your bill is due. I have Verizon....but they don't work the same because I have a contract, while Cricket is month-to-month (no contract). For example, if your bill is due on the 15th of each month, then your bill cycle date is the 16th of each month. Do you happen to remember WHAT DAY OF THE MONTH that you activated the phone back in December? If so, the due date of your bill is set around the day you activated the phone. If you activate a phone on the last few days of the month, the bill is usually due on the last day of the month. If you activate a phone on the 9th of the month, typically, your bill is due on the 8th of EACH month. If you still want a bill in the mail (which again, costs you 59 cents per month), you can try this: try calling Cricket on the 1st and tell them you want "paperless billing". Then, call back on the 10th and say " I want a paper bill instead of paperless billing". Your bill SHOULD be mailed on the 17th to the address on file (that is IF your bill cycles on the 16th). That brings up another point....if you have recently moved, remember to change your address with Cricket. I've had a lot of customers get upset because they didn't receive their bill in the mail.....but they NEVER notified Cricket that they had changed their address. USPS stops forwarding mail after a certain period of time. Also, if you have "Automatic Bill Payment" setup (which you may have setup when you activated your son's phone in order to get a special promotion in December), make sure to have a representative REMOVE it from your account, unless you want to keep it. You can also sign up for paperless and paper billing ONLINE, as well as update your address and change Automatic Bill Payment options as well. Lastly, remember this: Cricket has NO LIABILITY when it comes to your mail. Once they mail it out to you, it's in the US Post Service's hands. If you aren't getting your mail, complain to your local PostMaster at the US Post Office. Hope this all helps you somewhat.....
Melissa
Gastonia,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
UPDATE
#3Author of original report
Fri, June 08, 2007
This company still is not sending me a bill every month as they should be. I am having to view my bill via internet and pay it online while I am working to keep my sons phone turned on. This is after I am paying extra every month for this company to send me a bill every month. Go figure - yet I am the one who is wrong. I don't think so....
Melissa
Gastonia,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
UPDATE
#4Author of original report
Fri, June 08, 2007
This company still is not sending me a bill every month as they should be. I am having to view my bill via internet and pay it online while I am working to keep my sons phone turned on. This is after I am paying extra every month for this company to send me a bill every month. Go figure - yet I am the one who is wrong. I don't think so....
Melissa
Gastonia,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
UPDATE
#5Author of original report
Fri, June 08, 2007
This company still is not sending me a bill every month as they should be. I am having to view my bill via internet and pay it online while I am working to keep my sons phone turned on. This is after I am paying extra every month for this company to send me a bill every month. Go figure - yet I am the one who is wrong. I don't think so....
Melissa
Gastonia,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
UPDATE
#6Author of original report
Fri, June 08, 2007
This company still is not sending me a bill every month as they should be. I am having to view my bill via internet and pay it online while I am working to keep my sons phone turned on. This is after I am paying extra every month for this company to send me a bill every month. Go figure - yet I am the one who is wrong. I don't think so....
M
Winston Salem,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
To help explain what happened.....
#7UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sun, February 18, 2007
I can understand your frustration with Cricket. However, let me explain a few things for you. First of all, WHEN did you purchase the Cricket phone, and WHERE did you purchase it from? If you bought the phone online from Cricket's website or at a store, then an account was created the SAME day that you purchased the phone. The day you purchase the phone determines its billing cycle date (a.k.a. due date) because Cricket's service is a month-to-month service with NO contracts. Second of all, any Cricket representative should have been able to tell you when your bill was due (this is also sent in the text message that your son told you about). Cricket's system automatically sends a text message bill 1) at the beginning of the month, 2) 1 week before your due date, 3) on your due date, and 4) on the day your service will be suspended due to non-payment. The due date does not change from month to month. Lastly, the representatives were right in that they DID set the system to mail you out a paper bill. However, the reason why you did not receive a paper bill is because Cricket's system only sends out a bill ONCE per month on the billing cycle date (if the bill is due on 15th, then the bill cycles and is mailed on the 16th). If you requested a bill to be mailed out to you AFTER the billing cycle date, then the system won't mail a bill until the following month. It seems like you have internet access, judging by your ability to post your complaint on this site. If so, you can actually SEE the SAME bill that you would receive in the mail on Cricket's website at: http://www.mycricket.com. Go there and setup the account online and you'll be able to view the bill that you never received in the mail. Also, you CAN go to the full-service Cricket store nearest you (use Cricket's website to find the nearest location) and get a bill printed out there for you. I know that you wanted the representatives to "honor their word and send out a bill", but unfortunately, they have NO power to do so, and not even a supervisor has that power. The system was created like that and there's nothing that the reps can do over the phone about it. I'm surprised that none of the reps advised you to either go online to access the bill, or to go to the nearest full-service Cricket store. That's what should have been done if you wanted a copy of the bill sooner than receiving it in the mail. I bet you can setup his phone number online for account access. Let us know if you have any trouble setting it up. Again, you have every right to go to the nearest Cricket store and make sure everything is correct on your billing and the account itself. They can also print out a bill for you. Hope that helps to explain some things.
