Life is Different

A bit of background:

Last December, my wife suggested that I drop my service with Horizon Tireless and be added on to her plan with T-Mobile, thus saving us both some money. I agreed that it sounded like a good idea. My only concern was that I didn't want to be charged for breaking my contract. I didn't think I was still under my contract, but I wanted to be extra careful. I called the customer service and spoke with a man who confirmed that my contract had ended several months before, and told me he would cancel my service effective immediately. Everything was taken care of, he assured me, and I had no balance on my account. Like a fool, I believed him, and didn't write down his name.

Everything was fine for almost three months. I didn't think much about the fact that I never received a statement mentioning that my account was closed. I was busy with other things, like expecting my daughter's birth.

In March, I received a letter from the company stating I was delinquent in paying my balance of $170.71. My initial thought was that my service was not disconnected as the customer service man told me it would be, and that this balance was for monthly charges that had accrued since December. I called Customer Service, and after navigating the usual labyrinth of automated options, and then being shuffled amongst several live operators, was finally given to Shawanda. She was able to ascertain that my service had been terminated in December, per my request, and that the $170.71 balance was a charge for releasing me from my contract.

I could barely believe what I was hearing. "I didn't have a contract at the time. The guy I talked to confirmed that I wasn't under any contract!" I was beginning to get irritated. In the past, I had fallen victim to hidden charges, but this seemed like a blatant rip-off.

Shawanda was able to find the record on her computer of the conversation I had with the man whose name I failed to record. She said these records were only signed with an employee's "code number" and therefore she had no idea who it was. She agreed, though, that it would be unfair for me to have to pay the money when I was told I owed nothing, and that it made no sense that I had never received a bill - only the letter about my delinquency.

Eventually, about 45 minutes into this call, Shawanda informed me that things were taken care of; that my balance had been "zeroed out" and I would be receiving a statement in the mail to prove it. I thanked her and hung up. Then, not wanting to repeat my mistake of failing to document the conversation, I wrote her name and what she'd told me on the warning letter, and tucked it away in my file cabinet.

When nearly a month passed with no statement in the mail, I called back to make sure everything was okay. Everything was NOT okay. Carol, this time, told me that the zeroing out of my balance had been denied by Shawanda's supervisor after I spoke with her. I was furious, but made sure not to let my anger show in my voice. Customer service people use a customer's anger as an excuse refuse service. "I can't talk to you until you calm down", they'll say, at the first sign of a raised voice. And don't even think of using profanity, or they'll inform you that "I'll help you when you can talk like an adult".

Carol gave me over to Natalie, with whom I spoke at length about the unfairness of all this. She agreed that I was getting shafted, and put me on hold. Eventually she came back on the line and told me that everything had been taken care of by her supervisor. Natalie thanked me for my patience. She told me I would be receiving confirmation in the mail, and possibly a phone call in addition. Relieved but still a bit skeptical, I documented the names and statements, the date and time, etc.

Weeks went by with no statement in the mail and no phone call. I went into denial mode. My conscious mind refused to consider the possibility that I had been lied to again. But on the first of this month, I took a call from a slimey sounding guy who told me my account was in pre-collection.

It was Carlene this time at customer service. To her credit, she didn't try to tell me that things would be taken care of. She told me I had a right to be upset (which I documented - that'll get 'em!). She thought that it was "unfortunate" that I had previously been given some "misinformation". She was able to see the "misinformation" I'd been given on her monitor, but she had only the initials of the offending employees.

If you're still reading at this point, you can probably understand why I'm upset. I've been lied to repeatedly, which has led to my account balance going far past due, which will in turn screw up my credit. Had I been told the truth in the first place, back in December, I wouldn't have closed my account.

So here's how I inventory my resentment, per the Big Book's example:

I'm resentful at: Horizon Tireless, and its employees No Name Guy, Shawanda, and Natalie.

The Cause: They lie to me about my phone bill; manipulate me; take advantage of my trust.

Affects my: Financial Security (fear); Self-esteem (fear)

How, you might ask, does this situation affect my self-esteem? Because I feel that I'm a sucker for allowing myself to get into this situation.

Incidentally, it turns out that I was, in fact, under contract when I closed my account. I had modified my service, and the fine print stated that contracts are automatically renewed when service is changed in certain ways. So it goes. That was my part in the whole thing - not knowing my contract, and believing that the customer service reps were being truthful.

I'll probably end up breaking down and paying the money, although our financial situation is extremely tight right now. The most important thing is that I let go of the resentment. I will not use this company again, and I'll recommend to others that they don't use it either. I will be more careful in the future. I will not let material concerns worry me. I am clean and sober today, and I will not let the phone company destroy my serenity.