which allowed her to send/receive email using a small LCD type unit about the size of a large calculator. The cost for this service was about 10.00 per month. The main problem with this arrangement was that she was missing all the pictures of family and friends that were coming across our church email group on occasion. Since the cost for dial-up internet access was no more expensive than what she was already paying, it made sense for her to move on to real email and internet access. I had gotten a new laptop around 6 months ago so she purchased my very capable >Toshiba Satellite A65-126<.
I was amazed at how quickly she was able to get the hang of doing email and basic internet usage. She really enjoys visiting blogs and corresponding through email.
This brings us to the title of this particular roblog entry: "Disputed Charges and Good Ole BBB!"
The service she had with the "Mail Station" was switched over to a dial-up service offered by the same ISP(internet service provider). A problem surfaced as sister Barbara noticed that she was being double-charged the monthly fee of 9.95 per month! It began to appear that they never shut down the old "Mail Station" account! I contacted the ISP through online chat support last month and thought we had it all taken care of only to discover that the same double charge appeared yet again this month! This was not acceptable. I told her I would try to get it taken care of for her. Well, once again I went to this ISP's online chat support signed in using her login ID. Here is a complete copy of how it went:
Welcome to LiveChat. Your chat session will begin shortly.
You are not currently in a chat session.
'Sally V.' says: Thank you for contacting LiveChat, how may I help you today?
barbara@earthlink.net: hello
barbara@earthlink.net: I seem to be getting double charged on my debit card for my dial-up service.
barbara@earthlink.net: I called to clear this up last month and they failed to fix it
barbara@earthlink.net: I was double charged 9.99
Sally V.: Hello. Please let me look into the issue.
barbara@earthlink.net: plus had an odd charge of 6 dollars and change
barbara@earthlink.net: this double charge has occurred twice now
Sally V.: I apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Sally V.: Let me pull up your account details and assist you in this regard.
barbara@earthlink.net: Can you credit my account 26.00 to cover the overcharges?
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok thanks
Sally V.: Please let me know the security word on your account for account verification purposes.
barbara@earthlink.net: ******
Sally V.: It is not matching. I am referring to the account with barbara@earthlink.net
Sally V.: It appears to be a duplicate account issue.
barbara@earthlink.net: I asked earthlink to clear that problem up already. Over a month ago.
barbara@earthlink.net: It seems they have failed to correct it.
Sally V.: I apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Sally V.: I can verify the account by another method.
Sally V.: Please provide me the last four digits of your VISA card on file, for account verification purposes.
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok...give me a minute to find the card (Rob quickly calls sis. Barb)
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: I will wait for you.
barbara@earthlink.net: *****
Sally V.: Thank you for the account verification information.
Sally V.: I have verified both the accounts now.
Sally V.: I se that the mailbox from the MailStation account is moved to Dial-up account and the second (MailStation) is inactivated.
Sally V.: Yes, it has been inactivated.
Sally V.: You have only one account with Unlimited bill plan.
barbara@earthlink.net: yes....I got rid of the mailstation and went with regular dial-up
Sally V.: You have signed up this account under the $9.95 for 6 months promotion.
Sally V.: There are 4 months remaining on this promotion.
barbara@earthlink.net: At a promotional rate of 9.99 per month for 1 year
Sally V.: You will be charged $9.95 for the next 4 months too.
barbara@earthlink.net: oh ok
Sally V.: It is only for 6 months.
barbara@earthlink.net: Yeah for 6 months
barbara@earthlink.net: What about the credit of 26.00 for the over charges?
Sally V.: I see that the mailbox move has been done on 02/03/06.
Sally V.: You were charged only $9.95 on your Dial-up account.
barbara@earthlink.net: But my bank statement shows two additional charges from the old account that was supposed to be cancelled 2 months ago.
barbara@earthlink.net: it showed double 9.95 charges for 2 straight months...plus an odd 6.00 charge
Sally V.: Okay. I will forward a credit request of $9.95 on your account to our Billing department which will be reflected on your next bill cycle date.
Sally V.: I understand your concern in this regard. But, any billing issue must be raised within 30 days from the date of the invoice generated.
barbara@earthlink.net: It means I have paid a total of nearly 46.00 for the past 2 months for just 1 dial-up account
barbara@earthlink.net: I already raised the issue on the previous invoice but earthlink failed to correct the problem the first time
barbara@earthlink.net: I plan to copy this chat to file a complaint with the BBB Better Business Bureau if you fail to refund the amount.
barbara@earthlink.net: I will also send a copy of my bank statement showing the charges.
barbara@earthlink.net: to the BBB
Sally V.: I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. Okay. I will forward a credit of $19.90 on your account which is for 2 months.
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok...I can accept that
barbara@earthlink.net: I agree to let the other 6.00 go since you agree to crediting 19.90 to my account.
barbara@earthlink.net: Thanks for your help in this matter
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: Also, for your information, the security word on this new Dial-up account is placed as *******
Sally V.: You are welcome.
Sally V.: Can I assist you further?
barbara@earthlink.net: I will look for the credit on my next bank statement.
barbara@earthlink.net: Not at this time.
barbara@earthlink.net: Thanks
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: I am sorry for the confusion. It is a credit that is to be forwarded.
Sally V.: It will be reflected on our account on your future invoices.
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok, and hopefully that secondary account got eliminated
Sally V.: Yes.
barbara@earthlink.net: So I won't keep getting charged for it.
Sally V.: You will be charged for only one Dial-up account.
Sally V.: Yes, exactly.
barbara@earthlink.net: ok thanks again
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: You're welcome and thank you for using EarthLink LiveChat. Should you need further assistance, please feel free to contact us again.
Sally V.: Bye.
Up to 1/3 off select Dell™ Home Systems!
Up to 25% off select Dell™ Home Desktops!
Offer ends 2/22. Click for details.
What would we do without the help of the BBB! I have used the BBB on 2 other occasions with excellent results. I have found that simply the threat of using the BBB makes a big difference. I just hope they follow through with the credit they promised.
A side note> She is looking forward to getting DSL if it ever becomes available! We sure hope its soon!
Not at home and you want to read your email? With Web Mail you can check your email from any computer with an internet connection!
You are not currently in a chat session.'Sally V.' says: Thank you for contacting LiveChat, how may I help you today?barbara@earthlink.net: hello
barbara@earthlink.net: I seem to be getting double charged on my debit card for my dial-up service.
barbara@earthlink.net: I called to clear this up last month and they failed to fix it
barbara@earthlink.net: I was double charged 9.99
Sally V.: Hello. Please let me look into the issue.
barbara@earthlink.net: plus had an odd charge of 6 dollars and change
barbara@earthlink.net: this double charge has occurred twice now
Sally V.: I apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Sally V.: Let me pull up your account details and assist you in this regard.
barbara@earthlink.net: Can you credit my account 26.00 to cover the overcharges?
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok thanks
Sally V.: Please let me know the security word on your account for account verification purposes.
barbara@earthlink.net: ******
Sally V.: It is not matching. I am referring to the account with barbara@earthlink.net
Sally V.: It appears to be a duplicate account issue.
barbara@earthlink.net: I asked earthlink to clear that problem up already. Over a month ago.
barbara@earthlink.net: It seems they have failed to correct it.
Sally V.: I apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Sally V.: I can verify the account by another method.
Sally V.: Please provide me the last four digits of your VISA card on file, for account verification purposes.
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok...give me a minute to find the card (Rob quickly calls sis. Barb)
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: I will wait for you.
barbara@earthlink.net: *****
Sally V.: Thank you for the account verification information.
Sally V.: I have verified both the accounts now.
Sally V.: I se that the mailbox from the MailStation account is moved to Dial-up account and the second (MailStation) is inactivated.
Sally V.: Yes, it has been inactivated.
Sally V.: You have only one account with Unlimited bill plan.
barbara@earthlink.net: yes....I got rid of the mailstation and went with regular dial-up
Sally V.: You have signed up this account under the $9.95 for 6 months promotion.
Sally V.: There are 4 months remaining on this promotion.
barbara@earthlink.net: At a promotional rate of 9.99 per month for 1 year
Sally V.: You will be charged $9.95 for the next 4 months too.
barbara@earthlink.net: oh ok
Sally V.: It is only for 6 months.
barbara@earthlink.net: Yeah for 6 months
barbara@earthlink.net: What about the credit of 26.00 for the over charges?
Sally V.: I see that the mailbox move has been done on 02/03/06.
Sally V.: You were charged only $9.95 on your Dial-up account.
barbara@earthlink.net: But my bank statement shows two additional charges from the old account that was supposed to be cancelled 2 months ago.
barbara@earthlink.net: it showed double 9.95 charges for 2 straight months...plus an odd 6.00 charge
Sally V.: Okay. I will forward a credit request of $9.95 on your account to our Billing department which will be reflected on your next bill cycle date.
Sally V.: I understand your concern in this regard. But, any billing issue must be raised within 30 days from the date of the invoice generated.
barbara@earthlink.net: It means I have paid a total of nearly 46.00 for the past 2 months for just 1 dial-up account
barbara@earthlink.net: I already raised the issue on the previous invoice but earthlink failed to correct the problem the first time
barbara@earthlink.net: I plan to copy this chat to file a complaint with the BBB Better Business Bureau if you fail to refund the amount.
barbara@earthlink.net: I will also send a copy of my bank statement showing the charges.
barbara@earthlink.net: to the BBB
Sally V.: I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. Okay. I will forward a credit of $19.90 on your account which is for 2 months.
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok...I can accept that
barbara@earthlink.net: I agree to let the other 6.00 go since you agree to crediting 19.90 to my account.
barbara@earthlink.net: Thanks for your help in this matter
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: Also, for your information, the security word on this new Dial-up account is placed as *******
Sally V.: You are welcome.
Sally V.: Can I assist you further?
barbara@earthlink.net: I will look for the credit on my next bank statement.
barbara@earthlink.net: Not at this time.
barbara@earthlink.net: Thanks
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: I am sorry for the confusion. It is a credit that is to be forwarded.
Sally V.: It will be reflected on our account on your future invoices.
barbara@earthlink.net: Ok, and hopefully that secondary account got eliminated
Sally V.: Yes.
barbara@earthlink.net: So I won't keep getting charged for it.
Sally V.: You will be charged for only one Dial-up account.
Sally V.: Yes, exactly.
barbara@earthlink.net: ok thanks again
Sally V.: Okay.
Sally V.: You're welcome and thank you for using EarthLink LiveChat. Should you need further assistance, please feel free to contact us again.
Sally V.: Bye.
Up to 1/3 off select Dell™ Home Systems!Up to 25% off select Dell™ Home Desktops!
Offer ends 2/22. Click for details.
What would we do without the help of the BBB! I have used the BBB on 2 other occasions with excellent results. I have found that simply the threat of using the BBB makes a big difference. I just hope they follow through with the credit they promised.
A side note> She is looking forward to getting DSL if it ever becomes available! We sure hope its soon!
3 comments:
I remember Barbara from days of yore when she sent her children down to GMS. I knew Alma briefly for part of a school year or something. We haven't kept in touch but I remember Barbara as a strong fiesty lady who, even though life had certainly handed her some lemons, seemed determined to make lemonade. It appears that she is still doing so--good for her! She's blessed to have a friend like you to run interference for her with Customer Support,etc.!
Rob that is interesting commentary - I would not only have threatened the BBB on them, but would have dropped the service to another ISP after I was sure the financial credit appeared in my account. That sort of service leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Does Barbara have a blog and if so, what is it?
No she does not have a blog. I guess I could suggest her to get one.. LOL. I would certainly say she has the ability to make it work.
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