- Report: #14447
Complaint Review: VOICESTREAM - TAMPA Florida
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VOICESTREAM
PO BOX 21367 TAMPA, 33622 Florida, U.S.A.
Phone:
1-800-937-8997
Web:
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VOICESTREAM RIPOFF INCORRECT INFORMATION, MISLED ON CURRENT PLAN & UNEVENTFUL PROGRESS W/CUSTOMER SVC & SUPERVISORS
Both my husband & I have been w/VOICESTREAM, for a couple of years now and we both have add on's to our account, 6 lines altogether. I have always been happy with the services that we have had until two or three months ago when we changed our plan. I look for the best plan possible to comply with our needs.
All 6 phone's started off with the 39.99 plan and from time to time we do go over our minutes (especially my grand-daughter who is 14 and lives on the telephone, cell phone & home phone) but it was not unbearable when our bill came, However, sometime in November I called customer service to pay our bill and I got to talking to the gal that took my payment and asked her questions about getting into another plan. At that time we all had 600 minutes on week-days and 2000 plus long distance on week-ends. The plan did serve our purpose but found that my grand-daughter and I were going over and I have a son stationed in Arizona and did not want to have to wait until the week-ends to call him. At that same time we had a death in the family and I had to make a lot of long distance calls on the spot and could only use my cellular.
This customer service girl told me that they had a 39.99 plan that was 500 minutes week-days any place any time and unlimited week-ends any place any time....She did state that it was the BEST plan that anyone could have for the 39.99 so I switched all 6 phones over (2 accounts)......I was so excited I started convincing all of my friends about it. But low and behold, in January I get a 900.00 + bill on my husbands account, I get an anxiety attack and start hyperventilating.....from then on it has been a NIGHTMARE.
I have called and called and each time I call I get a new customer service person and they do not know the person I spoke w/prior...even supervisors, even if I give their ID number they cannot find or tell me who the person is...anyway I went from rude to really nice to very rude people. I needed to find out WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE in the two different plans and that there was no way that I could pay the 900.00 at one time so I wanted to make arrangement to make payments like every other week until that big bill was paid off. Then I started getting the run around and never really did get anything settled, I called in a 150.00 on this phone and 190.00(my account)payment on Thursday 2/14 and I explained to that girl what my problem was and she accepted my payment for both accounts (she was about the 9th or 10th person that I spoke to thru this whole ordeal) Saturday 2/16 I get a call from the credit department to say that they wanted a 300.00 payment for MY account (past due & current) and I explained to her that I just made a 190.00 payment towards my account and she said "Sorry she did not look at my account to see the payment" and now, here it is Monday 2/18 and services has been cut off on my husband's phone and the two other phones that are attached to it. One belongs to my son-in-law (who never went over his minutes if anything he did not surpass 350 to 400 minutes) he needs to be ON-CALL for his enviromental job and now the office cannot get thru to him if he is anywhere else but home.
My COMPLAINT...I was misled when I changed over to a new plan, and I still cannot get a straight answer as to why. We have done nothing different, we do go over our minutes but NOT 400.00 on one phone 350.00 on another and 60.00 on the third phone (plus the usual 39.99 + tax for each phone.)
I can go on and on and on and describe a new answer every time I called and I do not think they were even accurate with the notes on the account. I was a little successful on 2/1/02 when I spoke to a JOHN, he was going to get back to me after he spoke with his supervisor, but on 2/4 I got a text message from him saying that his supervisor was not back to work yet but he would get back to me as soon as he could and he never did. I called several times after that and gave them John's ID number, talked with a supervisor and still could get any satisfaction out of that. They do not know John because he works at another station.
I plan to cancel all phone's with Voicestream, pay the 200.00 penalty for ALL six phones which will be 1200.00, but it will be cheaper to do that than to keep getting these large bills, do a consumer report and tell as many people that I possibly can about my experience with voicestream. (and I plan to pay it by installments because I do not have the 1200.00 up front nor do I have the full amount to pay off the existing bill that got three of the phones turned off without our knowledge)
Our experience is not from excessive use, but unexplained differences in this new plan that we have.
Karolyn
Kaneohe Hawaii
Click here to read other Rip-off Reports on Voicestream
All 6 phone's started off with the 39.99 plan and from time to time we do go over our minutes (especially my grand-daughter who is 14 and lives on the telephone, cell phone & home phone) but it was not unbearable when our bill came, However, sometime in November I called customer service to pay our bill and I got to talking to the gal that took my payment and asked her questions about getting into another plan. At that time we all had 600 minutes on week-days and 2000 plus long distance on week-ends. The plan did serve our purpose but found that my grand-daughter and I were going over and I have a son stationed in Arizona and did not want to have to wait until the week-ends to call him. At that same time we had a death in the family and I had to make a lot of long distance calls on the spot and could only use my cellular.
This customer service girl told me that they had a 39.99 plan that was 500 minutes week-days any place any time and unlimited week-ends any place any time....She did state that it was the BEST plan that anyone could have for the 39.99 so I switched all 6 phones over (2 accounts)......I was so excited I started convincing all of my friends about it. But low and behold, in January I get a 900.00 + bill on my husbands account, I get an anxiety attack and start hyperventilating.....from then on it has been a NIGHTMARE.
I have called and called and each time I call I get a new customer service person and they do not know the person I spoke w/prior...even supervisors, even if I give their ID number they cannot find or tell me who the person is...anyway I went from rude to really nice to very rude people. I needed to find out WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE in the two different plans and that there was no way that I could pay the 900.00 at one time so I wanted to make arrangement to make payments like every other week until that big bill was paid off. Then I started getting the run around and never really did get anything settled, I called in a 150.00 on this phone and 190.00(my account)payment on Thursday 2/14 and I explained to that girl what my problem was and she accepted my payment for both accounts (she was about the 9th or 10th person that I spoke to thru this whole ordeal) Saturday 2/16 I get a call from the credit department to say that they wanted a 300.00 payment for MY account (past due & current) and I explained to her that I just made a 190.00 payment towards my account and she said "Sorry she did not look at my account to see the payment" and now, here it is Monday 2/18 and services has been cut off on my husband's phone and the two other phones that are attached to it. One belongs to my son-in-law (who never went over his minutes if anything he did not surpass 350 to 400 minutes) he needs to be ON-CALL for his enviromental job and now the office cannot get thru to him if he is anywhere else but home.
My COMPLAINT...I was misled when I changed over to a new plan, and I still cannot get a straight answer as to why. We have done nothing different, we do go over our minutes but NOT 400.00 on one phone 350.00 on another and 60.00 on the third phone (plus the usual 39.99 + tax for each phone.)
I can go on and on and on and describe a new answer every time I called and I do not think they were even accurate with the notes on the account. I was a little successful on 2/1/02 when I spoke to a JOHN, he was going to get back to me after he spoke with his supervisor, but on 2/4 I got a text message from him saying that his supervisor was not back to work yet but he would get back to me as soon as he could and he never did. I called several times after that and gave them John's ID number, talked with a supervisor and still could get any satisfaction out of that. They do not know John because he works at another station.
I plan to cancel all phone's with Voicestream, pay the 200.00 penalty for ALL six phones which will be 1200.00, but it will be cheaper to do that than to keep getting these large bills, do a consumer report and tell as many people that I possibly can about my experience with voicestream. (and I plan to pay it by installments because I do not have the 1200.00 up front nor do I have the full amount to pay off the existing bill that got three of the phones turned off without our knowledge)
Our experience is not from excessive use, but unexplained differences in this new plan that we have.
Karolyn
Kaneohe Hawaii
Click here to read other Rip-off Reports on Voicestream
6 Updates & Rebuttals
#20
Mon, March 25, 2002
Okay, I give up, my mama told me not to waste my time with people who try to run around in circles with answers,especially ones with rude remarks....Again, I will repeat myself and apparently none of you were one of the 14 people that I talked with....."I WANTED TO KNOW WHY THERE WAS A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE "AMOUNT" I WAS PAYING WITH THE NEW PLAN. BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS THE SAME ON MINUTES, MONTHLY PLAN ETC, I CUT DOWN TO 500 ANYWHERE ANYTIME AND UNLIMITED WEEK-ENDS ANYTIME,ANYWHERE BECAUSE I WAS TOLD, REPEAT, TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE "BEST" PLAN THAT I COULD GET FOR THE 39.99." SHE EVEN CHECKED MY ACCOUNT TO TAKE AN AVERAGE....BUT WHAT I FOUND OUT 14 CALLS LATER FROM A FRIEND OF MINE, WAS THAT THE 1ST MINUTE WAS NO LONGER FREE. I was only cutting back 100 minutes and saved my long distance calls for the week ends, just to be on the safe side. But you know what? This is not getting me anywhere so I will end it right here. I am so GLAD that I cancelled Voicestream even if I had to break contracts, because as I see things now on this "Rip Off" website, there are a LOT of unhappy former Voicestream subscribers, and lets face it, if you are unhappy and dis-satisfied with something, MOVE ON....and MOVE ON is what I'm doing........ALOHA & MAHALO
#30
Mon, March 25, 2002
Okay, I give up, my mama told me not to waste my time with people who try to run around in circles with answers,especially ones with rude remarks....Again, I will repeat myself and apparently none of you were one of the 14 people that I talked with....."I WANTED TO KNOW WHY THERE WAS A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE "AMOUNT" I WAS PAYING WITH THE NEW PLAN. BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS THE SAME ON MINUTES, MONTHLY PLAN ETC, I CUT DOWN TO 500 ANYWHERE ANYTIME AND UNLIMITED WEEK-ENDS ANYTIME,ANYWHERE BECAUSE I WAS TOLD, REPEAT, TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE "BEST" PLAN THAT I COULD GET FOR THE 39.99." SHE EVEN CHECKED MY ACCOUNT TO TAKE AN AVERAGE....BUT WHAT I FOUND OUT 14 CALLS LATER FROM A FRIEND OF MINE, WAS THAT THE 1ST MINUTE WAS NO LONGER FREE. I was only cutting back 100 minutes and saved my long distance calls for the week ends, just to be on the safe side. But you know what? This is not getting me anywhere so I will end it right here. I am so GLAD that I cancelled Voicestream even if I had to break contracts, because as I see things now on this "Rip Off" website, there are a LOT of unhappy former Voicestream subscribers, and lets face it, if you are unhappy and dis-satisfied with something, MOVE ON....and MOVE ON is what I'm doing........ALOHA & MAHALO
#40
Mon, March 25, 2002
Okay, I give up, my mama told me not to waste my time with people who try to run around in circles with answers,especially ones with rude remarks....Again, I will repeat myself and apparently none of you were one of the 14 people that I talked with....."I WANTED TO KNOW WHY THERE WAS A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE "AMOUNT" I WAS PAYING WITH THE NEW PLAN. BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS THE SAME ON MINUTES, MONTHLY PLAN ETC, I CUT DOWN TO 500 ANYWHERE ANYTIME AND UNLIMITED WEEK-ENDS ANYTIME,ANYWHERE BECAUSE I WAS TOLD, REPEAT, TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE "BEST" PLAN THAT I COULD GET FOR THE 39.99." SHE EVEN CHECKED MY ACCOUNT TO TAKE AN AVERAGE....BUT WHAT I FOUND OUT 14 CALLS LATER FROM A FRIEND OF MINE, WAS THAT THE 1ST MINUTE WAS NO LONGER FREE. I was only cutting back 100 minutes and saved my long distance calls for the week ends, just to be on the safe side. But you know what? This is not getting me anywhere so I will end it right here. I am so GLAD that I cancelled Voicestream even if I had to break contracts, because as I see things now on this "Rip Off" website, there are a LOT of unhappy former Voicestream subscribers, and lets face it, if you are unhappy and dis-satisfied with something, MOVE ON....and MOVE ON is what I'm doing........ALOHA & MAHALO
y
albuquerque,New Mexico,
customer relations rep
#5UPDATE Employee
Fri, March 22, 2002
Hi, ma'am. Just to let you know we are not impatient nor are we trained to be. We are trying to help you in any way possible. And for you to say your patient with us, let me assure you that the tone of letter proves otherwise. BUDDY, in case you forgot, is a very derogatory term. I deal with people like you who don't listen to us when we explain new plans to them, and then blame us for it, on a daily basis. I also have worked numerous times in our customer relations department, and assure you that what the previous rebuttal said for the most part is very true. Like most call centers, this job is highly stressful. A ccr working only 5 hours a day can have up to 60 calls, most of which are impatient and rude with us. Not that you are at fault for that, but you can see why we have a high turn-over rate. Therefore, I can assure you, we do frequently have new hires at VoiceStream. Personally, I love my job. And I feel that, for the most part, we do a terrific job of handling customer issues. I'm sorry that you "were misinformed." Actually, the rep told you correctly about the new plan, and it really is a great plan. But you even said, you were looking to get more than 600 min. So why did you go with our 500 min plan? Doen't make a whole lot of sense, now does it? We offer two plans for $59.99 that may better suit you. We have the Get More 3000 for $59.99 w/ 3000 anytime local Hawaii min. We also offer the Get More Plus for $59.99 w/ 800 anytime, unlimited wkend, and free nationwide digital roaming and long distance. Did you even ask about other plans? Doesn't sound like you did. Maybe before you start calling VoiceStream a rip-off, you should take a long hard look at how you have got where you have with VoiceStream. Remember, Ignorance does not always equal bliss.
Karolyn
Kaneohe,Hawaii,
Voicestream rip-off, incorrect information, misled on current plan & uneventful progress w/Customer Svc & Supervisors
#6Consumer Comment
Mon, March 18, 2002
To the person who responded.....Listen BUDDDDDDY re-read what you responded back to me and THINK about what you wrote..... I have been working for a company just as BIG as Voicestream and maybe even bigger for 20 years, I am a credit collector and I deal with disgruntel, upset and abnoxious people EVERY SINGLE DAY....but I let my customer unload because they are entitled to, and I try to help them in EVERY way that I possibly can, although most of the time I'm calling THEM for payment. First of all you did NOT really, read my complaint, you are just a fustrated person who probably hates to listen to people complain or hate people period. It comes with the territory so your response is only telling me that you DO NOT belong in that job. I DID look over my plan and ASKED what plan would be better for us because we were going over our minutes, & yes I do know how to check my minutes and I do have a OH so busy schedule, but I DO take the time to check out something that is not right. I made over 14 calls altogether to get some help as to WHAT was the difference in the charges from my OLD plan versus my NEW plan, because the MINUTES on our phone were running the same, we were going over the same amount of minutes as Nov/Oct/Sept/Aug/July, but the CHARGES changed in December & January drastically....why could'nt anyone tell me WHY? I was told I was getting a BETTER PLAN, but how could it be a better plan when I had to pay 3 time more for the SAME usage even if I went over? Not even YOU understand what I'm getting at. Only ONE person (maybe the 10th person that I spoke with) told me that I was taken off of the grandfather clause when I converted over to the new plan. By the way, do YOU know what that grandfather clause IS? I did not sign up with voice stream to degrade you and I did NOT degrade anyone that I spoke with all the times that I called in, DO NOT classify me as one of your bad experiences, I was NOT doing the dishes, yelling at the kids or going thru a drive thru window when I made all of these calls, nor do I EVER go to the bathroom when I talk with ANYONE on the phone...and I ALWAYS take a deep breath when I call someone when I am fustrated, the 10 or more times I called I was very cool and calm sitting on my dining room table taking notes as to what was being told to me (which was NOTHING) NOBODY knew anything....I don't know about you but it would be too distracting to me to be irate and yell an scream at someone when I'm trying to write notes and explain something over and over again. My job is just as stressful as yours and we do not need irate people calling us like they call you, but I am trained to conduct myself in a PROFESSIONAL and CORDIAL manner with my customers. A person like you should not be working for a company as powerful and big as VOICESTREAM, you make it very bad for the GOOD, patient employees who work there, you have an attitude problem that needs to be shifted......and in answer to your question as to whether I knew everything about my company when I started my job? The answer is NO, who does? But I PATIENTLY learned, it took a lot of abuse from customers but one thing I did know from the start is that "IT CAME WITH THE JOB". So if you are so SICK of hearing from customers like me...and believe me I know I did not talk with YOU...the rude ones that I spoke with cannot compare to you....it sounds to me like you need to find another job BUDDY, and let professional people handle problems like me. Read my complaint AGAIN and interept it the right way this time...Here's looking at you kid! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the way, no threat, just fact, I think it will be nice if I sent my rip-off complaint and a copy of your response along with my formal complaint to Mr Chris Gordon at Voicestream Customer Relations, maybe he'll take pity on you for having to work with irate, complaining customers who make it very very difficult for you to assist.
customer care rep
jacksonville,Florida,
why dont you listen when we tell you something
#7UPDATE Employee
Sun, March 03, 2002
First off..PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES!!NO ONE IS PERFECT The first thing i noticed when i read this was the fact that you said that you and your granddaughter would use your 600 mins during the week each month and you wanted to increase your mins...then why did you listen to the rep and DECREASE your mins..that makes no sense. Yes the rep was wrong to offer you a plan with less mins if she saw that you used your 6oo..BUT it is your responsibilty to look over your bills and make surewhat plans would benefit you. Sounds like thats the reason why your bill was so high(b/c you went over your mins). You do know that you can check your mins by just calling us it might take a few mins out of your oh so busy schedual but it would be worth it. I hear things like this often and Im sorry that you got one bad apple out of the company...but thats going to happen and i know that it is not a good explanation. I know that when I get a call like this I try to do what ever i can to help the customer. Some times it is not easy..we are people too. Its hard to explain a bill or a charge to someone when they are upset and are freaking out about their bill. There are such things as biling errors too..we will admit that, but we do not know if a cust has a billing issue without bringing it to our attention and we are more then happy to credit any discrepancies if they are do. Do you honestly think we have people in a room looking over EVERY single customers bill before we send it out? NO, we dont thats why im asking every one to just take a deep breath before they call in.We do not get paid to be degraded and yelled at all day we get paid to HELP the customer with any questions or concerns they might have..and it makes it VERY VERY VERY difficult to assist you when your yelling at your kids or eating or going through the drive thru or doing dishes or even going to the bathroom(yes i hear this all the time). SO just remember youll get alot farther with a bit of kindness. im so sick of hearing customers say " No you cant help me" after i just offered..well then why in the heck did you call..and if you dont like my answer then make up your own..dont keep asking the same question over and over agian expecting a different answer...and if you think that you are not getting anywhere with a rep then hang up and call back you will get someone who knows what they are doing..there is a such thing as new hires...they do not know everything there is to know about the company..DID YOU KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR COMPANY WHEN YOU STARTED YOUR JOB?!?! Also please please please read your terms and conditions,...there is nothing on that contract that you sign stating that we Promise to provide service every where
